Genesis no till drill
Whitetail Deer
I am considering getting a Genesis no till drill but there are no dealers in my state. I am looking for feedback from people who either have or have used one. Any positive or negative feedback would be greatly appreciated. Feel free to PM me if you like.
I would be using this primarily for small seed species like clovers or brassicas but would do some beans and corn early in the season.
Thanks for any input.
I just picked up the 5 foot version, 3 point hitch attachment this past summer. I planted some late soybeans with it and it works great. Super heavy duty piece of equipment. The drill ended up costing somewhere around $12k, but the new tractor I'm going to need to buy to pick it up is going to be a bit more expensive! I have a 57 horse Kubota that has never had an issue with anything, it's rated to pick up 3,800 lbs on the 3-point hitch and when I pick up the Genesis Drill the front tires come off the ground. I could probably get some suitcase weights and try to balance it out, but I need a new slightly bigger tractor for some other uses on the farm as well so it's a good excuse to pull the trigger on that. But just be aware, it's a heavy piece of equipment but it's a super solid, well though out foodplot drill. I'm excited to see what it does next spring in a no-till application of beans in corn stubble. I have no idea what I'll do with all of the time I'm going to save by not having to till the old corn twice before planting, but I'm sure I'll figure out something... :)
TMA, the weight and the $12k are the only reasons I haven't bought one !
wow, 12K.... I could see if we were all farmers trying to make a living. LOL How about going old school, here's mine that I bought for 2K. Its an old JD, was a 10 that a friend cut in half. Works outstanding and built to last three lifetimes, has three different seed trays and depth adjustments etc. Just a thought on saving some major coin.
Bob, It looks like you are pulling that with an ATV?
If you have a tractor did you cut it down to fit in small plots? I would love to have one but have not seen the cost that low. Thanks.
Drycreek - don't get me wrong. It's a great piece of equipment, but make sure your tractor can handle it. I have a Sukup Wild Game Drill (basically a drill that will work on a tilled seedbed) and an old John Deere drill like the pic in XMan's post. They don't compare to what the Genesis will do, but it's heavy. Pat - I'll post some pics when I get home (in Nashville for the weekend - Wildhorse has been fun so far!!). Pics will be posted Sunday evening.
yes Frank I pull it with my ATV and sometime a friends tractor. Its a heavy SOB but easily maneuverable with either machine and something I can move on my own. At a total span of 6 feet from axle to axle it goes pretty much anywhere. Need to attend the auctions, that's where all this old equipment goes dirt cheap! The farmers dont want it :)
Thanks. Have not found anything locally.
Hard to find anything when you live in the pine tree and cattle country. I've only ever seen one drill in my life in East Texas.
The front cutter discs for no-till.
The front cutter discs for no-till.
The rear packer wheels.
The rear packer wheels.
The hopper with integral seed agitator.
The hopper with integral seed agitator.
Guys - I finally got out to the farm and took a few pics of the Genesis 5. Like I mentioned before it's a beast of a piece of equipment. Built very solidly, but is heavy. I'll also say the guys at RTP Outdoors were fantastic to deal with.
The stand legs for when in storage are very well designed.
The stand legs for when in storage are very well designed.
This baby weighs 1176 kg (just under 2,600 lbs) empty. I think it'll hold about 5 bushels of grain for planting, so figure another 250-300 lbs when fully loaded.
This baby weighs 1176 kg (just under 2,600 lbs) empty. I think it'll hold about 5 bushels of grain for planting, so figure another 250-300 lbs when fully loaded.
That looks well built. What size tractor are you thinking you need?
I think it's more about the lifting capacity of the tractor on the 3-point arms. My Kubota L5740 (57 hp) was able to pick it up off the ground, but the problem was that the front end of the tractor came up with it. I may look at getting some suitcase weights for the front of the tractor, but I'd also been wanting an excuse to get another tractor so I can have the tiller hooked up to one and the drill hooked up to another and not have to switch between everything so often. Right now I'm checking out the used Kutbota M7040's (70 hp) - I think that would do the trick.
