Grain Drill q's

[Lucid]

Hello, hope everyone is enjoying their Sunday afternoon. I am looking around for a grain drill, and thought to ask those more knowledgeable than I. A few Questions!

Finally getting things right so I can work about 4 acres under a large powerline right of way in SE Virginia. Got it bush hogged and soon will have a culvert put in to access across a large ditch. Hoping to get in there early spring once it dries up and disc.

My goals is to plant buckwheat (my fav) for a new bee colony I'll be setting up. And then have a food plot for late fall/spring. Feeding my whitetail deer to hunt.

I am using a IH Farmall 200 for the tractor. I have planters, cults, etc. But looking to add a grain drill. On a 1/4 spot I've been hand broadcasting then lightly disc in successfully for years now. Ready to take it to the next level. What do I look for getting a drill? I know condition is the main factor. Any tips you may have for me? I don't want something I'd have to spend 80hrs getting to work! How to trailer it? I have a 7x16 landscape trailer, but that tongue would have to be unbolted right?

Give me your opinions, advice, and what not!
Thanks,
Eric

 

[EFV]

With 4 acres to seed a drill narrow enough to fit on your trailer so you can hitch to tractor and unload would be big enough.
Have you considered just broadcasting the buckwheat ? You're not growing a crop to harvest so increase seeding rate and
disc it in. Doing this just before a rain would work .

 

[Richard Nixon]

Hello, hope everyone is enjoying their Sunday afternoon. I am looking around for a grain drill, and thought to ask those more knowledgeable than I. A few Questions!

Finally getting things right so I can work about 4 acres under a large powerline right of way in SE Virginia. Got it bush hogged and soon will have a culvert put in to access across a large ditch. Hoping to get in there early spring once it dries up and disc.

My goals is to plant buckwheat (my fav) for a new bee colony I'll be setting up. And then have a food plot for late fall/spring. Feeding my whitetail deer to hunt.

I am using a IH Farmall 200 for the tractor. I have planters, cults, etc. But looking to add a grain drill. On a 1/4 spot I've been hand broadcasting then lightly disc in successfully for years now. Ready to take it to the next level. What do I look for getting a drill? I know condition is the main factor. Any tips you may have for me? I don't want something I'd have to spend 80hrs getting to work! How to trailer it? I have a 7x16 landscape trailer, but that tongue would have to be unbolted right?

Give me your opinions, advice, and what not!
Thanks,
Eric

Our local New Holland dealer is a Great Plains dealer and every year I see a wheeled pull-type 10 foot Great Plains drill sitting in their yard with a "RENT ME" sign on it. It seems if you could find something like that it would be ideal seeing as how you only have 4 acres. You could pull it behind your pickup or just use your tractor to get it. This is a picture of the smaller 6' model.

 

[ss55]

Our local New Holland dealer is a Great Plains dealer and every year I see a wheeled pull-type 10 foot Great Plains drill sitting in their yard with a "RENT ME" sign on it. It seems if you could find something like that it would be ideal seeing as how you only have 4 acres. You could pull it behind your pickup or just use your tractor to get it. This is a picture of the smaller 6' model.

Is a SMTA heavy enough to pull a six foot no-til drill?

 

[Bob Bancroft]

Hello, hope everyone is enjoying their Sunday afternoon. I am looking around for a grain drill, and thought to ask those more knowledgeable than I. A few Questions!

Finally getting things right so I can work about 4 acres under a large powerline right of way in SE Virginia. Got it bush hogged and soon will have a culvert put in to access across a large ditch. Hoping to get in there early spring once it dries up and disc.

My goals is to plant buckwheat (my fav) for a new bee colony I'll be setting up. And then have a food plot for late fall/spring. Feeding my whitetail deer to hunt.

I am using a IH Farmall 200 for the tractor. I have planters, cults, etc. But looking to add a grain drill. On a 1/4 spot I've been hand broadcasting then lightly disc in successfully for years now. Ready to take it to the next level. What do I look for getting a drill? I know condition is the main factor. Any tips you may have for me? I don't want something I'd have to spend 80hrs getting to work! How to trailer it? I have a 7x16 landscape trailer, but that tongue would have to be unbolted right?

