A pioneer in conservation tillage with strip till equipment

As the first manufacturer offering equipment specifically designed for strip till applications, Progressive has continued to lead the conservation tillage industry with a multitude of revolutionary toolbar designs. Progressive and conservation tillage go back to 1987. That was the year of the introduction of our first 3-point hitch strip till application. The design offered what are now considered industry standards, features such as integrated markers, and non-swivel coulters to insure straight tracking on hills and contours. This is a timeline of Progressive's strides to meet the changing needs of today's farmers for conservation tillage and strip till implements.

1990: The Spray Kaddy, with a 3 point strip till toolbar, 5 ton dry or 1,000 gallon liquid and NH3 for applying P&K along with anhydrous ammonia. The marriage of these two exsisting products created our original dual placement unit.

1992: The 7200 front fold toolbar was introduced, with a low profile, narrow transport width, and integrated flat fold markers. This bar's performance, as well as smart design have accounted for its popularity in conservation tillage. Originally offered in lengths to 40ft., a 60ft. model has been recently introduced (see 1998 below).

1994: The 5200 dual placement unit with patented midmount design, 5 ton dry system or 1,000 gallon liquid, NH3, and a vertical fold toolbar with integrated flat fold markers, was offered in working widths up to 30ft. This unit set the standard for a new era in strip till equipment.

1995: The Trash Titan 18" disk sealer, the first sealer designed to wrap around the knife and capture all the dirt in a strip till application. Later proven to also be unsurpassed at sealing anhydrous ammonia in wet and heavy residue conditions.

1996: This year saw the introduction of the 6200 front folding midmount toolbar with dual placement capabilities, available in working widths to 40ft. (16 row 30 inch), this conservation tillage set-up incorporated the same low profile and narrow transport width that had made the 7200 such popular strip till implements. This model would eventually replace the 5200 series.

1998: The 7200 60ft. toolbar made its debut, another Progressive first, the first 24 row strip till toolbar in the industry.

2001: The all new 7234, this innovation was designed with the custom applicator in mind. The 7234 can go from a 30ft. (12 row 30 inch) strip till application to 40ft. (16 row 30 inch) strip till implements in just a few minutes. This transformation is done almost completely from the tractor seat by hydraulics but does take a small amount of manual change over.

2002: A parallel linkage unit called the Row Pro 230 was introduced in 2002. The parallel linkage design follows the contour of the ground and depth is controlled by gauge wheels that are placed on each side of the 20' coulter blade - a first in the conservation tillage industry.

2005: Another industry first was introduced in 2005 - the Model 8200 deep placement applicator. The 8200 is a ripper/fertilizer strip till applicator all in one. It is available with a 1000 gallon liquid tank or a 6-ton stainless steel dry box that are mounted right on the frame which allows you to deep-place fertilizer while you rip the ground. With the fertilizer right on the frame, you do not have to worry about pulling a cart behind your ripper and having the cart run over the rows/mounds you have just created.

2006: Another parallel linkage unit was released this year. The Row Pro 300 Combo and the Row Pro 300 Standard are now available for conservation tillage. The 300 Combo unit can be used in the fall as a strip till row unit or in the spring as a Triple Coulter row unit. The 300 Standard row unit has the same parallel linkage assembly as the 300 Combo but does not have the Triple Coulter capabilities. The 300 Standard comes with a Trash Titan Disk Sealer instead.

Since the late '80's, Progressive has used the patented design of the Newmatics dry fertilizer air delivery system. This 6 ton, completely (304) stainless steel system has individual metering to each outlet, and quick change sprockets to facilitate rate changes from 100 lbs./acre to 600 lbs./acre. The Newmatics dry system features a hydraulically driven stainless fan, and a non pressurized hopper that can easily be filled from either side or the rear of the machine.