Great Plain’s new Short Disk, with 26- or 30-foot options, features parallel gang discs at 24 inches in diameter that can cut up to 7 inches deep. “With parallel gangs, we can keep it short, more maneuverable and easier to turn,” says Tom Evans, vice president of sales.

Great Plains tillage engineer Hank Kummer explains its competitive advantages: “Unlike some competitors who run the blades all one direction in the front and all one direction in the back, we’ve split in the center. Our disc throws out to both sides in the front and throws in from both sides in the back, preventing “dog tracking” when it hits heavy soil conditions, yet achieving excellent cutout and a smooth, consistent surface throughout the field.”

The disc features maintenance-free PEER bearings in the gangs and rolling attachments. A version of the Short Disk had been sold in Europe and that model influenced the North American model. “When we talk about the European influence we’re talking narrow transport,” says Mike Cleveland, national sales manager. “The other part is the concept of consolidation technology. In the U.S. today, there are a number of finish attachments behind tillage tools, but they are traditionally coil tine harrows or traditional spike harrows, which settle the soil but do not really break up clods. The heavy cast rollers on the Short Disk actually beak up any clods, help make soil particles fairly uniform and create creases so water penetrates better.”