Min till drill
Whitetail Deer
Been wanting a no-till drill that my 45 HP tractor could handle. I would love a New Great Plains or Land Pride. Both have great reputations, but are very expensive new and used are hard to find. Has anyone had a chance to try the light duty No till drills made by LMC or Tar River?
I am curious about how well they perform.
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Lookup 1st products multi drill. A friend of mine just ordered one after much consideration of all the bigger name companies.
^^^^^^ Six footer starting at $12,000. I don’t think that’s what the OP had in mind, and I’m sure it ain’t what I had in mind.
Not familiar with LMC but I have heard negative reports about Tar River. No Till drills have a lot of moving parts and need maintenance and cleaning. I looked at some used units at auctions but most looked like they were going to be problematic.
My Ohio soil conservation district rents units for like 50$ a weekend. They even set them up when they’re delivered. You might look into that option.
Not familiar with either of those, so just sharing here my experience that might help.
I owned at one time 6’ Sukup min-till and pulled it with my 45 hp tractor with ease. It worked fine for spacing and depth placement. Obviously the ground needed to be worked first.
I sold it as broadcasting and dragging before a rain give me acceptable results in less time.
Best wishes with your choice.
I rented one from our extension service last fall(it was brand new). I think it cost me $100 and I drilled about 40 acres of wheat and oats, but it was literally a daylight to dark ordeal. I want to buy one too, but not sure I will as long as I can rent this one
I purchased a No -Till Tar River 505 last year. I planted 13 acres of beans last spring & followed up with cereal rye, turnips, etc in September. Overall, I was pleased with the results. I like that it has a 3 point mounting system so turning around & dealing with tight corners is a breeze. No, it's not a Genesis, Tye, or Land Pride but it fit in my budget.
There is a really good thread on All things habitat.com about this. There is a great plains NT on purplewave.com under grain drills in MO for 6200.00
Check with your local Soil and Water Conservation District. Some rent drills and other provide the service. We seed many acres of food plots for customers with our Great Plains 7 foot no till drill.
Sounds like renting a no till drill is the ticket in your particular case.
I love my Land Pride NTD for clovers, alfalfa’s and brassicas...but it is HEAVY (for a reason)!
Mark
What all are wanting to plant with it, Osceola? I have zero experience with a no-till drill, but have heard some guys weren’t overly impressed planting soybeans with them.
My go to is plant soybeans. I have a steel wheel John Deere Van Brundt drill that is in excellent shape, easy to work on and has done everything I needed thus far.
Usually in the fall I drill a mixture of forage raddish, Winfred brassica, kale, and or Egyptian wheat into the beans. I have also planted small seed chicory, clover and alfalfa with the drill. This fall I will over seed cereal rye and wheat into the soy beans as I want to spray for broadleaf. I have had surprising good luck planting corn with the old drill using 22 inch rows.
I purchased a second property 2 hours away and was looking for something that would be easy to transport. I will probably buy a Great Plains and only cry once...
Despite my previous comment, I kept looking at the Tar River Drill as I really want a min-till drill. I finally found some information that turned me off on the drill.
There is a small seed and a large seed bin; however, the flutes are the same size in both bins. The negative effect is that there is an inability to drill less than approximately 18 lbs per acre of the small seed. I over seed brassica mixes in my standing beans and generally put down 3-10 lbs per acre small seed depending on the situation.
I don't want to buy a new drill that doesn't do exactly what I want. I did talk to a dealer about this issue and they verified the expected pounds per acre on the small seed. I was to get the names of people who had purchased the drill so I could ask their experience with small seed populations; however, the dealer has yet to send me those names and phone numbers.
I think this could be a good drill for the money for anyone who plants larger seed only and/or will accept heavy small seed population. Also, if you order today, you would get the drill possibly by October...
I’d sell my Woods FPS72 that’s only 2 yo and in great shape with legume box and mud scrapers for $9000. Problem is it’s in Idaho. I run it with a 42 hp Kabota.
Thanks for offer. I am looking for small seed box and large seed.
Why selling? What has been the experience with the Woods?
GP on purple wave price is now 7200.00,Another brand not mentioned for min till is a Kasco I have 4 ft versa drill and it does alright
Not a no till but I really like my Firminator for my needs. I plant corn to clover with it.
I usually make just one pass with the disk set straight. Works great for planting wheat in my clover fields.
Woods PS is not a drill, and it’s not no-till. It’s also not effective as a row planter even with the row kit.
It is very effective for one pass planting for grains, legumes and brassicas, especially if you are planting a grain with a legume combination. You can measure out the seed with incredible precision and it lays down the seeds uniformly and with clean lines. I consulted with the design team when they brought it to market.
If you’re looking for a no-till grain drill the Woods PS unit is not a good choice.
My Woods has a large seed and legume boxes. It just doesn’t work for extreme clay like I have. The clay balls constantly block the seed tubes.
I watched the Purple Wave drill. It sold for $8,360 plus a 10% buyers premium. I am sure it is functional, but it also looked quite used. Gotta be a better choice out there.
I have a lightly used Kasco Plotters Choice 4' wide No-Till Drill designed for planting food plots behind a 4WD ATV or compact tractor. It can be towed, or used with a 3-point hitch. Works well. I have it listed for sale on FB Marketplace and Craigslist. Once I retired I quit using my ATV for planting food plots and finally bought myself a full-size tractor, so I haven't used it for the past couple of years. That's why I'm selling it.
