The saying goes: If you don’t like the weather, just give it 15 minutes. The same goes for field conditions: If you don’t like them this spring, just wait until next year. The problem is that sitting out the season isn’t an option.
Unlike waiting out the weather, you can do something about challenging ground right now. It starts with the right Case IH tillage equipment properly adjusted to your soils, crop residue levels and specific tillage system. Today, making proper adjustments doesn't mean jumping out of the cab every few acres; it means leveraging Soil Command™ technology to optimize your seedbed in real time, on the go from the comfort of your cab.
Let’s explore specific tillage and agronomic design principles to help you to master your fields, regardless of what the season throws at you.
Vertical Tillage: High-Speed Versatility
Case IH vertical tillage tools offer a fast and efficient way to cover acres while cutting, sizing and mixing residue based on your specific soil type. Our newest addition to this lineup, the VT-Flex™ 435 vertical tillage tool, provides exceptional dual-season flexibility. With front and rear independent gang angles adjustable from 0 to 12 degrees, you can transition from light spring seedbed preparation to aggressive fall residue mixing with a single tool. For those managing larger operations, several models are available with Soil Command technology to ensure peak efficiency.
High-Speed Disks: Rugged Dual-Season Performance
For growers who need to bury more crop residue while maintaining high speeds, our high-speed disk lineup delivers aggressive results with a finishing tool's efficiency. The Speed-Tiller® high-speed disk stands out as a true dual-season powerhouse. In the fall, it digs deep — up to 6 inches — to manage and anchor heavy residue, while in the spring, it cuts through the field to minimize weeds and create a level seedbed. By leveraging Soil Command, the Speed-Tiller high-speed disk allows you to manage disk depth and finishing tool pressure directly from the cab, ensuring consistent performance across changing field conditions.
Field Cultivators: The Ultimate Finishing Touch
To achieve a firm, level seedbed that promotes fast, uniform emergence, our field cultivators receive the agronomic design stamp of approval to eliminate the "hills and valleys" below the soil surface. The Tiger-Mate™ 255 field cultivator uses a split-the-middle sweep pattern and a rugged bridge frame to maintain a smooth subsurface floor at high speeds. Currently available with Seedbed Sense technology that provides the operator with seedbed quality feedback in the cab through the Pro 1200 display to guide the operator on needed adjustments, like speed, wing sections and tire pressure.
A newly introduced feature on the Tiger-Mate 255 is Seedbed Sense Speed Control, which automatically adjusts the Case IH tractors speed based on real-time agronomic feedback. This feature can be mapped and viewed in Case IH FieldOps. For those working in high-clay content soils, the Vibra-Tine™ 265 cultivator utilizes S-tine technology to break through tough clods and create a high-quality finish.
Strip-Till: Precise Soil Health
For those looking to balance the benefits of no-till and conventional systems, the newly launched Nutri-Tiller 1000 series strip-till toolbar is a game-changer. This system prioritizes soil health by minimizing erosion and only disturbing the soil where the seed and fertilizer will actually be placed. From the comfort of the cab, operators can control residue managers, row unit down pressure and berm conditioners through the Pro 1200 display. Choose your nutrient application options from liquid to dry fertilizer systems that pair with the Nutri-Tiller 1000 series.
Soil Command Technology: Tillage With Intelligence
The most significant advancement in modern tillage is the ability to monitor and adjust your implement on the go. Based on agronomic design principles, Soil Command™ technology is integrated across the majority of the Case IH tillage equipment, lineup — including the VT-Flex 435, Speed-Tiller 475 and Tiger-Mate 255 — allowing you to:
- Make one-touch adjustments: When you change your depth, all other functions (like fore/aft leveling and Crumbler® roller pressure) automatically coordinate.
- Map your passes: Record as-applied data to see exactly how your tillage settings correlate with your final yield in conjunction with Case IH FieldOps™.
- With Soil Command technology and FieldOps, easily create site-specific tillage prescriptions that automatically adjust tillage settings on the go.
No matter how your fields looked last fall, Case IH offers the tillage tools and the technology to prepare them for high-efficiency planting with a Case IH Early Riser planter. Talk to your local Case IH dealer about matching the right equipment to your operation.