By Daniel Okafor

The Guttler Supermaxx, a tine drill that its maker positions as a genuine dual-purpose machine, is the subject of a new kit review from Farmers Guardian — and the pitch is straightforward: one drill body, two drilling regimes.

That claim matters for cost-per-hectare arithmetic. Farmers running both plough-based and minimum-tillage (reduced cultivations that leave residue on the surface) rotations typically own either two drills or compromise with one. A single machine that handles both, without a conversion job that eats a working day, cuts capital outlay and keeps drilling windows flexible.

What is the Supermaxx?

Guttler is a German drill manufacturer with a long history in precision tine drilling. The Supermaxx line sits at the sharp end of that range — a tine drill, meaning each seed runs down an individual soil-engaging coulter leg rather than being broadcast or dropped onto a disc. Tine drills suit min-till and direct situations better than disc drills on many soil types because the tines cut through residue instead of hairpinning it into the slot.

The "dual purpose" tag signals the machine is designed to work both into a prepared seedbed and into stubble with surface trash. That flexibility is the whole story here. It's what separates a true multi-regime drill from a conventional machine with a marketing sticker.

Why one drill for two jobs counts

Machinery depreciation is among the biggest fixed costs on arable farms, and drill ownership is a classic trap: a high-spec disc drill for min-till, plus an older tine or power harrow combination for the ploughed ground. Two drills means two sets of wearing parts, two lots of maintenance, and one of them idle every season.

A dual-purpose tine machine collapses that into one line on the balance sheet. The trade-off, always, is setup time and whether seed placement holds up across both regimes — depth control in loose ploughed seedbeds behaves differently to placement into firm untilled ground. Those are exactly the questions a hands-on field review exists to answer.

What farmers should check before buying

If you're weighing the Supermaxx, the practical checklist is short:

• Coulter depth control consistency across both seedbed types
• Wearing-part costs per hectare on tines versus your current disc setup
• Whether your tractor's horsepower and linkage capacity match the drill size
• Seed rate accuracy — electronic metering versus mechanical, and calibration time
• Trash flow at high straw residues, the classic tine-drill strength

Farmers Guardian's review is worth reading in full before any demo appointment, because it deals in the field-level detail — establishment, ease of setting, and build quality — that spec sheets never capture.

What to watch next

Expect UK demo units at regional machinery events this season, and compare quotes against the established dual-purpose rivals before committing. If the Supermaxx review holds up in the field, the case for owning two drills weakens further.

Note: the syndicated feed carried the review's headline only; figures and trial specifics quoted above reflect general drill-market context, not Farmers Guardian's findings. Read the full review for their verdict.