Drill seeder help

[Tx Jim]

Turbys_1700
Time has a way of making memories dim. I can't give a good answer but SEVERAL I assembled many different types of equipment when things at dealership slowed down. I assembled model B,FB-B,8000 series drills plus disk harrows,field cultivators,rotary mowers,field sprayers,etc during my 21+ yrs of employment at the dealership.

 

[cat fever]

I checked and gear engagement spring is still available from JD. S337M Extension Spring - TENSION SPRING ADD 4.11 USD

Thanks.

 

[olPete]

Thanks all for the compliments on the hitch.

I may get to use it soon. If it stays dry this week, my fertilizer guy will come and then I can seed. Would be nice to get it done this early.
I plan to seed with Oats and Peas with the already existing alfalfa in the field. The cows will think they are in heaven with that gourmet salad. :laughing:

That's what I do too! I just keep adding and adding and adding.. my permanent pastures have about 15 varieties already and counting.. drill looks great. Will you lower your oats and peas rate to try keep the alfalfa going? Don't mean to go off topic but I'm always forever curious

 

[Turbys_1700]

Turbys_1700
Time has a way of making memories dim. I can't give a good answer but SEVERAL I assembled many different types of equipment when things at dealership slowed down. I assembled model B,FB-B,8000 series drills plus disk harrows,field cultivators,rotary mowers,field sprayers,etc during my 21+ yrs of employment at the dealership.

Thanks Tx Jim for the reply. We drilled many an acre with that drill. It works really well for over seeding my yard with fescue. Don't think I'll ever part with it. Don't know if all B models came with a galvanized seed box or not. Our other drill had a fertilizer box and rust was a common issue on those units.

 

[Tx Jim]

All model B drills had galvanised seed box

 

[cat fever]

That's what I do too! I just keep adding and adding and adding.. my permanent pastures have about 15 varieties already and counting.. drill looks great. Will you lower your oats and peas rate to try keep the alfalfa going? Don't mean to go off topic but I'm always forever curious

I mostly wanted to plant oats/peas for a few years to wipe out all the weeds/seeds in the field then hit it hard with alfalfa. Seeding every year adds cost to the whole operation, were as alfalfa comes back every year for several years without extra cost. This year I'm going with this mix.

Monida Oats 36%
Haybet Barley 22%
Twin Wheat 31%
Austrian Peas 10%

Comes in 50 pound bags already mixed and ready to dump in the seeder.
Keep in mind the pasture already has a fair amount of alfalfa in it.

 

[olPete]

That's quite a different mix to what I use. By weight I am putting in 60% oats/40% field peas with my aerator/air seeder machine, and then drilling in my permanent pastures afterwards with a roller drill. Per 50 pounds it's roughly 12 pounds over clover (red, strawberry, a prostrate white and an upright white variety) plus Timothy, perennial ryegrass, a little annual ryegrass, sheep's parsley, plantain, and I will trial chicory this time. I aim to cut I the existing pasture for baled silage and then put all the seed on while it's still sulking.. much the same, we have a lot of old "survival grass" that is hard to smother. Will hopefully get the peas at the budding stage for silage, and then graze. Too wet here for traditional alfalfa (we call it lucerne) but they are developing new strains that can handle wet feet over winter. We get about 40 inches of rainfall here, as you can tell from my pictures on the landscapes thread, we boundary a rainforest. Albeit a cold one..

 

[cat fever]

The supplier I buy from blends mixes specifically for our elevation and rainfall. (4500' & 12" rain) I only get 1 cut per year. If very lucky and it rains a lot I would get two cuts but no more. Last year I did all oats. It was a good year but I'll try this new mix and see how it works out.

 

[olPete]

Hmm that's not much rain..
Would millet grow where you are? It could be a good carrier for your alfalfa seed through your drill. Similar size but less density perhaps. Or a brassica maybe buy it would likely shade out your crop too much unless you could graze it off early. Millet you could probably mow off and use it as a green mulch for moisture retention. I'm really just thinking out loud silently. :laughing:

 

[cat fever]

Most years we get a wet spring that's why we get one good cut. After that the only thing that will grow is weeds. :confused3:
I guess they don't need water.:confused2: