Radium Engineering saw a need for deep-rip traffic control applications in some parts of South Africa. In cooperation with the former Agricultural Technical Services, Radium embarked on a research and development campaign. Initial testing revealed that ripping in specific soil types, like sandy soils, caused unforeseen complications. When tines penetrated deeper than 500mm, a compaction layer could form from the bottom upwards. The result of this tillage equipment was a tunnel-like effect deep below the surface that would ultimately lead to even greater compaction.

After several experiments the Dual Tine Ripper was born. The idea was to run two or three aligned tines directly behind one another. Each tine then rips only 300mm of soil. Tine-positioning was absolutely critical in allowing each shear to work in the vacuum created by the shear ahead of it. Incorrect placement required double the amount of work and drastically increased energy requirements.

Radium determined the correct combination of shears, their sequence and size and found that draught requirements were considerably reduced. Radium’s new design used 40% less energy and the result was an ideal root zone of up to 1000mm deep without any side-compaction. The Dual Tine Ripper eliminated compaction around and below the deep-working sheers and allowed water and roots to penetrate deeper for improved and more consistent growth.

The Dual Tine Ripper is a tillage machine that is built on in-depth research and extensive testing, making it a reliable, refined and quality piece of farming equipment.