foggy1111
Elite Member
Wow....just stumbled onto this old thread. As I have done some improvements to my Herd GT77....I thought I would report on it.
Last year I decided to bite the bullet and buy the small seed plate affair. I think they mainly sell it to those folks that want to spread fire ant poison......but it cuts the seed drop to about 1/2 of that of standard. I really works nice for brassica and clover! .....and I can now put down as little as 2 lbs to the acre if I want to. It's expensive.....but seems worth it when I look at the work in seeding multiple acres of clover / brassica.
After spilling all my seed on a few occasions.....I figured out how I was pushing the rubber nipple from the agitator and thus spilling my seeds. (Really pisses me off that Herd cannot make a positive shut-off on a seeder costing this much. I dont think they have made a modification to the basic unit in many years.). Anyway I bolted a tube in place to provide a positive stop and prevent the shut off from disturbing that nipple.
I have made a sloped floor for the inside of the hopper.....so small quantities of seed will feed to the gate. Kinda basic....but when your only spreading a few lbs of seeds you need this. Elsewise you can have 1 lb of seed just sitting on that big flat floor, which will not flow to the seed gate.
One big event just completed. I made a receiver hitch to fit on the front of my Honda UTV....just above my winch. Custome welded job.....worked out good. Thus I could now mount my Herd GT77 on the FRONT of my UTV and watch the action as I spread seeds. Niiiice! I made some 2" receiver mounts and also some 1" curved pipe mounts in order to STORE this assembly safely on the floor without damage to the motor. Been a pistol to just set this thing down without damage.
Rewired the whole thing using an on/off thumb switch from a FIMCO sprayer........so I can now operate from the cab of my Honda Pioneer. ......along with some pull ropes to operate the seed gate via a pulley system. Green for open / red for close. Easy Peasy. I can see the open and close of the seed gates and still drive in a straight line.
I think I FINALLY have the best seeder I could want. It's really taken some time and imagination to get this damned thing refined to my needs.....but it does a good job now.
Herd should send one of their engineers out to see my set up.....they might learn something. Grin.
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