SOIL-MAX STEALTH ZD / SHIPPED NATIONWIDE
We sell and support Soil-Max Stealth ZD tile plows for farmers and drainage contractors. Three machines, real answers, shipped nationwide.
THE MACHINES
All three are built from T1 steel, twice the tensile strength of mild steel at half the weight, so the shank is thinner and pulls easier. All three use zero deflection grade control.
Our deepest machine. Bought by farmers running their own drainage and by contractors installing every day.
Same Stealth ZD geometry in a mounted package, for Cat III and Cat IV 3-point tractors.
Purpose-built for specialty crops and lateral tile in pattern designs.
WHY BUY FROM US
01
No combines, no grain carts. One category, so we know these machines and the questions you will ask.
02
Every plow ships direct from the factory to your farm or yard, wherever you are.
03
Finance through Northland Capital, Soil-Max's finance partner.
04
Boots, wear parts and a phone number that gets answered by someone who knows tile plows.
THE NUMBERS
Tile drainage pays in two ways. Wetter acres start yielding closer to your good ground, and you get into the field earlier. The question most farmers are really asking is not whether to tile. It is whether to keep hiring it out, or to own the machine and tile on your own schedule for as long as you farm.
4% to 8%
Soybean yield increase from tile drainage
NORTH CENTRAL SOYBEAN RESEARCH PROGRAM
~$1,000
Per acre, a common budget figure for installed pattern tile
FARMDOC DAILY, UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
Once
You buy the plow once. You pay a contractor every acre, every time.
The research is consistent on direction if not on size. A twenty year North Central Soybean Research Program study found soybean yields up about 8% on experimental fields and about 4% across more than 2,800 producer fields in ten states. North Dakota trials over nine years averaged 7%, including dry years.
Owning changes the math rather than the yield. Hired tiling is a cost you pay on every acre you improve. A plow is a fixed cost you spread across your whole farm, then across the next field, and the one after that. You also tile when your ground is ready and your schedule is clear, instead of waiting on a contractor's calendar.
Every farm is different. Soil, spacing, depth, tile prices and your own hours all move the answer. Tell us about your ground and we will work through the numbers with you.
Sources: North Central Soybean Research Program via Farm Progress and farmdoc daily, University of Illinois.
FINANCING
Financing is available through Northland Capital, Soil-Max's finance partner. Tell us which machine you are looking at and we will get you started.
2026 PRICE LIST
The 2026 US price list is on its way. Leave your details and we will send it to you the day it is released.
Rather talk? Call 515-466-7840.
FAQ
It depends on the plow. The ZD48 needs a tractor of at least 8,000 lbs, typically 125 to 250 HP. The ZD 3-Point needs at least 20,000 lbs on a Cat III or Cat IV hitch. The Stealth ZD Pull Type needs at least 25,000 lbs. Call us with your tractor and soil and we will help you match the right machine.
The Stealth ZD Pull Type reaches 6.5 ft, the ZD 3-Point reaches 5.5 ft, and the ZD48 reaches 4 ft.
The Stealth ZD Pull Type and ZD 3-Point handle 3 to 10 in pipe. The ZD48 handles 2 to 4 in, which suits laterals in pattern designs.
Zero deflection means the tile exit point sits directly below the hinge point. When the plow raises or lowers to follow grade, the exit point does not swing forward or back, so the tile goes in where the grade control tells it to. All three machines use zero deflection with a proportional valve.
Yes. Machines are shipped nationwide, direct from the factory. Freight is quoted per order.
Yes. Financing is available through Northland Capital, Soil-Max's finance partner. Request the price list and we will get you started.
T1 is a high strength steel with twice the tensile strength of mild steel at half the weight. That lets the shank be thinner, so it pulls easier through the soil.
It depends on how many acres you have left to tile and how much of the work you can do yourself. Hiring is a per acre cost every time. Owning is a fixed cost you spread over every acre you ever tile, and you control the timing. Farmers with a lot of ground still to improve, or who want to tile a bit at a time over several seasons, tend to come out ahead owning. Call us and we will work through your acres honestly, including telling you if hiring is the better call.