I know that the Genesis guys offer a hydraulic tire set-up that will assist with the lift and if a guy wasn't sure if his tractor could handle it that would be the way to go. Once it's in the ground it's no problem pulling it.
Our local Rural King store has a 60 inch 3 point hitch Field Tuff seeder on sale now for about $1500. It looks pretty nice
I bought a genesis eight with the no till cultures they are not made right they turn at an angle and dig a furl which leaves the seabed wide open exposing the seed The guys from Genesis came to look at it said there was nothing they could do not very impressed
Here’s a pic of my McCormick 7’ drill with 2 seed boxes that I got off Craig’slist for $300. Seemed to work very well. I used it for the first time this year, so I’m just starting to get it figured out.
TMA1010 - the pic with the front cutter discs, is that standard equipment or are those the optional pre-cutting discs listed in their brochure?
Those are not the optional add on cutting discs.
Thanks skookumjt. In Aug, you were looking into a Genesis no-till drill. Did you ever get one and what is your experience with it if you did? I'm considering the Genesis 3 for a three point hitch. I have a 39 HP Kubota which looks like it should be able to handle it. If those cutters on the photo are standard, then I don't see that the optional pre-cut discs are necessary. Those cutters would be a "pre-cut" for the "V" shaped discs that the seed drops in.
any more feedback/experience out there on the Genesis No Till Drills?
Mark
I have a genesis 5 - purchased in late fall of 2017. I have a small business part time doing plots for guys in Indiana and Illinois and that helped me justify the price. I have it on a Kubota mx5200 with a loader and have had no issues lifting it. It’s really a great piece of equipment if you are doing several acres and has saved me a ton of time. I have planted beans through clover and native grasses and have been very pleased
Thanks Todd.
How well does it cut through thatch and work in a true "no till" scenario?
If and when you're going to fertilize, you still have to broadcast and disc it in and then plant?
Mark
I always spray everything off dead and come back week or two later - but trust me this drill is heavy and definitely get the front cutters and you will not have any issues
I ended up buying the 5'. Way too heavy for my 50 horse Kubota. It would lift it as long as I had the loader attached but broke the three point lift arms repeatedly then broke the rear end housing.
I bought a bigger frame tractor and it's better.
I've had fair luck planting with the drill but have really struggled to plant shallow enough for clovers and brassicas.
Plenty of videos and acolades (paid I'm sure) on Growingdeertv.com
You ever think about a land pride APS? I have a 1572, works great to overseed plots or pasture. Reasonable price also
Skippy, I need to plant 28 acres of beans (most years with rotation).
Mark
Todd 3 point lift capacity on the MX5200 24” behind the lift point is rated at 2310.
Genesis 5 with coulters is 2600 lbs empty. What am I missing here? Do you have an older 5200 or maybe a different model than what I am thinking?
I have a MX5800 HST (61 hp) with the same lift capacity and I wouldn’t try to pick up that drill. Just curious as to how your tractor is doing that.
I am still astounded by the fact that there is a piece of foodplot equipment that some Bowsiters have purchased BEFORE Pat!!!
I just learned there is a genesis 5 “light” version. I saw it for sale on Tracotr House but nothing on RTP’s site. Also no info yet on the web about the weight. I have an email into RTP. I wonder if that is the drill Todd has?
I will check and see if weight of drill is in manual at my shop and provide some numbers. I did over 50 acres with it last year and didn’t have any lifting issues.
RTP also makes an 8' "light" version that is about 2,670 lbs vs the standard 8' is 3,803 Lbs. These are empty weights.
I just talked to Michael Mower, who runs RTP Outdoors yesterday...very informative and helpful. The "light" version is made for sandy loam soils (like mine).
