Swedish manufacturer Väderstad has a medium-heavy soil drill in the shape of the Rapid. Three years ago it set out to cover the lighter, looser-land sector with the Spirit. Here’s our field experience with this drill in 4m, 400S configuration.
The Spirit is a five-zone machine, designed to operate on stubble or ploughed ground at a speedy 12-15km/hr. Offered in widths from 4-9m, it uses press wheels to consolidate before and after seed placement. From the front, the zones are:
■ Discs and/or levelling crossboard
■ Packer wheels
■ Double-disc coulters
■ Press wheel, one per coulter
■ Harrow
The first zone has discs and a crossboard — a leading row of spring tines — alone or in combination, depending on conditions. The crossboard comes in both ‘light’ and ‘heavy’ forms, which differ in tine width and whose tines can be linked by a horizontal bar for more levelling effect.
The test drill came with Väderstad’s ‘System Disc Aggressive’ front section, preceded by a ‘Crossboard Heavy’ leveller. A range of drawbar eyes gives different options for tractor attachment, which can happen after a turnbuckle is used to match heights: this turnbuckle also levels the drill’s drawbar when it’s parked. Sadly the sizeable drawbar stand relies on a series of holes for its positioning, whereas a screw jack would be faster and easier to use.
Nine hydraulic connections have to be made, so the drill tractor needs a reasonable array of spools. The seed rate adjuster and fan account for one double-acting spool and a free return line, while other double-acters look after folding, the crossboard, coulter lift/lower and disc working depth. The operator can control the drill through individual
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