Horsch has announced an expansion of its North American primary tillage line with the launch of the all-new Omnis FT Tillage Tool. Engineered and built at the company’s Mapleton, N.D., facility, the new concept in primary tillage incorporates innovations pioneered by Horsch — a global manufacturer of seeding, planting, tillage and application equipment — both domestically and abroad.

According to Horsch, the Omnis FT is ideal for breaking up compaction and providing consistent soil tilth in conditions where residue has already been properly sized and distributed by the combine. The overall shank spacing is one of the unique features of the product — the thorough horizontal fracture is accomplished by four ranks of shanks spaced on 15-inch centres with 1,800 pounds of trip force. Each shank is equipped with the Horsch Mulch Mix shins that aggressively turn and mix soil and residue, creating uniform soil structure and accelerating the decomposition process. A variety of tips are available along with bolt-on sweeps.

“One of the unanimous points of feedback that we got over the years when farmers see our European concepts is the desire for thorough horizontal fracture and tilth versus ripping soil,” says Jeremy Hughes, product manager at Horsch.

“The act of ripping really does nothing to promote uniformity in soil structure. With Omnis FT, soil can be tilled down to 10 to 11 inches and thoroughly across the working width of the machine, giving a fully tilled, uniform, soil structure. This provides uniform water infiltration, uniform soil warming, uniform residue and soil blending, and also an unrestrictive environment for optimum root growth,” he says.

The Omnis FT has the ability to work at variable depths. It can go down to 11 inches for breaking up compacted zones or it can run shallower, depending on the desired tillage. Another feature of the tillage tool is the large diameter tires for transport and field operation. “One big complaint we hear with primary tillage tools is tires. Small tires on a heavy machine results in getting stuck. Large diameter tires give a tremendous advantage in those unexpected circumstances,” says Hughes.

A wide range of options are available depending on field conditions. The versatile concept provides the ability to mix and match options on a standard base unit to meet individual needs. A choice of rolling basket, levelling tines or a three-bar heavy harrow complete the rear of the Omnis FT, according to the desired soil finish. An optional rear hitch is available for towing a fertilizer caddy or a pull-type finisher, or the unit can be ordered without anything on the rear.

“For several years we have been working in North America with various European primary tillage techniques along with analyzing domestic technologies. Our goal has been to take those unique global primary tillage techniques and incorporate them into a domestic concept. With Omnis FT, that vision is now a reality,” says Hughes. “When looking at the basics of what we want to accomplish with primary tillage, the first is to accelerate decomposition of harvested crop residues and second is to start the creation of a uniform seed bed soil structure.”

The Omnis FT range will include 11-foot rigid, 16-foot rigid, 21-foot rigid, 21-foot folding and 26-foot folding versions.