Give me your opinions, advice, and what not!
Thanks,
Eric

Don't know about there- here in central NY IH grain drills were very popular. There are usually 10 foot ones around. If they didn't have fertilizer and were stored inside, they'll be fine. JD also.

 

[Lucid]

Yes there is a Massey Ferguson 33 2hrs away that looks good. Prolly an 10'. I have heavily debated hand seeding the 4 acres, but after a june heart attack I'm thinking maybe not haha.

 

[Richard Nixon]

Is a SMTA heavy enough to pull a six foot no-til drill?

It might be a trifle bit of overkill. LOL. Your mentioning the SMTA brought back a memory. I the fall of 1954 the local Farmall dealer brought out a brand new SMTA with a 5 bottom semi-mounted plow. I had never seen a 5 bottom plow before that. The plowing, although in heavy red clay loam soil, was fairly easy because it was in a corn field that had been harvested for silage. We all got to make a few rounds across a 40 acre field and it was quite impressive. We all liked the TA feature. Nobody bought one.

 

[urbancase]

Not sure if what you want but some of the small 5 and 6 foot 3 point drills set for min till would be what I would look for. You could spread you fertilizer and use that to seed your plot.

 

[joeysmith]

Maybe go this route an still broadcast but take the hand work out a somewhat

Easily transported on trailer
Can spread some fertilizer as well if ya decided to

 

[NY 986]

Just about any brand will work but if you see an Ontario drill they came in 8 ft widths and can be bought for a song. Have not been made for quite a long time now but a close inspection should eliminate any surprises when going to the field. Ontario drills were very common around here until the 1970's and were made here in the Finger Lakes region (Prattsburgh, NY).

 

[moresmoke]

Our local New Holland dealer is a Great Plains dealer and every year I see a wheeled pull-type 10 foot Great Plains drill sitting in their yard with a "RENT ME" sign on it. It seems if you could find something like that it would be ideal seeing as how you only have 4 acres. You could pull it behind your pickup or just use your tractor to get it. This is a picture of the smaller 6' model.

I was going to say the same thing. The Great Plains dealers I frequent have varying sizes of drills for rent.

On older drills, the disk/bearing assemblies can easily outpace the value of the drill if they need replacing.

 

[NY 986]

If the OP is using a Farmall 200 I doubt it has enough butt to pull a 10 ft no-till drill with all its weight. There is a lot of steel in a drill that size. If like around here renting no-till drills is no longer a thing with dealers or the county conservation offices. Any conventional drill will work regardless of brand and the inspection routine is the same regardless of brand. Have the seller pull it in their yard 100 ft to make sure the openers raise and lower without interference and that the drive clutches engage and disengage without issue. Observe metering mechanism to be sure it moves freely.

 

[paul]

A 24 hp tractor will pull a 12 foot 1950s style drill a bit slow but ok even on slight hills. However a 10 foot would be a better match.

For food plots I like that 3pt spinner pictured and a section of harrow; but I don’t think you have a 3pt. They made bolt on and pull type but harder to find.

A good discussion on grain drills in the implement section right now, I gave my long opinion on what to look for there: good clean box, good disc blades, good seed tubes. And of this worn out will quickly get expensive or hard to find and expensive.

Paul

 

[cjunrau]

I would go 3 point if possible
As wide as tractor would be best. Problem with spin on and disc if the soil needs a packer you need to harrow packer after broadcast. If you find broadcasting worked then I would probably stay that route as you can do fertilizer as well. Wash it real well and store inside with very little room needed

 

[Lucid]

A seed broadcaster could work well. I do have a 2pt to 3pt adapter that i use for a grader box. I have 2 more that need a lil tlc.

Thanks for all the good advice. I guess it depends on what shows up for sale in good condition. Will look in local dealerships and see if rent is an option, or co ops. I didn't think of that.

Spreaders near me are overpriced and rusted out. Best one I just saw in marketplace for $500, might as well buy a new one at agrisupply for 700. If i see a 5-6' drill then that would probably be best for the plot size. I just haven't seen one for sale. My powerline is about 65 yards wide, with woods on both sides.

Eric