Stealth LD Grassland Subsoiler

Improve soil health by Stealth

Amongst grassland and livestock farmers there is a growing demand for effective, low disturbance subsoiling to loosen and fracture the medium depth subsoil to relieve compaction, caused by poaching and vehicle damage, thus assisting drainage and water infiltration, aeration, nitrogen uptake and encouraging grass rooting. 

OPICO has taken this thinking and customer feedback onboard and has worked with HE-VA to design a low disturbance subsoiler suitable for both arable and grassland systems. HE-VA have over 15 years of expertise in producing traditional subsoilers coupled with the past five years of manufacturing low disturbance subsoiling machines.

The Stealth – a medium depth, low disturbance grassland subsoiler.

The Stealth's low disturbance legs are staggered in 2 rows to reduce soil squeeze and improve flow. This also helps maintain a lower HP requirement. Leg spacing is standard at 500mm but can be altered to 450mm, 500mm or 550mm, adding versatility for differing soil types and conditions.

The hardened cast steel low disturbance points are tungsten tipped and 120mm wide creating the necessary lift and shatter whilst ensuring longevity. Similarly, the 15mm Hardox leg is designed to give strength and durability whilst keeping soil movement on the surface to a minimum.

Surface compaction can be alleviated to a maximum working depth of 300mm (12”). HE-VA’s standard hydraulic depth control
is fully adjustable from the tractor seat.

The Stealth was designed to satisfy the requirements of no till and reduced input farming systems, however, it is also suitable for use in livestock and grassland farming systems where farmers are looking to alleviate compacted layers in the soil, thus reducing water runoff and improving drainage along with air and nutrient movement throughout the profile which in turn increases sward productivity. 

The Stealth is available as a 3m, 3.5m, 4m, 5m and 6m mounted or 5m, 6m and 7m trailed machine. Machines over 3.5m fold hydraulically.

A straight scalloped hydraulically adjustable cutting disc with a built in automatic stone protection cuts through the turf and debris reducing soil burst on the surface and minimising turf damage.

The 15mm low disturbance leg and tungsten tipped LD point are also the product of many years of development. The low disturbance leg and point that HE-VA has developed allows deep soil loosening whilst minimising surface disturbance and preventing mixing of the soil profile.

The thinner legs are made from stronger Hardox steel. However, it is the point that really makes the difference. The Stealth point has a shallower wing angle and a tungsten tipped nose that opens the soil to create drainage without disturbing the whole soil profile.

V-Profile Roller

Like many of the machines in the HE-VA range the Stealth uses the pressed steel 600mm diameter V profile ring as standard. However, all the rings are mounted on a 300mm tube so that each section of the roller turns as one ensuring the machine can continue to work in very wet sticky conditions.

Each ring section is castellated and the aggressive rib and shoulder profile combines with the 125mm spacing to close and level the surface leaving your field with an excellent finish. 

The Stealth “Hammer Thru” quick change shearbolt system protects the machine in tough, stony conditions and means minimum down time for the operator. Its “toblerone style” shearbolt allows several resets before the need for a change.

When the legs brake back the operator simply removes the holding pin and hammers another segment of the shearbolt through then returns the holding pin to its original position. This removes the need to carry a supply of shearbolts while using the Stealth.

Alternatively there is a Hydraulic Reset Stealth for extremely stony conditions.

All models are available with hydraulic auto reset for extremely stony conditions. An individual hydraulic cylinder on each leg which is connected to a gas accumulator allows the leg to break back and reset if it comes into contact with an unmovable object.

As the legs on a Stealth low disturbance subsoiler are adjusted deeper the leverage on the hydraulic reset cylinder increases and so a pressure gauge is used to allow the operator to set the force required for the leg to break back.

The hydraulic depth control is a useful feature making it easy for the operator to alter the working depth – for example to work the Stealth deeper in habitually water logged areas. 

It also simplifies hitching and unhitching the Stealth from the tractor.

Depth markers are fitted to all new Stealth machines to show the position for the front leading disc as standard. There will be a single marker fitted to the right hand side of all width machines.