FAQs

These are some of the most common questions that people have asked about SoilWarrior, including the Manure System and Roller System. If you have additional questions, please send them to us in an e-mail at info@soilwarrior.com. We will answer them and post them on our message board.

How does the SoilWarrior work?

The SoilWarrior creates zones that are 6"-12" deep and 10"-12" wide in any types of soils, without smearing or smoothing the sidewalls and pulling up huge clumps of soil. Tilling is accomplished by a large 30" Deep Till coulter on each row unit. The case hardened 3/8" thick coulter has 10 replaceable ductile iron tillage bits. Zones to 6" deep can be placed with two 20" Shallow Till wavy coulters rather than the Deep Till coulter.

The bits on the Deep Till coulter create a spoon-like cutting action that slices through residue and digs deep into any soil, creating a U-shaped zone of aerated soil. Two 25" containment coulters with a unique saw blade design are mounted behind the Deep Till or Shallow Till coulters. They float free without down pressure to gather soil and form it into a neat berm.

How is down-pressure maintained on the row units?

There is uniform down pressure and infinite depth control on all of the row units, regardless of the size of your tool bar. Each row unit has a large air bag similar to those used for air ride suspension on over-the-road trailers. The air bag creates down pressure on the Deep Till or Shallow Till coulters, which are mounted on parallel linkage to the toolbar.

Air pressure is maintained either by the tractor’s system or an auxiliary compressor mounted on the machine. A controller in the tractor cab regulates pressure from 5 to 70 psi. Lower psi is used in softer conditions and higher psi is used when soils are compacted or dry. One large adjustable gauge wheel on the front of each row unit maintains depth control.

Where does the SoilWarrior place fertilizer?

The machine drops fertilizer behind the Deep Till coulter or the Shallow Till wavy coulters. We’ve had agronomists and university representatives check the zones following the machine and both of the setups uniformly incorporate dry fertilizer throughout the zone. We use the same containment coulters for both the deep and shallow setup to gently roll soil into a nice berm.

How does the SoilWarrior handle rocks and tough soils?

Our experience on more than 10,000 acres of testing is that the row units handle rocks and varying soil types extremely well. Our farm is a good test site. We have soils that range from deep muck to peat to nice loam to rocky and gravel-laden knolls. The large Deep Till coulters have struck several rocks at 6"-10" deep and we have not broken a coulter or row unit. We have broken a few tillage bits, but that happens because they do most of the cutting and are subject to more stress. We have not broken a guage wheel or a containment coulter.

The Deep Till coulter will dig into just about any type of hard soils, including packed headlands and wheel tracks. The machine can do this because of the pneumatic down pressure supplied by the air bags. However, the machine is not meant to be used in extreme drought or dry conditions. If you wouldn’t be out there with a disk or chisel plow or moldboard plow, you shouldn’t be out there with the SoilWarrior.

Is the design perfected?

The Beta test machines in the market worked very well in fall, 2005. After they covered about 8,000 acres we improved some components on the row units and addressed some hydraulic issues. In the spring of 2006 the Beta machines covered more than 15,000 acres with very few problems. The overall design of the cart, the tool bar, the pneumatic pressure system, the parallel linkage row units and the fertilizer system will remain the same for the foreseeable future.

How many acres will a SoilWarrior cover?

We have experience with a variety of implement sizes and we think the following is a reasonable acreage/application chart.

For 200–500 acres, a 4 row machine

(80-120 HP tractor)

For 500 -1000 acres, a 6 row machine

(130-170 HP tractor)

For 1000 - 2500 acres, an 8 row machine

(180-220 HP tractor)

For 2500 -4500 acres, a 12 row machine

(240-320 HP tractor)

For 4500 - 6000 acres, a 16 row machine

(340-420 HP tractor)

For 6000+ acres, a 24 row machine

(400+ HP tractor)

Fuel consumption to pull the 16 row machine in the Fall placing zones 8-10" deep in cornstalks and bean stubble averaged 8/10ths of a gallon per acre on nearly 8,000 acres in 2005. Shallow pass Spring zone tillage with the 16 row machines requires about 4/10ths of a gallon per acre.

What size SoilWarrior should I get for my farm?

It depends on how many acres you have, the size tractor you have and if you plan on doing custom work. We have found that many farmers are interested in custom work, so plan accordingly. Custom rates will vary depending on whether you supply fuel, the size of your machine, etc.

