Schlagel RAPID TILL Series, Operator'S Manual, Page: 19 / 36

Schlagel Manufacturing, Inc. 4154 Buttermilk Road Torrington, WY 82240 PH:888-889-1504
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INFORMATION REGARDING THE RAPID TILL
Under all circumstances, these three things are necessary for the Rapid Till to work properly:
1. Flat coulter must cut all crop residue to prevent plugging.
2. Shanks must be set deep enough to break compaction.
3. The groove left by the shanks must be closed by the wavy coulters.
PREPARING THE RAPID TILL TRACTOR
The tractor must have a 3 point hitch in good working order. Duals on the tractor are highly
recommended. Front weights may be required. The number of front weights will vary with tractor size and
type, but usually the maximum number is best.
Tire settings should be as close as possible to two (2) times the row width. For example: for 30" row
spacing, you would set the front tires and inside duals at 60" and the outside duals at 120” . Tires must be
set the same from side to side and centered on the tractor. Make sure to set the toe-in of the front tires to
manufacturer's recommended specifications. Tire pressures should be equal for all rear tires.
The majority of Rapid Till machines are on cat. 3 wide, cat. 3 narrow, and cat. 4 narrow folding bar con-
figurations. For non-folding configurations, cat. 3 narrow and cat. 3 wide configurations are standard. A
quick coupler is highly recommended. Sway blocks should be set with minimum amount of free travel. If
more than 3/16” of total side play is present, you may have to shim up the sway blocks or 3 point arms.
We have shim plates available for most JD & Caterpillar tractors. Call our parts department if you need
some.
When a 3-point planter is to be used, the tractors sway block side-to-side clearances and 3-point arm to
quick coupler side-to-side clearances need to be as tight as possible.
Side-to-side clearance between quick coupler and Rapid Till 3 point hitch plates should be as small as
possible. Weld on 3 point bushings are available from Schlagel Manufacturing. They come in various
thicknesses and should be installed to the pin side of the outer hitch plates for Category 3 and to the pin
side of the inner hitch plates for Category 3N hitches. Bushings are tapered on bottom edge to allow easy
hitch coupling.
For tractors without quick coupler, 3 point pin spacers are required. The spacers should take up any side
to side movement of the tractor 3 point arms on the Rapid Till 3 point pins.
PREPARING THE PLANTING TRACTOR
It is important to check and adjust the toe-in of the front wheels. Improper toe-in will make the planting
tractor follow poorly. Planting tractor’s rear tires should be set as close as possible to 2 times the row
width. For example: for 30" row spacing, you would set the inside duals at 60" and the outside duals at
120” . Tires must be set the same from side to side and centered on the tractor. Tire pressures should
be equal for all rear tires.