QuickStart
See our QuickStart movies for your Seed Hawk.
Nutrient use efficiency
Placing seeds in firm, moist soil enables roots to quickly access moisture and nutrients, promoting strong growth.
Superior conditions for growth
Germination is a crucial phase in the growth process. For strong emergence, it is vital that the plant quickly and safely accesses nutrients, giving it the early advantage it needs.
Key factors for healthy seed germination
Placing seeds in firm, moist soil allows roots to quickly access moisture and nutrients, fostering strong growth. Techniques like tine coulter furrows and micro-strip tillage optimise temperature, moisture retention, and air exchange, speeding up germination and boosting plant development.
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Root development
Positioning the seed in firm, moist soil guarantees the radicle immediate and continuous access to moisture. The fine tilth adjacent to the seed facilitates the development of other roots, enabling them to swiftly extend towards the fertiliser band. This promotes rapid emergence and vigorous growth of the young plant.
Quick warm-up
For seed growth to begin, the seed furrow must reach the right temperature. The furrow created by the tine coulter functions similarly to strip tillage, warming up faster than the surrounding soil and speeding up germination. Higher temperatures also enhance fertiliser uptake and accelerate mineralisation, further promoting plant growth. Additionally, the stubble helps prevent wind from cooling the surface.
Promotes growth
The flat-faced design of the knives creates fine tilth, ensuring optimal seed-to-soil contact. Additionally, the knives form an open sidewall and furrow bottom free from compaction or smearing, promoting air and moisture exchange as well as root development. Both the fertiliser and seed are placed on uncultivated soil, providing excellent access to capillary water, which ensures rapid seed swelling.
Moisture retention
Moisture is crucial for successful germination. The Seed Hawk micro-strip tillage concept utilises both surface and ground moisture, directing them to the furrow. The fine tilth within the furrow reduces evaporation, while immediate consolidation retains moisture for the seed.
The Seed Hawk coulter
Seed Hawk’s industry-leading tine coulters operate independently for superior shallow seeding, depth accuracy, and optimal fertiliser placement. The dual-knife system ensures precise separation of fertiliser and seed, preventing fertiliser burn and promoting early nutrient access. The result is quick, uniform germination, even packing, and consistent performance in all soil conditions.
Efficiency in one pass
At the core of all Seed Hawk seeding systems is the tine coulter assembly. Each Seed Hawk tine coulter follows the ground independently by pivoting at the frame, managing fertiliser and seed placement, as well as packing the soil in a single pass.
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➊ Fertiliser placement
The fertiliser knife features a pronounced forward angle, functioning similarly to a cultivator point but without the mixing properties. It elevates moist soil and shifts larger clods aside, leaving fine tilth in the seed slot. Its ability to penetrate soil ensures maximum depth with minimal weight, conserving diesel.
➋ Seeding
The seed knife, angled backward, carves a shelf from the sidewall and dresses it with fine tilth. Soil covers the fertiliser before the seed is placed on the shelf, ensuring perfect separation. This barrier prevents fertiliser burn and enhances seed-to-soil contact for rapid germination. The lateral separation ensures seeds are not placed directly on top of the fertiliser, avoiding broken capillarity and moisture competition. The short distance allows roots quick access to nutrients.
➌ Reconsolidation
The working depth of the Seed Hawk tine coulter is maintained by the packer wheel, which follows the ground surface directly behind the fertiliser and seed knives. The hydraulic cylinder applies downforce on the wheel, resulting in up to 150 kg of pressure. Adjustable packing pressure ensures excellent results in any soil condition. The Seed Hawk tine coulter consistently maintains its selected working depth, resulting in an evenly maturing crop every time.
Seed knives designed for performance
The Seed Hawk knives have been specifically designed to prevent hair pinning and/or mixing. Therefore, the seed is granted a clean seed slot free of residues.
Versatile seed placement options
Seed Hawk offers multiple seed placement options to meet the conditions and goals of each grower. Each option provides features and qualities suited to various conditions and objectives. Choose between Single Side Band (SSB), the new Inline Side Band (ISB), or Twin Wing (TW) knives based on your preferences.
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Single Side Band knife
The Single Side Band Knife is the leader in precision seed and fertiliser placement. The offset knives cut shallow, separate trenches for seed and fertiliser, placing seed on undisturbed soil and fertiliser in the best position for superior uptake, while also protecting seedlings. The result is quicker germination and more even emergence in all soil conditions.
Available in 25.4 cm (10”) or 30.5 cm (12”) row spacing.
Inline Side Band knife
The Inline Side Band knives achieve side band placement with an inline knife design. The seed knife cuts a separate shallow trench where an angled seed tube is used to place the seed 5 cm (2”) away from and 1.9 cm (0.75”) above the fertiliser. The new inline design allows for better soil flow and performance in residues, resulting in a smoother field finish. The new inline system also allows the grower to easily switch from Side Band to Twin Row placement if desired.
Available in 25.4 cm (10”) or 30.5 cm (12”) row spacing.
Twin Wing knife
If narrower spacing is desired, growers have the option to equip their 30.5 cm (12”) toolbars with twin wing openers to create 22.9 cm (9”) of spacing between seeded rows. The design ensures that two distinct rows emerge, while providing proper separation of seed and fertiliser. The wider shank distribution improves residue clearance, and tighter row spacing increases seed bed use, making the emerging crop a better competitor for weeds.
Available in 30.5 cm (12”) row spacing, creating 22.9 cm (9”) rows.
| Single Side Band | Inline Side Band | Twin Wing | |
| Soil disturbance | Average | Minimal | Increased |
| Trash flow | Average | Improved | Improved |
| Propensity for plugging | Minimal | Average* | Average* |
| Soil conditions (moist/dry) | Excellent/Excellent | Limited/Excellent | Limited/Excellent |
| Soil type (heavy/medium/light) | Excellent/Excellent/Excellent | Average/Excellent/Excellent | Limited/Excellent/Excellent |
* Propensity for plugging largely depends on soil types and moisture. With heavier soils and high moisture, the propensity factor will be increased.
Risks and Precautions
Our company conducts testing and research to verify the placement of seed and fertiliser, the measurements shown in this slide are approximate and measured centre to centre of the seed and fertiliser rows.
It is our company's policy not to recommend or endorse specific application rates due to many varying risk factors. Please consider the factors on the following slides when using our Seed Hawk seeding system.
Seed quality and types: Crops vary in their ability to tolerate seed‑placed fertiliser, cereals have been found to be able to withstand more than oilseeds, while pulse crops toleration levels fall somewhere in the middle. Seed with poor vigour can suffer more damage from seed‑placed fertiliser than seeds with high vigour, when vigour is unknown seed testing is recommended.
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Fertiliser rates and type: Depending on the type of fertiliser used, damage can occur either through NH3 toxicity, or the effects of salt, or a combination of both. Typically, the risk of seedling damage increases as the rates of fertiliser are increased.
Soil factors: When soil is nearly saturated, the toxic effects of fertiliser are diluted so seeds can germinate and develop with fewer problems. When conditions are very dry or are predicted to be dry during critical growth stages, the toxic effects are stronger and fertiliser rates should be reduced to compensate for this. Extreme wet and dry conditions, heavy residue and the presence of rocks may also lead to erratic seed placement, poor seed-to-soil contact and/or poor seed to fertiliser separation. Finely textured soils including clays or clay-loams tend to also reduce these toxic effects better than coarse or sandy soils because of their ability to hold more water and absorb fertiliser particles. Soils with higher levels of organic matter can also reduce the risks of damage.
Seeding system settings: Improperly adjusting seeding depth, packing pressure, speed and airflow may compromise seed and fertiliser placement as well as the overall quality of the seeding operation. It is highly recommended to consult the operator's manual to ensure you are operating the system as it was intended to be used.
Consistent seed depth with contour following
Seed Hawk 40-84 models come in 5- or 7-plex frame sections, allowing them to follow the contours of the land independently by pivoting at the frame. With a contour-following range of 46 cm (18”), the independent tine coulters deliver consistent seed depth, regardless of the terrain.
By controlling each row individually, each seed is granted the same optimal conditions for growth. Consistent contour-following ability is crucial in no-till operations where variable field conditions are present. The Seed Hawk tine coulter excels in this area.
Eliminate overlap with Sectional Control Technology™
Sectional control, combined with an independent GPS system, prevents overlap, reduces input costs, and minimises ground disturbance. It manages meters and openers to halt product flow and lift openers on previously seeded ground, maintaining precise placement.
SCTx with Turn Compensation includes an additional GPS receiver on the tractor for enhanced capabilities. This enables more complex manoeuvres and precise control of air drill operations.
Wireless blockage monitoring
Now you can watch for blockages from the cab as the blockage system monitors product flow on your Seed Hawk seeding system. If a blockage is detected, it immediately delivers quick, accurate notification of the exact location to your iCon wireless control system.
Product leaving the manifold bounces off a stainless-steel membrane as it enters the seed or fertiliser run, creating a small sound wave. If there is any change in the sound wave, it is picked up by acoustic sensors that detect the blockage to trigger audio and visual alerts on your tablet.
When a blockage location is identified, you can take your tablet out of the tractor cab and carry it with you as you locate the blockage and fix the issue. No more misses.
Seed Between the Rows (SBR)
SBR technology uses a curved paddle sensor that floats above the ground to detect nearby stubble rows. It is connected to hydraulic cylinders that move the hitch and keep the openers between the rows, improving seed and fertiliser placement even more.
Stainless steel primary lines
Seed Hawk 70-84 Air Drills are now updated with stainless steel primary lines. Stainless steel ensures growers the best possible experience, ensuring years of trouble-free operation with reduced maintenance. The stainless steel centre section is not included on tow-between versions of the Seed Hawk 70-84.