Mark
skookumjt,
Why do you think you were having issues planting the small seeds?
When planting the small seeds did you have the drill on the most shallow planting setting?
Did you till or disc the ground first before planting?
Mark
Because the shallowest setting is .5 inch which is way too deep for clovers and brassicas.
skookumjt,
10-4.
Anyone else having this issue with the small seeds (clover, brassicas, alfalfas)?
Mark
I made spacers for the depth setting and think that will help. Holding the machine up with the three point is very hard in the tractor and creates skip in the seeding when you have uneven ground.
You should be able to adjust the top link on your three point while the drill is in the .5 inch setting for clovers and brassicas to get it to the 1/8-1/4 inch depth. Picking up the 5 light first week of June unless anyone here knows of one for sale used or demo.
How do you guys handle applying fertilizer when using a no till drill to plant your food plots? Do you always just plant before a rain or are you still tilling the fertilizer in and then using the drill? thanks Brian
I don't have a drill yet, but my plan would be to just broadcast fertilizer seperate from drilling the seeds
I picked up a Genesis 5 last in March 2020 along with a Kubota M6060 and an 8' disc in a divorce liquidation event. The tractor is great, the disc is great, the Genesis 5...the jury is still out. We tried planting a winter greens and beets blend, a brassicas, and also Pure Attraction. It simply didn't work as we could not get the seed to meter slow enough. We had the gate closed and slowest metering gear combination and it would not meter seed slowly enough. Anyone else crack this code?
I had to get a gear reduction kit from Genesis.
Ain’t nuthin cheap about drills evidently. You pay $12k + to start with and then have to buy more stuff to make it work for you. Old Grant never mentioned that........
As far as adjusting the top link to get shallow enough for small seeds, it's pretty much impossible to and still get the wheels to pack at the right pressure. I feel this is a significant problem with the Genesis.
When I bought the drill my assumption (yes, I know....) was that the drill would be supported primarily by the ground and as such would follow the contours and keep the coulters and packing wheels where they needed to be. As I mentioned previously the drill needs to be help up by the three point on the tractor which means it goes too deep when the tractor goes up a hill and then comes out of the ground when you go over the hill and then goes too deep again. It's frustrating.
Theres a good thread on the tar river drill on Habitat Talk or deerhunterforum.com can't remember which
Well I'll help to answer a few of the questions as I had a few of these issues. So I purchased a new genesis 5 light last year and contacted RTP when it was doing what Sam I am was describing. It appears that they didn't machine the gearbox adjuster correct. Their solution initially was for me to drill out a slot in the metal box to get it to close further. Being a new drill that didn't set well with me. They brought me another one that worked great but had rust all over it in different areas. After a bit of a hassle I got another drill they adjusted in house but the measuring tape for reference doesn't go back that far and they wouldn't fix that. But that is that issue. As far as the shallowness they recommended buying these round top link cylinders you can buy at tsc and it'll get it even shallower that just adjusting the top link. Overall the drill has been awesome for me even through the headaches of finally getting it adjusted right. I don't have any experience with hills so I can't comment on that.
The 5 light uses a different metering adjustment. The original has different gears for different rates.
Even adding additional spacers to the depth adjustment doesn't allow the drill to be supported by the ground rather than the three point on the tractor.
The spacers are just to allow the coulters to run shallower if drilling brassicas and certain grasses. I'm not sure I understand the three point hitch and ground statement unless you are going over a steep peak, and only at the peak of the incline. To me two passes over the crest and that would likely work out. When the three point is released to the bottom the drill should be supported by the ground. The selling point with the 3 point is picking it up to make turning around easier.
The weight of the drill needs to be supported by the three point or it will plant way too deep. And break more parts than it already does.
As such, if you go up even a slight incline it will "dig in". As you crest the incline the drill will be lifted and the coulter's won't cut as deep or possibly come out of the ground. Then when you flatten out again they dig in again.
