Morris Equipment is the latest manufacturer to toss its hat into the 100-foot seeder arena.
The seven-plex folding air drill seeder, part of the Saskatchewan-based company’s eight-year-old Quantum line, is scheduled for a full market release in 2027.
Garth Massie, director of sales for Morris’s parent company, Superior Farms Equipment (SFE), says the new seeder is aimed at enhancing productivity for crop producers working around 9,000 acres.
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WHY IT MATTERS: Larger equipment generally allows crop producers to work more acres in a relatively short period of time.
“Canadian farmers probably have the shortest seeding window of anyone in the world,” he says.
“They’re trying to get a lot of work done in a very short amount of time. So there’s been this continuous push on the machinery development side to help farmers get more acres planted every day.”
Aside from increased width (the largest Quantum on the market today is 80 feet), the machine also features an extra six inches (48 inches compared to the previous 42) of spacing per rank compared to smaller Quantum models.
This spacing improves residue handling relative to the seeder width, said SFE director of marketing Melissa MacLean.
“That’s going to maintain the flow without bunching up or plugging so you don’t have to sacrifice any of that by going to a larger machine.”
The decision to go with a fully mechanical seven-plex fold with a single pivot design was based on grower feedback favouring a “traditional” folding machine, says Massie.
The machine’s travel profile — at 28 feet, three inches wide and 18 feet, four inches tall — was designed to be low and narrow in the interest of operator safety.
“Transport underneath power lines … is your key consideration there,” says Massie.
Fertilizer use efficiency was another major consideration in the seeder’s development. The machine uses a high-capacity air system with a smooth, three-inch primary hose to allow easier passage.
“It doesn’t have that rough interior that can restrict airflow,” says MacLean, adding the smooth primary — based on testing — delivers 18 per cent better air flow compared to a rough interior hose.
It’s also paid off in delivery power, says Massie.
“In our testing, we’re able to deliver up to 500 pounds of fertilizer per acre at five m.p.h. (eight km-h). So that’s a really impressive number to hit.”
MacLean also touts the seeder’s independent opener system with “consistent depth control and proven seed/fertilizer separation across the full working width.”
Other specs are much the same as previous Quantums. One exception includes frame depth (96 inches centre to centre compared to 84 inches).
The official launch of the Quantum 100 foot will take place at Ag in Motion July 21-23 near Langham, Sask. It will be paired with the Morris 10 Series 1,440-bushel air cart.
