Improvements to Väderstad’s range of air drills for 2009 will see greater output and less maintenance due to increased size of seed hopper and superior disc bearing seals. In addition, other upgrades will provide better versatility.
Bigger seed hoppers on the 400-800 S drills are fitted as standard, providing an extra 10% capacity with an option to boost this further by an extra 700 litres. The result will be reduced downtime during fill-up on field boundaries and from road use travelling back to the farm. The increased capacity is disproportionate to the marginal extra power requirement in most situations.
Superior quality coulter disc bearing seals on the RDA and Rapid 300-400S/C box drills are expected to double the greasing interval of the bearing and provide a cost benefit with reduced downtime. For a typical 6m drill, greasing will only be required every 1,200ha.
“A bigger hopper does not mean having to provide more horsepower to pull the drill,” Väderstad managing director Mike Alsop said. “Most farmers already operate their drills with more power than is needed. The 10% capacity boost is not expected to mean a bigger tractor is needed.
“Better seals should also see a significant reduction in maintenance downtime, allowing growers to be more flexible on when they drill and therefore pick the best days.”
Additional changes to the air drill include a new hydraulic hose holder and a choice of towing eyelets to be fitted as standard, plus the option of a Digitroll seed flow monitor available for the RDA 400S.
Specific upgrades in the Rapid range of drills include reinforced drawbar and frame for greater flexibility along with stronger front tool mounting brackets. The ability to fit more front tool options on the Rapid drill will also give the farmer improved cultivation and drilling versatility.
“Our aim for 2009 is to build on the technical developments already introduced to our full range of drills,” Mr Alsop added. “The most recent improvements will have a significant impact on output while reducing overall cost of production.
“Many of the upgrades have been developed based on farmer requests and recommendations.”
For more information visit: www.vaderstad.com.
