Vaderstad Rapid Super XL Drill Brochure - LiveUpdater

Most farms will have 15 to 30 daysavailable for drilling cereals in theautumn, the lower figure for heavysoils with more time for lighterland and/or farms starting to drillearly in September. While a higherfigure increases the area that canbe drilled, it reduces the time availablefor the primary cultivations.The seasonal capacity for differentdrill types and sizes depends onthe daily output and the number ofplanned drilling days available. Dailyoutput depends on a number offactors such as the working width,the forward speed, which can beinfluenced by the tractor power,and the number of hours workedeach day.If the secondary cultivations, drillingand ideally the rolling, can becompleted in one pass, there can beconsiderable labour and cost savingsand the technique is easier tomanage with fewer staff required.Using heavy duty Rapid drills, theaverage cost saving could be £20per hectare (a 25% savings and thetime saved about 80 minutes perhectare a 40% savings), comparedwith a conventional system. Furthersavings could be made if thediscing tractor also pulled thepress or the land was initiallydisced rather than ploughed.Where ploughing is chosen, onepass with a press or roll is oftenthe only mechanical cultivationrequired before drilling with theRapid. The roll/press operationshould be close behind the ploughleaving a period of “weathering” tobreak down the seedbed predrilling.Comparing these final figures withthe initial system over 300 hectaresin the autumn there would be a significantfinancial annual savings ofabout £6,000, but also a savings ofapproximately 400 hours in theautumn equivalent to 6 weeks ofintense work for one person and atractor. In some cases this allows areduction of one regular employeeand one tractor.