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Subsoilers: Shear Bolt Paratill^®

Break up compaction without destroying soil structure. The Bigham Brothers Paratill^® (the cornerstone of our Reduced Tillage Row Crop System) bends subsoil to remove hardpans. What makes the Paratill^® different from other subsoilers is the award winning leg design. The leg is angled 45 degrees to the side and works at depths of 12" to 17". The 45 degree angle of the leg gently lifts the soil, allowing it to fracture along its natural planes of weakness and then settle back again. This loosening improves water infiltration and absorption, encourages root development and allows for deeper fertilizer placement. The gentle lifting action will not mix topsoil with subsoil, create clods, bury residue or require additional tillage trips as may be the case with conventional "ripper" type plows.

The Paratill can be equipped to match your operation. Placement of legs on centers of 20" to 28" results in Overall Loosening across the entire field.

In addition, the legs can be spaced from 24" to 40" for Zone Loosening of row crops. A zone from 20" to 28" wide and up to 17" deep is prepared underneath the bed to be planted while maintaining firm traffic lanes beween the rows.

Standard Features:

• Heavy duty diamond mast toolbar frame has 4 x 7 x 3/8" tube on the front bar. The same frame can be used for overall loosening or zone loosening for 40" rows with no additional parts required. Heavy Category III Wide 4" Drop Hitch is standard on all models.
• Spring Loaded Swivel Coulter with 20" fluted blade has up to 1200 pounds of residue slicing pressure.
• Each Leg is protected with a shear bolt to prevent collision damage. Lower Leg is protected against wear by six high quality replaceable wear surface parts. Adjustable Shatter Plate on the rear of each leg controls lifting force for desired fracturing in different soils.
• Screw Jack Gauge Wheels and 1" x 3" shanks with clamps (bedding tools on the back bar) are included with all models.

Your soil is your greatest asset. It can promote crop growth and high yields or hinder them. The key is soil structure and its effect on your crop's root system.

Root systems grow poorly in compacted and hardpan layered soil because of physical resistance and poor movement of moisture. Compacted soils shed rainfall and detached topsoil as runoff. During dry periods, the hardpan is an impermeable barrier to groundwater reserves.

The Paratill improves the root environment by loosening soil to a depth of 12" to 17". It breaks hardpan uniformly while restoring the soil's pore system. Spring rainfall can be absorbed, excess moisture drained away and groundwater becomes accessible to roots during dry periods.

The Bigham Brothers Paratill provides these results and leaves the soil virtually undisturbed with basic soil structure intact.

A major cause of compaction is pressure from today's heavy tractors and farm implements. Repetitive tillage practices compound the problem further.	Moldboard plowing does not reach deep hardpan layers and can actually build plowpan.	Tests show that rippers can create zones of compaction at the points and between the shanks. A soft slot in the middle of the seedbed can cause seed depth planting problems.

Paratill Leg Spacings

Zone Loosening (Standard Pattern-40" Rows)		Zone Loosening (Optional Pattern-40" Rows)
This leg spacing is suitable for most row crops and leaves furrows firm for skip row irrigations patterns. Each zone is approximately 20" to 28" wide and up to 17" deep.		This leg configuration provides the same basic crop zone loosening results as the Standard Pattern.
Zone Loosening (No-Till Pattern-40" Rows)		Total Loosening (88"-112" Width)
Very popular and complementary to No-Till operations. Traffic lanes remain very hard while zones are loosened for crop root growth.		This configuration accomplishes the loosening process across the entire field.

Soil Management

Side-by-side comparison shows large clods and a poor surface condition (right side) caused by a conventional ripper plow. by contrast, the Paratill has left very little surface disturbance (left side).	As much as 85% of surface residue may be left on top of the soil in order to comply with federal erosion control regulations. The Paratill is superior to other tillage tools in this respect.

Optional Equipment

Deep placement of fertilizer and other Chemicals is achieved with optimum results with the Paratill. Uniform application at consistent depths places nutrients where you need them. The Paratill pictured above is equipped on a folding frame with anhydrous delivery tubes on each leg. This combination of tools accomplishes three operations (deep tillage, fertilizer application and bedding) in one pass.	The selection of accessories and attachments to complement the Paratill is virtually unlimited. The Paratill above has been equipped with disc bedder row units attached with the use of an additional bar bolted to the rear of the triple bar frame.

The Paratill can be equipped as a pull type model. Pictured above is a Six Leg Versatill® that features front notched discs, heavy duty pull package, hydraulic lift wheel kit, and rear finishing basket.	Optional Bed Conditioners firm the seed bed, break up small clods, seal moisture and incorporate chemicals if desired. Bed Conditioners are available in 17 or 21 inch basket widths.

Item Descriptions

Paratills include:

• Tool Bar (3 Bar Superbar with 4x7" Front tube; 27'6" Frame has 4x7" front and center tubes).
• Hitch Assy. (Cat. III/4" Drop).
• Corresponding quantities of Legs with clamp assemblies (equal number of left and right hand Legs).
• Spring Loaded Swivel Coulters with mounting clamp.
• Gauge Wheels (Underframe gauge wheels with all units, additional set of outboard gauge wheels for Six Leg Skip, Eight, Ten & Twelve Leg Paratills).
• 1x3" Rear bedding shanks with clamps to accommodate furrowers on the rear bar (5,7, or 9).
• Parking stands.

Note: Ten and Twelve Leg Paratills do not include rear bedding tools, Lister bottoms are pictured but not included. All Units are priced unassembled. Assembled Paratill prices may be found in the price sheets designated with an "A".

Horsepower requirements are 30-40 hp per leg depending on soil type, condition and operating depth.

Manufactured under one or more of the following patents: D296442, D27767, 4409912, 4548276 and foreign patents.

Paratill^® Assembly Instructions/Parts List | Go back to our Home Page | Contact us: - Send us a note, locate your nearest dealer, ask us a question or get more information on our products.