The revival of a classic
With the Airseeder, HORSCH launched the first tine seed drill on the market in the 1990s. Recently, the company has once again focused more intensively on tine seeding technology and combined the findings of the Airseeder with past experience in the Sprinter series. Philipp Horsch explains the background of this ‘Sprinter revival’.
“In the 1990s, shallow tillage played a major role for us,” Philipp Horsch explains. “Due to our early contacts in the USA and Canada, we were able to experience the dynamics of tine seed drills over there first-hand. In the first half of the 1990s, we started to focus on ‘sowing with tines’ and brought the process and the coulter technology to Europe. And we were very successful.”
By the early 2000s, tine seeding technology had developed into the central seeding method in the portfolio and replaced the Seed-Exactor. “In the 90s, farms became larger and larger. The Seed-Exactor no longer met the requirements. The transition to the Airseeder, the first tine seed drill, was seamless.” Both methods require thorough preparatory work and precise tillage and are ideal in stony, adverse conditions.
The Airseeders were the first points of contact with Eastern Europe, Ukraine and Russia before large tine seeders from HORSCH also found their way into the North American market. “We specifically developed Airseeders with a large working width for direct seeding in the USA and Canada. In Europe, the Airseeder was ideal for regions with heavy and stony soils or regions with high amounts of straw. The first main markets in Europe were England, France, the Czech Republic and Hungary.”
In addition to a precise seeding in difficult conditions, the Airseeder above all impressed due to its ability to clear the seed horizon and cleanly remove harvest residues from the seed furrow. “Due to the Airseeder, we also started to integrate fertilisation into the seeding process. At that time, this was new for our markets in Europe. In this respect, we were pioneers. It is the best method for applying relatively high quantities of fertiliser as a depot while sowing - precisely and as closely to the grain as possible,” Philipp Horsch says. With the Duett coulter, precise fertilisation below the plant was no problem. The neatly separated horizons prevented corrosion and burns.
Diversification of the seeding methods
In the early 2000s, the focus increasingly shifted to disc seeding technology: “With Terrano and Tiger, we launched new tillage methods to work deeper,” Philipp Horsch explains. “At the same time, we were able to expand our sales territory across Europe. These two developments meant that the Pronto quickly overtook the Airseeder in terms of importance. Our focus clearly was on disc seeding technology. However, the Airseeder which we then renamed as Sprinter continued to be an important machine for certain regions because it offers a number of advantages,” Philipp Horsch describes the developments at the beginning of the 2000s.
As farm sizes increased, it was not only the need for more seeding capacity that grew, but also the requirement to cope with different seeding conditions precisely and on time. “A lot of farms expanded their seeding capacity in the past ten years due to the growth and in the meantime have more than one seed drill. It therefore makes sense to rely on different methods in order to use the right technology at the right time as each method has its advantages and limitations. This is a major incentive for diversification,” Philipp Horsch explains. ’Many farmers then opt for a combination of tine and disc seeding technology.”
In the past years, this development contributed to a massive expansion of the portfolio: “We intensively diversified our disc coulter technology, but also expanded our portfolio in the tine seeding sector. There always have been rigid tine machines like the Airseeder CO. Over the years, we added machines with individual tines and depth control roller like the Sprinter NT which was mainly developed for the large export markets and mere direct seeding regions with little residue - i.e. mainly Kazakhstan, Australia and Canada. Rigid tine machines with packer and harrow are more common in Europe. For us as a global company, it is important to cover all seeding methods that play a role worldwide. Our objective is to remain a leader in the seeding sector and to be a full-line supplier. This is our ambition on an international scale which is why we are pushing this development.”
The Sprinter 24 NT+ is currently developed further for the large direct seeding regions. 
The Sprinter 24 NT+ is currently developed further for the large direct seeding regions.
