Current Trends in Medium Tillers

In arid areas or hilly areas to prevent soil water evaporation and water loss, heavy medium tillers were used to eliminate stubble and achieve good results. This comprehensive medium tiller has a depth of about 38 cm. The working parts are elastic and rigid, and the shovel handle is equipped with safety devices such as safety springs, safety bolts or safety pins. The shovel is mostly S-shaped, and the installation distance of the shovel is 16~25 cm, and it is divided into 3~4 rows to enhance soil passage and prevent clogging. The width is towed type, divided into 3 to 5 groups, folded during transportation. 

Most of the inter-row cultivators use rear suspension type, but there are also front suspension type tools. There are many varieties of general-purpose medium cultivators widely used in grain and cotton tillage, such as the VRC series of suspended medium cultivators produced by Dan Conskill Company, which has 5 specifications of 2 to 12 rows. Among them, 8~12 rows are folded type, width 2.5~9.5 m, there is a simple structure of parallel four-link profiling mechanism and pressure-free rubber profiler wheel, the working part has S-shaped vibration teeth, the working speed is 8~12 km/h at a depth of 15 cm, and the power of each bullet tooth is 1~2 horsepower.

Driven medium cultivators are increasingly used in Europe and the United States. This kind of working part has good soil breakage, is not easy to entangle the grass, the surface is flat after ploughing, and it is easy to combine with other parts into compound operations such as soil loosening, stubble removal, weeding, and fertilization. There are about 14 Italian rotary cultivator manufacturers, there are many types of blades, the knife shaft speed is 119 ~ 270 r/min, the walking speed is about 2.5 km/h, the amplitude width can be changed by increasing or decreasing the blade, the frame is equipped with adjustable depth limit wheels, and the ploughing depth is 10~12 cm. The blades are thallium-shaped, right-angled, leaf-shaped, L-shaped and curved.

The frame of the medium cultivator, the traction is the frame type, the suspension type is mostly single-girder type, and the rectangular steel pipe is generally used; Folding and ploughing depth adjustment are operated by hydraulic cylinders.

The working parts are mainly shovel-type parts, which are the basic type of the medium cultivator. Most of the shovel work parts are fitted with spring release devices, as well as various types of elastic shovel handles, with a maximum release force of up to 100 kg. When the S-shaped bullet teeth work, it can produce a uniform effect before and after to ensure uniform ploughing, shake the grass roots and throw the surface, so as to achieve the good effect of breaking soil and weeding. The opening angle of the single and double wings of the shovel tends to decrease to enhance the ability of the shovel to remove weeds, and the surface is leveled after cultivation. Due to the poor soil penetration and unbalanced side pressure, in recent years, the cultivator tends not to use a single-wing shovel, but instead uses various types of seedling guards. The rotary hoe is mainly used for the loosening soil of the seedling row at the seedling stage of crops, with a diameter of 350~500 mm and low rolling resistance.