Update...I bought the low gear kit and installed last year. We did our food plots and 1/2 were dynamite and 1/2 were a bust. We were trying to plant small seed crops that we normally broadcast like turnips, brassicas, and blended mixes. This year, we tried again and it was a bust. I'm now convinced I'm using the wrong machine for what I'm trying to do. It's so hard to get that super shallow depth. I'm ready to sell my Genesis 5 so if anyone is looking let me know. My machine is an earlier version that uses gears to change metering rather than the variable clutch system on the newest version.
When planting alfalfa using old fashion van brundt drills we pull the seed tubes out of coulter so it's more on top of ground.Might be an idea so the seed is packed on top of dirt rather than bottom of slot.I think you can usually buy a good used NT on the ag sites if you have a bigger tractor.Several 7 footers on there now.
Just bought this drill. Only one week of use but worked well so far.
Just bought this drill. Only one week of use but worked well so far.
I just bought this drill a few days ago to plant my Ohio plots. It's called a Greenscape 750 Food Plotter. 12k list. It's 8' wide and plants 75". I decided to move away from 30" rows for my beans and switch to 15" rows for better weed control. That puts me into a drill instead of a row planter. This also allows me to drill legumes, brassicas, oats, peas, E-wheat and just about everything else.
Quick Review:
Unit is very well made, and price point is mid-range for a new drill. It's not a Great Plains, but it's plenty heavy and well made. I looked at the Tar River and decided to go one step up. The Tar River no-till seemed too whimpy and I didn't like the weight or the unit. Requires a 50hp tractor. Metering was not as precise as my Deere 7000 row planter. But it will be perfectly acceptable for beans and plot seeds. I can do (10) 7.5" rows, (5) 15" rows, or (3) 30" rows out of the large box. The small box is for legumes and brassicas. Those seeds simply fall in front of the rear cultipacker and get pressed in. No-till Seed depth is tricky to control as it depends on so many factors like ground softness, amount of thatch, etc. Did a very nice job on my previously burned down plot but I also drilled into a grassy plot that was not burned down and it also worked well. My biggest complaint was that they put the metering stickers on backwards which confused the hell out of me. Good thing I didn't rely on the sticker as I spent two hours calibrating and weighing seeds to get an accurate drop rate. The first pass I went by their stickers and it dumped all the seeds out in 150'. That's when I figured out they screwed up. Basically, I will need to create my own seed guide. No big deal.
Of course, the proof will be in the results and I won't know that for a few weeks. But I'm confident based on digging seed out of the trench and also the gradual distribution from my seed boxes.
I never liked the Genesis drill, and my Woods Precision Seeder I got a few years ago is not No-Till. So this was a good option for me. I'll post plot pics later.
I love my Genesis drill that thing is built like a tank and I can calibrate it in about 5 minutes. Year to year seed blends that I have planted have been spot on for the settings the following year. I just have the double disc openers and they cut through everything. I will say though that if you wanted to plant just brassicas good luck. I did struggle getting a low enough pounds per acre of straight brassicas. I used to plant them but the deer around here don’t eat them and I am always planting blends with 10+ seeds. I planted a few mixed this Spring that had 15 different seeds. That’s where I find the Genesis shines.
I am sure genesis offers a unti with tires so u dont have to lift it This will let u use much smaller tractor.
Photo from my kill plot, two acres of brassicas, peas, oats, and clover planted 8/1.
Photo from my kill plot, two acres of brassicas, peas, oats, and clover planted 8/1.
My South Kill plot, planted oats, austrian peas, and clover in this field. Another fantastic result.
My South Kill plot, planted oats, austrian peas, and clover in this field. Another fantastic result.
As promised, here's some plot pics from two fields that I used my new, Greenscape 750 one-pass, No-till grain drill. Both fields planted same day, No-till after burndown with Glyfo.
Very happy with these results!
Looks great! Looks like you’ve had some good moisture there, as well. What all did you end up planting in that plot?