Update for the Sprinter
While, in the meantime, disc seeding technology was on the rise in Europe, Sprinters have always played an important role in other regions. In 2010, a comprehensive Sprinter program was developed in parallel for the export markets, with a focus on the East and Australia. “This development took place at the same time. Now it is about analysing where this technology might also fit with perhaps a few adaptations.”
In 2019/2020, the company began to focus more intensively on the Sprinter series again. “We wanted to raise the various Sprinter variants to a new level and give them an update,” Philipp Horsch explains. The focus was on optimisation to adapt the machines to the European markets in particular. As a result, new machine families were created in a relatively short time. “We were able to bundle and implement the knowledge gained over the last 20 years. The most important segment in the Sprinter sector in Europe has always been four and six metre machines. This was where we focussed on for our further developments. Due to the requirements, the Sprinters became heavier and larger in the past, especially in the six metre range. We then started to build more compact machines again. This resulted in the Sprinter CO. We managed to make it lighter, based on the roots of the first Airseeders for which the horsepower requirement also was very low.” Due to the more compact design, the machines can also be pulled by smaller tractors, making the whole combination lighter and resulting in fewer tracks and less compaction in the field especially in wet conditions.
The coulter technology has also been optimised: “With the Sprinter CO, we have gone back to a 3-row design with a tine spacing of 25 cm. We combined this with a lighter design, new tines, new coulter shapes, new tool combinations and the integration of transport wheels so that the homologation for road service can be obtained without any problems. That was an important step. The machines were very well received by our customers because they can sow even more precisely than in the past. We were able to excellently implement the knowledge we gained over the years.”
The same is true for the Sprinter NT, the version with moveable tines. It was modified into a European version with larger working widths. “Thus, we were able to significantly expand the options we need in the market,” Philipp Horsch says.
The major advantages already became evident during this year's seeding season: “This year was extremely interesting because seeding was very wet and delayed in many regions. Conventional methods in particular reached their limits in many places. Especially in England, we were able to gather excellent experience with the new generation of Sprinters - both CO and SC. The narrow coulters and the associated ‘low disturbance’ seeding worked excellently in the wet conditions and placed the seed very well. Due to direct customer requirements, we also tested harrow arrangements at the rear of the Sprinters in England this year which very positively supported the closing of the furrows in the extremely adverse conditions: this direct requirement/idea from a customer and then the quick implementation to still get into the field worked out great - a very good example of the customer focus of our development team,” Philipp Horsch states. Despite their size, the machines are still lightweight. “The new developments significantly contribute to farmers being able to sow efficiently in these conditions.’
To continue the idea of low horsepower requirement, the tine seed drills were expanded with a completely new 3-point portfolio to work well with lightweight tractors in spring, for example.
Straightforwardness also plays a major role. “The large Sprinter NT for direct seeding cannot be beaten in this respect. From a technical point of view, the design of the Sprinter NT is as simple as possible. It also stands out with regard to reliability and wear costs, making it unbeatable in large direct seeding regions.”
Tine seeding technology also has its limits: “Machines with rigid tines above all need one thing: even surfaces where the seed depth is maintained by means of support wheels and packers. Machines with individually depth-controlled tines that sow without a harrow in the open furrow always reach their limits when there are very high amounts of straw or when driving too fast. The result is the so-called “stepping effect” which means that individual rows bury each other.”
A look at the revival
In the future, the focus will be on further developing the coulter to optimise it even more. “We will continue to focus on the most important element of the tine seed drill and are working intensively on expanding the coulter technology. Topics that play a role in this respect are the placement of fertiliser - both solid and liquid, multi-component capability and wear protection. But also ‘low disturbance’, i.e. moving as little soil as possible,” Philipp Horsch looks ahead.
“Today, we are very happy with the Sprinters which we have upgraded significantly. Due to this revival with new products and innovations, we want to strengthen the Sprinter again and we notice that the market is responding very well. The importance of the Sprinter was high and is becoming higher again because we realise that we need to diversify the seeding methods. We are continuously expanding the entire product portfolio - always customised to the regions and requirements of the farmers.”