McFarlane Ag introduces soil finisher with new vertical sweep blade

Editor's Note: The title of the article has been corrected to "new vertical sweep blade" from "new horizontal sweep blade." We apologize for this error.

McFarlane Ag is introducing a soil finisher with new vertical sweep blades as a one-pass solution when preparing for planting.

The Finalizer Soil Finisher from McFarlane Ag is a secondary tillage tool for spring planting that supports improved water filtration and root growth and also helps to manage residue and weed pressure.

"As herbicide-resistant weeds become more challenging, mechanical weed management is still one of the most efficient strategies for growers," says Stan McFarlane, vice president of McFarlane Ag. "Our history of developing innovative tillage tools got our team working to build not just another soil finisher, but one that could help farmers protect yield potential and promote higher yields as well."

This is McFarlane Ag's first time releasing a secondary tillage tool, but that doesn't make for a lack of experience.

"We are mostly centered around seedbed preparation, and have been for over a hundred years now — that's been our sweet spot," says Aaron Faessler, principal engineer for McFarlane Ag. "We really understand and appreciate what farmers need to do to get their seedbed prepped, and that's being level, consistent, and smooth. With the exception of the sweep itself, these are all components that we have on other machines, so we really understand what they do and how they work together."

Five tillage elements in one machine

The Finalizer is a complete tillage tool sporting five tillage elements on a single machine. The 6.5-mm Cobra disk blades are serrated to easily penetrate soil, cut residue into smaller manageable pieces, and loosen the soil profile. Flat shanks help to maximize residue and soil mixing.

This is followed up by the new Talon Sweep. The sweep has traditional horizontal tillage blades, with the addition of 2.5-inch vertical blades that penetrate through the soil compacted by the sweep.

Faessler says this will help improve water filtration and support root growth, particularly for corn crops. McFarlane Ag put the Finalizer and Talon Sweep through three years of testing during development. When using the Finalizer with normal sweeps as the control variable, Faessler says fields tilled by the Finalizer equipped with the Talon Sweep produced 1 to 3 more bushels per acre.

The Talon Sweep also is built with wear-resistant material for less maintenance downtime and more consistent tillage depth. The vertical blade is designed to evenly wear at the same rate as the horizontal sweep so they can be replaced at the same time.

Operators have two conditioning systems to choose from to kill weeds and condition soil. The conditioning reel is best for clod-sizing, mixing, and firming in dry field conditions. The spur-till is better for root ball pulverizing and mixing in heavier soil conditions.

Finally, owners have two finishing options available. The three-bar harrow with a single rolling basket is intended for use in dry conditions with heavy residue. The five-bar harrow works better in wet conditions with minimal residue.

Additional features

The Finalizer frame has single-point depth control to adjust to field conditions with 10 to 14 PTO hp. per foot. A hitch with level lift helps maintain consistent depth with turnbuckle adjustment to match the tractor. The soil finisher has radial implement tires, and a walking tandem axle follows ground contours ensuring complete tire contact in the field and while transporting on the road.

Pricing and availability

The Finalizer Soil Finisher is available now, offered in 24-, 29-, and 32-foot models, starting around $100,000. A larger and a smaller model of the Finalizer are in development planned for release next year. For more information, visit mcfarlaneag.com.