Imants rotary spading machines are a two part single pass tillage machine performing both primary and secondary tillage in one pass. The main spade shaft breaks up the soil, gently fracturing and lifting the soil. The power driven harrow on the back of the machine breaks up the clods and leaves a finished seed bed. The rotary spading machine is a unique design that works very differently from a crank shaft style spader. The rotary design allows the Imants spader to run more efficiently, and require less maintenance than their competitors. The Imants spader also has the added advantage of leaving no plow pan. Since the flat part of the spades never push down against the ground the spades do not compact the soil under the machine like a traditional plow. The secondary tillage portion of the spader is a power driven harrow on the pack of the machine. This harrow rotates along the ground leveling the ground and breaking up the larger dirt clods. The harrow will not powderize the soil like a rototiller which leaves the soil healthier and less likely to erode or re-compact.
The principal features of the Imants rotary spading machines are their simplicity and solid construction, which makes them the ideal single pass tillage tool. The narrower models are used primarily by landscapers, greenhouses, nurseries, vineyards, and organic farmers. The wider models are utilized for general field cultivation and as a replacement for the plow. An Imants spading machine can incorporate large amounts of organic material, such as crop residue, straw, compost or green manure. With regular use, both the aerobic quality of the soil and drainage is greatly improved, while fields may be prepared for planting in just one pass with use of the spader with power harrow. These spading machines are available in various sizes and models. More information available here
There are many different sizes and models of Imants rotary spaders They are available in sizes from 4 to 15 feet wide, and working depths adjustable from 6 to 20 inches. ( deeper working models are available on request)
As farms get bigger and fuel prices increase, it is important to choose a machine with high capacity and low fuel consumption. Imants rotary spading machines combine these factors so the soil can be worked in an efficient manner. During spading, organic matter is mixed through the most biologically active, oxygenated topsoil. Stubble, residue, stable manure, compost and green manure can easily be incorporated in a single process. This means the organic matter becomes available immediately as food for micro-organisms. There is no plow pan because of the unique way the spades move through the soil. The result is better water management, while fertilizers and minerals are better used. The spade shaft pushes “forwards”, so less tractive force is needed compared to plowing. With an Imants spader, the tractor rides on the topsoil and not in the furrow, so there is no compression of the deeper soil layers. The spading machine removes all compressed soil up to spade depth to create the perfect seed bed without clumping. Because the Imants rotary spading machines require less pulling force and can accomplish in one pass what would normally take multiple passes, the fuel consumption per acre is lower!