T-Roy, we've had fantastic moisture, not too much - but a good soaking rain every week since June.
Top pic: 100lbs Austrian peas, 25lbs Oats, 4lbs Winfred Brassicas, 4lbs Purple top turnips, 2lbs radish.
Bottom pic: 100lbs Austrian peas, 100lbs Oats, 20lbs annual crimson clover
Both fields planted 3 acres. The top field also has 3 acres of Soybeans, pic above.
Nice. Did your 30” row beans ever canopy for you?
Yes, the fawns are disappearing in the rows! LOL!!
Those are excellent plots Pat!
Those fields make me wish I was Amish and lived close to where Pat's land is.
Not sure why people think they need a 3 point planter. I have an older 10' Hay buster NT drill. I can pull it with a 35 hp tractor. Its easy to back in areas that are tight. There are several manufacturer's that make NT drills while I am sure Genesis is good dont overlook other drills as well.
I appreciate all your guys experience here. I have a hay buster like TradMike but needed something I could load on the trailer and haul up in the higher country out here in Eastern Wyoming. I just bought the Greenscape 750 for the same reasons Pat mentioned. I think I got a good deal for the current economics we are in. Happy to find one and not wait on a list. The HAy buster is a bugger for me to load but the old thing works well.
Saphead, you’re gonna like it. Had excellent results. Took me a bit of trial and error to get the rate right but once I did I was very happy with the consistency and how evenly it planted. This field above was no-tilled 7/25 for the brassica/pea/cover blend. Soybeans were row planted in spring with my Deere 7000.
Theres a good thread on allthingshabitat.com on the sayo507 I think it is. Alot of people have been buying them
Looks great, Pat. What was in the field that you no-tilled those brassicas into?
Really similar to TRoys have a 10’ John Deere that’s ground driven no hydraulics needed can pull it with a Polaris ranger or a tractor someone rides in the back board and disengages at the end of each turn row works great have no tilled bluegrass with it in lawns and it will cut plenty deep if adjusted right and it’s not drier then a bone the new commercial drills for food plots are so overpriced at one time you must thing these old implements were top of the line pieces of equipment don’t reinvent the wheel the old stuff is more then capable even if it’s not classified as a true no till drill
By plugging every other hole the old ones work great for soybeans and Milo as well
Troy, volunteer wheat. I sprayed glyfosate on it then ran the drill over it.
Pat, on your unit are you able to put down small seed (brassica, clover, etc.) at 5 to 7 pounds to the acre?
I looked at the SAYA 0570, but the least amount of small seed you could put down was about 18-20 pound per acre (way too much for my plantings) The SAYA uses the same seed cup on the small and large seed components of the drill.
If you look close you can see the clover between the BFO.
If you look close you can see the clover between the BFO.
Osceola,
Yes, I can go down to about 6lbs/acre with the legume box. I did a beautiful clover companion planting with BFO.
My dealer had the Saya 0570 and it was a non-starter for me. Much cheaper unit, both in cost and construction. No comparison. Interestingly, the Greenscape is made by Tar River, the same company that makes the Saya. Greenscape is obviously a step up in quality and precision.
Anyone have any suggestions for an Elk / Whitetail Deer plot? About 10 acres. 5000 ft elevation. I have grown wheat and turnips successfully .
Pat what rate did you plant the oats and what type of fert did you apply having the clover in there with it?
Shiloh, I didn't fertilize this year. My soil was still OK. And fertilizer is stupid expensive now.
I did one pass with Oats/Peas in the big box and crimson clover in the small box. Rate on the oats was 30/acre, peas were 40/acre, and clover was 8/acre.
Wow!! Be nice to have some ground that you don’t have to fertilize!! Your wheat rate really wasn’t what I thought it would be.
Good looking plots Pat....especially with zero fert!
Looks like you’re liking the new drill!
Mark
