Väderstad Rapid RD 300 / 400 / 450 F drill service schedule

1. Support the drill on trestles and lock the lift rams with their yellow locks. Do not crawl under a drill held only on hydraulics.
2. Grease each disc bearing until grease appears, or 2–3 strokes.
3. Grease the other points on the chart (PTO shaft, bout markers, fan tensioner, wheel suspension, hinges, lift ram heads, wheel hubs and forks) at the intervals the chart gives.
4. Never aim a pressure washer at a bearing; grease straight after washing.

Tools: Grease gun, Trestles

1. Set the seed box from the sowing table. Take off the drive wheel transmission cover and set high or low gear.
2. Push the calibration bag up under the seed box through the rate-test hatch. Release the drive wheel by removing the ring cotter from the upper gear, fit the crank and lock it with the R-clip.
3. Do one run to fill the feed rollers, then empty the bag.
4. Crank steadily at about one turn a second. High gear: 12 turns, weight × 100 = kg/ha. Low gear: 26 turns, weight × 10 = kg/ha.
5. For rates of 8 kg/ha or less in low gear: 130 turns, weight × 2 = kg/ha.
6. The scale is nearly linear, so change it by the same percentage (e.g. 200 kg/ha at 50 when you want 220: set 55). Test again.
7. For oilseed rape, check the rape brush is clean and set to the cell wheel flaps. Refit the ring cotter afterwards.

Tools: Calibration bag (supplied), Crank, Scales

1. Hose out the drill, support it on trestles and lock the rams.
2. With the discs on firm ground the seed boxes must not touch the surface (C above 0 mm).
3. Tighten the coulter nuts only so far that the coulter can still be rocked by hand.
4. Check the coulter-to-disc gap: position 1 above 0 mm, position 2 at 0 mm, position 3 above 0 mm, wider at the top. Adjust with the plates at A and B.
5. To change worn coulter mounting bolts, drive them out with a 13.5 mm punch (cut them off if seized) and draw the new ones in with washers and a nut.

Tools: Spanners, Feeler gauge, Ø 13.5 mm punch for the mounting bolts, Trestles

1. Support the drill on trestles. Wear gloves: the discs are sharp.
2. Fit discs with the completely flat side towards the seed coulter.
3. To change a bearing, take off the circlip and pull the bearing with the puller. Grease the new seals, fitting them the right way round, and make sure the bearing is tight on the hub.
4. Grease the new bearing and reset the coulter.

Tools: Nut runner or ratchet, Circlip pliers, Puller 413549, Gloves, Trestles

1. Turn the feed housing down to near zero and drain and rinse the scale casing from below.
2. Clear dressing build-up from the scoops. Check the cell wheel blades bear on the bottom of the groove and do not jam.
3. Check the rape brush is clean and spins freely. Never grease it.
4. Check the wiring.
5. After 300–500 ha, inspect the fan, fan belt, lower pulley bearings and drive axle. Grease the drive wheel chain every 200 ha and check its tension.

Tools: Brush, Rags

1. Move the scraper blade to keep at least 5 mm from the tyre.
2. When the blade will go no further, adjust the play of the scraper itself.
3. Check tyre pressures: 690×175-15 at 2.5 kg/cm² (250 kPa).

Tools: Spanners, Rule

1. Clean the hopper, rape brush and feed housing. Check no seed is left in the hoses, the distributor head outlets or the ejector tube. Check the tramline flaps work.
2. Run the fan for a while to dry the system.
3. Dismantle, clean and oil the PTO shaft (early drills). Take off the push rod, grease its threads and the cylinder, and refit it to the same length.
4. Grease the piston rods and other bright metal parts.
5. Store indoors with the emptying hatch open and the air hose off the ejector tube. Keep the control box at room temperature.
6. Before unfolding in frost, let the drill warm up so the seed hoses are flexible.

Tools: Brush, Grease gun