Previewed at the Cereals event, the Väderstad 442 cultivator is a cross-breed, a cross between the firm’s Carrier disc/press and Cultus tine machines. Andrew Faulkner tried out a 5m wide prototype example on sandy loam set-aside in Oxfordshire.
The summer of 2002 was a real toughie. And by the time this article appears in print, UK farmers may be saying exactly the same of 2003. Why a toughie? In short, because last season’s baked summer soils saw many of the current selection of ‘shallow’ disc/press cultivators simply skating along the surface, making very little impression – if any impression at all.
The Väderstad Carrier (profi 07/01) was as guilty as the rest of this type of behaviour. Indeed some would argue that the Swede was especially prone because of its small discs and the way in which it relies on taking weight off the rear press to increase disc penetration.
Väderstad’s response to the above is the prototype 442 driven here. The theory is that by incorporating levelling/mixing tines within the Carrier system, not only does the new machine loosen the soil below discing depth for ‘extra drainage’, but it also helps to suck those discs down into hard ground, too.
According to Väderstad, the 442 is capable of exerting almost double the downward pressure on the discs, courtesy of the already mentioned ‘tine suck’, plus its inherent heavier weight and, last, the extra leverage gained from having the consolidating press mounted further back.
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