Mr Jones has employed Väderstad drills for over 23 years and always uses genuine parts
An 8m Rapid drill that cost £85,000 with Agrilla tines and over 30,000ac covered is testimony to the build quality and design of the machine. But owner of the drill arable farmer David Jones, says it is using high quality grease and genuine replacement parts, including nuts and bolts that has helped reach such an impressive milestone.
Bought in 2011 the Rapid drill now has a residual value today that stands at about £30,000, which Mr Jones of Hatton Bank Farm near Stratford upon Avon, Warwickshire explains is the equivalent of £2.50 cost per acre drilled.
Mr Jones has employed Väderstad drills for over 23 years and always uses genuine parts because of longevity and even wear, which has ensured consistency of operation across the full working width of the machine.The impact of this is most keenly felt on the headlands, where soil compaction can be an issue. “We operate over some very challenging and abrasive soils, so without high quality wear parts there would be an increased wear and tear issue resulting in higher replacement costs and more downtime during busy workload periods,” says Mr Jones.
Mr Jones has carried out his own field scale tests to compare genuine and non-genuine options by alternating them across the width of the drill. In every situation, the genuine parts outperformed the non-genuine.
”We operate over some very challenging and abrasive soils, so without high quality wear parts there would be an increased wear and tear issue resulting in higher replacement costs and more downtime during busy workload periods,” says Mr Jones.
Mr Jones has carried out his own field scale tests to compare genuine and non-genuine options by alternating them across the width of the drill. In every situation, the genuine parts outperformed the non-genuine.
Väderstad also fix its spare parts prices, which makes it much easier to plan and budget, whereas non-genuine suppliers are constantly giving offers and deals to get a foothold on farm, but this is disruptive when trying to plan. Having genuine parts allow us to plan more effectively around our out of season maintenance programme.”
Mr Jones’ first experience with a Rapid drill was when he worked for local Warwickshire farmer David Hill in 1994. On his return home to join his father the drill of choice was a 6m Väderstad Concorde.
“The Concorde was a good drill but the Rapid gives us a lot more seed to soil contact across a range of soils types,” says Mr Jones. “We bought our first 6m Rapid with fixed tines in 1998. This was swapped for an 8m Rapid with System Disc and a single row of tines in 2000, which was pulled by a CaseIH Quadtrac 9380.”
Vaderstad machinery portfolio at J H and M M Jones
2 x 8m Rapid drills 1 x NZ Extreme 1 x 12m Carrier and straw rake 2 x 7m TopDown with Biodrill using TrueCut System Discs
David Jones
It was the first Rapid on the farm with the double row of staggered wheels that proved a good choice in the damper soil conditions of 2003. In 2011 Mr Jones replaced that Rapid with another 8m machine but with Agrilla tines. “Agrilla tines on the front work well on our headlands, but it also opens up our options for later drilling because its a lighter drill,” he says.
Mr Jones points out that in addition to only using genuine replacement parts he also only uses quality grease on all working parts, especially the rear offset wheels. “Greasing the pivot and hinge points is crucial,” he says.
Our current Rapid has had four complete sets of discs and coulters and since the last change we have covered over 6000ac. Like all Väderstad equipment, the Rapid has been very well built, with a very strong main frame and quality points, tines, discs, and coulters. It’s very reliable and we maintain it to a very high standard.”
“We also bought a used 8m Rapid drill in 2021 for £32,000, which effectively doubled our drilling capacity to 16m. I can’t think of anyone with a 16m drilling set up that only cost £60,000.” he says.
Versatile Carrier makes business sense
Versatility is the name of the game for Matt Solley of J S Crop Management, a joint venture between neighbouring arable farms in Kent, established to reduce overheads and make the most of their machinery.
Mr Solley in front of his Carrier 925.
“The business employs the labour force and supplies machinery for both farms and we also contract farm for other landowners,” explains Mr Solley.
With 2000ha in hand and 850ha on contract, productive, reliable machinery is key, but it also needs to be flexible: while the soils near the business’s Deal base are mainly free draining brick earth over chalk, much of the contract farming is on heavier land.
“We decided not to limit ourselves to no-till in order to meet our needs and those of our customers better,” explains Mr Solley. “We’ve got a Vaderstad TopDown and Carrier cultivators in the armoury to give us plenty of min-till options or can go straight in with a Biodrill on the TopDown and establish oilseed rape; we’re also seeing a return to the plough in certain situations so need to be able to work on ploughed land.”
The ability of the Vaderstad Carrier 925 disc cultivator to work at different depths really comes in here. Featuring conical discs to produce a fine tilth and mix residues evenly, the Carrier uses a strong frame to withstand high weight on the discs improving penetration and maintaining working depth in tough conditions.
“We can use the Carrier as a shallow cultivator to give a quick chit in the autumn, or work deeper to pull down plough in the spring,” explains Mr Solley. “The discs are really effective for shallow work in hot, dry conditions, and we’ve always got the option of the TopDown to put a tine through if needed. We can also use the Carrier in front of the drill – there are so many possibilities.”
I also like the fact that the Carrier can be so easily adapted to make it even more versatile
He comments that he’s found the CrossBoard on the Carrier especially useful this spring, when an unusually cold snap has produced a ‘frost tilth’ which has settled naturally, making a pass with the disc cultivator the ideal tool to freshen up ahead of a Vaderstad Rapid RDA drill.
“We had a RexiusTwin press but wanted to try Vaderstad’s latest designs and the Carrier gives a high output with its 9m working width, so productivity is that much greater.”
He adds that with some contract farms in a 30 mile radius, there’s plenty of road work, and the Carrier’s neat push back folding system and double axle means that it travels exceptionally well.
”I also like the fact that the Carrier can be so easily adapted to make it even more versatile,” he adds.
“The CrossCutter discs look like a really good option for working in residues or on plough, and would be a useful addition in some seasons.”
Working with a 440hp Fendt MT943 tracklayer, Mr Solley says that the Carrier rides very level and can be easily adjusted in varying conditions, making for a high speed operation that covers some 10ha/hr.
”We’re lucky to have some larger fields and you soon cover the ground. There are plenty of wide, fast shallow cultivators on the market but many of them are no good for anything else. The Vaderstad Carrier is a real all-rounder that works very well for us.”
