Phantom Edge Follow-Up
Bazooka Farmstar’s Phantom Edge units were introduced in fall of 2020 and put to work in the spring of 2021. Since we’ve had a few more manure seasons with them in action, we wanted to check back in with a few Phantom Edge users to see what they had to say about the higher-rate units.
As a refresher, the Phantom Edge unit creates a wider than normal trench to accommodate for higher gallons per acre (20,000+ GPA). Even with the increased GPA capabilities, little to no manure is left above the ground thanks to the notched, concave closure blades. The Edge Series is also more aggressive than its Phantom counterpart: the serrated concave main blade is great for cutting through heavy residue and compacted soils. Many users have commented on how great they work on silage ground. But with the aggressive design, comes more soil disturbance (30%), so if no-till is the aim for you or your customer base, we’d recommend sticking with the original Phantom units. Although when compared to traditional high-rate units, the Edge Series still provides less soil disturbance. The same low-maintenance, quick change and independent unit design from the Phantom Series have also been incorporated into the Edge Units. (Read the full introduction here.)
Jeff Moellers ran the Phantom Edge on mostly hog acres in previous seasons but plans on running them across all acres this fall, especially since he’s anticipating harder ground conditions. “I’ve been super happy with them and have had zero customer complaints. I think they are especially good for later in the fall when the ground is harder; you don’t have to worry about coverage. When we were demoing a Titan this past season, our customer commented on how good the field looked even at 15,000 to 20,000 GPA. I personally think the Edge units wore better and last longer, but if you are concerned about throwing dirt they aren’t for you. I think it’s one of the better units on the market for high-rate applications.”
Jeff Kintzle has been using Phantom Edge Units for almost two years now and runs them on 80% of his jobs. “All around, they work pretty good, even in heavy clay and rocky ground. They cut in good for 15,000 to 20,000 GPA, and in some places even higher rates.”
Other trends/patterns we’ve seen:
» For tank customers in areas where tillage is popular, we see the Edge Series utilized. Otherwise, most Edge Series units are going on drag hose toolbars.
» To achieve higher rates without sacrificing the no-till look, some customers use the original phantom design but opt for more row units at narrower spacing; we’ve noticed an uptick in 18”, 20” and 24” because of this.
If you’re tired of battling hard, compacted soils or want to cover a wider range of rates without changing out units, chat with a Stutsman manure equipment sales rep.