The Briggs Tied Ridger has been developed to prevent rain and irrigation water run off from crops grown on sloping land, thus giving a dramatic reduction in surface erosion, fewer green potatoes, reduced fertiliser loss and a reduction in water requirement.
The machine incorporates specifically designed paddle wheels to form and press consistently sized and spaced dams, that will be effective even on light land. It is heavily ballasted and runs on a depth wheel in each row.
In order to avoid damming tramlined rows, a hydraulically operated freewheel is fitted to both rows; this overrides the trip mechanism and allows the paddle wheel to rotate freely whilst the tramliner is operated.
The paddle wheel spacing can be adjusted from 60" to 80" simply by unbolting the subframes and sliding them along the main frame.
Work rate varies between 30 - 40 acres per day (8 - 10 hours) depending on the size and shape of the field to be ridged.
To produce a good quality dam it is important that the recommended forward speed of 3 km/h is not exceeded. The ridge will erode through the year and the speed of erosion will vary depending on the quality of the dam made in the first place and the soil type. If the dam remains intact throughout the season it will be necessary to consider using tines to eradicate the ridges either in front of the harvester or on a previous operation such as topping.
The machine has been available since April 1991 following three years development and trials with Gleadthorpe EHF and ADAS.