How can I match up different row configurations?

Obviously a 6 row SoilWarrior will work with a 6 or 12 row planter and an 8 row machine will work with an 8 row or 16 row planter. Likewise a 12 row SoilWarrior matches a 12 row or 24 row planter and a 16 row matches a 16 row planter. You should use a guidance system if you plan on using a SoilWarrior with a different configuration than your planter.

How much horsepower do I need for the SoilWarrior?

You should have a minimum of 20 HP per row for shallow, 30-40 HP per row for deep. The lower horsepower works fine on gently rolling or flat ground. The higher horsepower is definitely needed on hilly ground or heavier soils.

More horsepower is used with fall tillage because you’re generally placing a zone 6"-10" deep in cornstalks or bean stubble. In the spring you’ll be running across the same zones with a dual coulter system about 2"-5" deep to condition the zones in front of the planter. That will require about 2/3rds the power and about half the fuel that you used in the fall.

What about trash whippers?

The SoilWarrior doesn’t have trash whippers because the large 30" Deep Till coulter can cut through corn stalks, even right behind the combine. In the spring, the smaller Shallow Till wavy coulters cut up remaining residue and incorporate it into the seed zone. You can run row cleaners on your planter to clean away any remaining residue from the zone. We like a little trash in the row because it helps absorb raindrops, reduces washing in the field and prevents crusting.

Do you have patents on the machine?

There are patents pending and issued on several SoilWarrior components.

How do I know the SoilWarrior system will work?

Strip tillage and zone tillage have been used for several years across a variety of conditions. Agronomists, university researchers and farmers agree that incorporating fertilizer into a zone and planting into that zone works well. However, drawbacks with zone or strip tillage equipment in the current marketplace include plugging, poor fertilizer incorporation, inability to handle varying soils and conditions, creating trenches and smearing sidewalls. We designed and built the SoilWarrior to handle the biggest roadblocks in the current equipment marketplace.

The SoilWarrior places deep fall zones and mixes dry fertilizer in 200+ bushel corn stalks and other residue conditions without problems. In the Spring, a second pass with the same machine across the same zones with Shallow Till wavy coulters replacing the Deep Till cutting coulter on each row creates a totally mixed and totally managed seedbed ready for planting.

We’re confident that the SoilWarrior is the best and most efficient implement for row crop tillage and fertilizer management on the market today.

• We built it strong.
• We built it to create a u-shaped zone with rough sidewalls.
• We built it to handle any soils.
• We built it to handle any residue.
• We built it to handle rocks.
• We built it to incorporate dry or liquid fertilizer.
• We built it to be a one pass system in the fall and a one pass system in the spring with the same machine.
• We built it to easily fold for road travel and storage.
• We built it to save time, save money and increase profit potential.

What about row spacing?

Right now we’re building machines for 20" & 30" rows.

Can I put SoilWarrior row units on my own toolbar?

We don’t advise farmers to do that. We’ve tried mounting our row units on an existing strip till bar, an old cultivator bar and a planter bar and haven’t been pleased with the results we do have.

How much does a SoilWarrior cost?

Pricing on 12 or 16-row models will be finalized later this summer. Keep in mind that we utilize premium components throughout, including a dry fertilizer system with scale, premium tires, heavy-duty parallel linkage, oil bath coulter bearings and premium hydraulics. We don’t think you'll find a better built machine anywhere.

The farmers who have used the Beta test machines and others who have seen these machines in action have told us they are built stronger than anything that’s on the market. For these people cost has not been an obstacle because the machines work in any soils, in high residue conditions, can place fertilizer in the fall and in the spring, create deep zones in the fall and seedbed zones in the spring ready for planting.

Doing the math on fuel savings, labor savings, fewer hours on tractors and less investment in other equipment such as chopping corn heads, stalk choppers, chisel plows and field cultivators makes the SoilWarrior a smart investment.

How can I justify the cost of a SoilWarrior?

The SoilWarrior can replace any fall tillage and any spring tillage you are currently doing. The machine also applies fertilizer in the fall or the spring. You do not need to chop cornstalks before operating the SoilWarrior in the fall. While the economics of using the SoilWarrior system will vary by farm, you should expect lower costs for fall tillage, fertilizer application and seedbed preparation. You need to figure major savings for reduced trips across the field, less investment in equipment and fuel savings. You can also generate income with a SoilWarrior by doing custom work.