Practical test: Kverneland Accord i-drill PRO cultivator drill Non-inversion tillage may steal the limelight but, with half of all UK land still established conventionally, power harrow drill combination developments continue unabated. Here we test how Kverneland’s new i-drill PRO performs in the field
A little ‘i’ on today’s equipment often signifies it’s packed with electronic wizardry. But on the Kverneland i-drill PRO it’s more likely to denote ‘integral’ – to describe how the drill is close-coupled up to the cultivator, making it an ‘integrated’ part of the power harrow – almost.
The lighter build – the i-drill weighs in at 350kg less than its DA-X cousin – compact design and new weight distribution mean the combi is much easier for the tractor to lift. Indeed, this new integral approach breaks new power harrow combi design ground. For a start, the lightweight seed distribution unit is now mounted at the rear of the machine, above the coulter bar rather than up in front of the seed hopper. This makes it possible to move the seed hopper much further forward to sit directly over the top of the power harrow
At the same time the seed metering unit is now immediately accessible from the left-hand side of the machine.
That’s not all. The list of further positive points is topped by the sturdy and quickto-release steps along with an excellent operator platform. In addition, the seed hopper is covered by a strong metal lid and has a 1,200-litre capacity (1,800-litre option). Yet despite this large volume, the machine’s overload height is only 80cm up from the platform and 2m above the ground. Our one minor criticism is that the clearance between hopper wall and grid is, as we discovered, large enough to allow a knife to slip through and into the hopper. Also we feel the hinged edge of the lid should be grain-tight when open; currently, this area leaks.
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