Vaderstad carrier 500

[SJRTW25]

Hi all,
We are looking to purchase a vaderstad carrier 500 which has the rubber packer roller on it. My question is what are the advantages and disadvantages of the rubber packer over the metal type and what else should I be looking for?
Thanks alot in advance!

 

[Brisel]

The rubber packer should be less sticky than the metal equivalent & for silt soils I think it is worth looking at. It won't last 5 minutes in stony soils though.

Check for splits in the packer bearing rubbers. If they have split it will allow dirt in & wreck the bearing very quickly no matter how much grease you put in. We've replaced packer bearings every 3-4 years. It's not a 5 minute job - you will need to fabricate a very strong tensioner kit for compressing the sections or when you undo the nut you'll be blown across the yard as the rings unspring. That's for the steel packer but I don't know what the rubber one is like for tension.

Beware of wear on the pivots. You can cut out the bearing shells & weld new ones in but it's a bigger job than just replacing pins & bushes on other brands. Avoid non genuine discs - I've tried several non genuine ones & most were sent back without even being put on. Most don't even fit and are much thinner so the saving is a false economy. Maybe there are decent non geniune alternatives now but I've yet to see them.

 

[nick...]

If youre buying new get a proforge inverta.will do the same and better job on primary cultivation fir alot less cost.
Nick...

 

[RAG 99]

+1 for the Proforge Inverta.