I am looking to improve crop establishment in a plough based cultivation system. We currently operate a 4m power harrow combination unit which can achieve approximately 4 acres an hour. To simplify operations I am considering moving to a 3m vaderstadt drill for its perceived benefits of easy transport, large hopper capacity, improved consolidation, and better seed placement (against our current suffolk coulters). Would be very grateful for any comments on: 1. Potential workrates on top of ploughing(160hp tractor) 2. Experiences with font linkage cultivators, especially as to whether or not pushing a 3m press will interfere with the ability to pull the drill. 3. Preferred methods of achieving equal consolidation accross the front of the drill's full 3 metre width (if indeed this is as significant as I am led to believe). (Tractor's tyres are currently 650mm at 72"). Other points perhaps worth noting are that we favour the ability to combine drill our spring acreage, also although still plough based we hope this drill would allow realistic experiments with min-till - at least to the extent that our central scotland location allows!

Andrew, If your concerned about consolidation infront of the drill then without the use of a front mounted press the Vaderstad is no good to you. If your dead set on a vaderstad then get hold of a 3 metre front mounted press of some description. If your not wanting a front press but want consolidation then you only really have one option and that a 3 m freeflow as they had built in rollers infront of the drill unit. I run a 4 m freeflow in a min till scheme and its fantastic. Our neighbour runs a 4 metre vaderstad on both ploughing and min till and he does not get on with it purely for the consolidation reason. He cant have a front press cause his 200 hp tractor is already on its knees pulling the 4 metre drill. There s nothing wrong with the vaderstad drill unit but its the consolidation that lets it down every single time. What about pressing with the plough or using a double press as a separate pass? Mike

Andrew Have a look at the new Moore Uni drill "Tandem" system,the machine has a row of independant press wheels in front of each pair of disc coulters, provididing constant consolidation and depth control across the machine width. The new machine is being launched at ceareals 2002

Vaderstad do a reallly smart looking mounted G + F drill which really looks the business and from what I have seen with some people up North they don't go too badly to. This would balance you 3m front press ideally. and would be a very handy rig with all the benefits of a mounted machine as well as allowing you to use the front of the tractor to cultivate and firm in front of the wheels to allow the tractor to sit on top more. If you are looking at the trailed Vaderstad a front press would make you rather Nose heavy and would make the whole rig a bit numb to turn. A better option in that case would be the the 4 wheel press thay do for the rear linkage to pull the drill from. This means everything is behind you but you loose that intial cultivation and the firming in front of the tractor to give it some firmer going to run on educing power requirement , but with your tractor on its big tires and the 4 wheels between the tires you would be rolling nearly 3m in front of the drill anyway. If just might be a bit harder pull and mean you need to do more cultivating with the drill to pull out the tractor wheelings as the tractor would be running on the soft ploughing rather than the firmed going of the front press. Basically I would have a look at the mounted version with the front press if you are running straight on ploughing but if you are run a cultivation in between the extra cultivation of the front press might not be necessary so the trailed option might be a better way to go. Really it comes down to do you prefer mounted or trailed drills there are argument either way as you can see from my garbled thoughts