Single Vs Double Disc Openers

[Joel Sanderson]

What are the pros and cons of single disc openers vs. double disc openers on a seeder or drill? Most of the older ones I've seen are single, but there are some old doubles. The new no-till Deere drills are double, but they have a lot of down pressure. Does an older conventional drill with double openers penetrate adequately in a tilled and fitted seedbed?

I'd like to hear your thoughts and experiences.

Thanks

Joel

 

[Bob Bancroft]

The first drill I remember from my youth was a JD Van Brunt. It was a hoe drill, and required absolutely no trash. Still, sometimes a person would ride along and lift hoes as they plugged.

The next one was a single disc drill, which was much better, but still had some issues. The "boot" and scraper would wear. The one we used had all the discs throwing one way. It took me a long time to figure out that was why we had to drive closer going one way, than the other. The drill was always slightly pulling off to one side!

When I eventually bought a conventional drill of my own at auction, I immediately replaced all the single disc openers with double disc openers. I see no reason to have anything else.

Although, my JD no till drill does not have double disc openers, but that's a whole different animal.

 

[Alvin 41]

In the 80's we used an IH # 10 with double disc openers and no guage wheels. It had good depth control springs and was good for soybeans and small grains. Alfalfa and grass seed were dropped behind and we always pulled a single row roller behind the drill.

 

[SVcummins]

I have always drilled with a double disk drill or a hoe drill the double disk will penetrate any good seedbed the hoe drill is made for trashy conditions and drilling deep to reach moisture on dry land non irrigated ground they also work well in irrigated ground

 

[SVcummins]

 

[paul]

Only thing I?ve used in my wet clay soils is a double disk drill. Need to work the ground and wait a bit for the ground to dry off, then plant.

Always heard double disk is better then single disk in my conditions, and don?t know anything about a hoe drill I don?t think they work at all here.

Notill drill is a whole different thing, lots of weight and down pressure, different beast.

Paul

 

[Joel Sanderson]

I appreciate everyones' responses here. Thank you all.

 

[Leroy]

I find it impossible to find a hoe drill would work in trashy conditions as it would be pluged all the time. Only saw a hoe drill a couple of times in an abonded 1 horse drill used to plant between 2 standing rows of corn. And most of them were single disk, were quit being used before my time at 75 years old. The single disk opener became popular as soon as they learned how to make them. But they would still like to plug in trash. When they learned how to make the double disk opener they also learned to stager the openers to get rid of pluging that they would still do in trashy conditions. I think a single disk actually covered the seed better and most single disk half would throw left, other to right.. The same reason corn planters went to disk openers instead of the shoe opener was the disk did not catch and drag trash like the shoe opener would. Shoe could have no trash on top of ground or would catch and drag the trash untill was pluged. Hasn't been a new shoe opener in this part of country in over a hundred years for a grain drill, by 70's most planters were disk openers. Planters had to have something to close furrow while the drills had the drag chains to do that. Quit using the drag chains probably 50 years ago in favor of a spike toth harrow hooked to back of drill and then went to a cultipacker between drill and spike tooth. made a better field for harvesting.

 

[Leroy]

I find it impossible to find a hoe drill would work in trashy conditions as it would be pluged all the time. Only say a hoe drill a couple of times in an abonded 1 horse drill used to plant between 2 standing rows of corn. And most of them were single disk, were quit being used before my time at 75 years old. The single disk opener cane popular as soon as they learned how to make them. But they would still like to plug in trash. When they learned how to make the double disk opener they also learned to stager the openers to get rid of pluging that they wouls still do in trashy conditions. I think a single disk actually covered the seed better and most single disk half would throw left, other to right.. The same reason corn planters went to disk openers instead of the shoe opener was the disk did not catch and drag trash like the shoe opener would. Shoe could have no trash on top of ground or would catch and reag the trash untill was pluged. Hasn't been a new shoe opener in this part of country in over a hundred years for a grain drill, by 70's most planters were disk openers. Planters had to have something to close furrow while the drills had the drag chains to do that. Quit using the drag chains probably 50 years ago in favor of a spike toth harrow hooked to back of drill and then went to a cultipacker between drill and spike tooth. made a better field for harvesting.

 

[Case Nutty 1660]

In corn or bean stalks I can see them plugging quick,, I used hoe press drills here for 40 years, I could go right out in grain stubble even 2-3 feet high and plant with zero plugging if I wanted to but seldom did as I summer fallow here but did do it a number of times to plant the field back to hay, they were not made for heavy trash like corn and bean stalks,, mine were Kirshman/Merole brand drills with 9" spacing, I also have a pair of older IH press drills we used until 1968 when we bought the Kirshman, they have 10" spacing and wide shovels,,

 

[SVcummins]

Any hoe drill made in the last 60 years will drill through most any trash condition maybe not corn stalks but hoe drills are not used in corn country .

 

[Joel Sanderson]

Thank you. I appreciate this.