no till drill's

[Mallard1]

A couple of us that hunt together are thinking about buying a no till drill sometime before next spring. Being that they cost as much as a small tractor we don't want to buy the wrong one so hoping some people here can help.

we are looking to plant at some time or another corn, soy beans, wheat, milo, oats, clover, and sun flowers. at times would like to plant multiple seeds in the same field, doing so at the same time would be great. the current tractors are 2 50hp and 1 75hp. all have loaders and are 4x4. we could only use the biggest but flexibility with the smaller two would be nice. most years we would plant between 50-100 acres between spring and fall. 3 acres an hour I believe is as slow as we want to plant.

after a quick search a couple that jump out are the genesis 5 and 8 along with the great planes 606NT.

any big advantages of a pull behind vs a 3pt hitch?

Does anyone have any of these or can offer any guidance to help with this?

 

[CH4Ohio]

I had a Woods PSS84 (Precision Super Seeder) with all the options. Spike rollers up front and in the middle, all 3 seed boxes, cast iron cultipacker on rear. It was a monster. 3 point hitch. I had it on a 50 HP JD and mainly on flat ground. I wouldn't want to move it on steep ground with that tractor.

It's not a "no till" drill with openers and closers, etc. But it is designed to tear up or rough up the ground, if you like, drop seed, and pack it down in one pass. They make versions of this in smaller sizes and lots of hunters use them for planting food plots for deer. Some have discs up front but I liked the heavy spike rollers.

I used it to seed a couple small fields that were tilled up first. Also overseeded some pasture. Also sprayed an area with Roundup and then came in and seeded it in alfalfa. Had good results with each approach.

Not sure what kind of terrain you'll be in. That might suggest whether 3 point is better or not. Cabela's and others as well as Woods sell "Hunter's editions" of these planters and typically you see them in 4', 5', and 6' models.

These cost a lot less than a small tractor and I found a lot of good shape used ones when I was looking.
Good luck with the search.

EDIT -- I just did a quick search and, like all other equipment, used ones in this area seem to be scarce just like everything else.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

Pull type is good if you get spun down or stuck. Unhook, drive away and chain pull plow across bad spot. 3 PT can be hard to get loose.

 

[Storm56]

I have the Genesis 5. I have planted corn @ 21 inch rows, 3 rows per pass, wheat mixed with clovers, turnip/radish mixes and soybeans. It works well and is relatively easy to set up. It is too heavy for the 48 HP John Deere 4700. I use it with the 80 HP McCormick. Never had any trouble with it.

I just finished drilling the wheat/clover mix into my existing clover fields to freshen them up. It sure is nice not having to turn over the fields then disk etc. There is surely a learning curve and some little tricks I picked up over the years. The folks at RTP have been quite helpful.

The Great Plains units are likely the cream of the crop but were priced quite a bit higher than the Genesis when I bought, plus they are more complicated when changing seeds. They also require a small seed box for small seed like clovers.

It has truly cut down on field prep and I really like the fact that I can just drill more seed into my existing fields that just need a touch up.

 

[CH4Ohio]

No-till in established clean crop fields is one thing. "No till" in openings in the woods or in areas that have not been cultivated (maybe ever) is another. I wonder which this is intended for?

 

[Mallard1]

I have the Genesis 5. I have planted corn @ 21 inch rows, 3 rows per pass, wheat mixed with clovers, turnip/radish mixes and soybeans. It works well and is relatively easy to set up. It is too heavy for the 48 HP John Deere 4700. I use it with the 80 HP McCormick. Never had any trouble with it.

I just finished drilling the wheat/clover mix into my existing clover fields to freshen them up. It sure is nice not having to turn over the fields then disk etc. There is surely a learning curve and some little tricks I picked up over the years. The folks at RTP have been quite helpful.

The Great Plains units are likely the cream of the crop but were priced quite a bit higher than the Genesis when I bought, plus they are more complicated when changing seeds. They also require a small seed box for small seed like clovers.

It has truly cut down on field prep and I really like the fact that I can just drill more seed into my existing fields that just need a touch up.

Thank you, looking at the specs of the genesis 5 the Deere 4700 should have enough lift, hp and weight, where does it come up short or is it just easier on the 80hp? The reason I ask is I have basically the same tractor in the Deere 4320.

 

[Storm56]

I am pretty sure when I bought my Genesis they were listed at almost 3000 lb. Someone mentioned the newer models were lighter? The hitch capacity on the 4700 is 2500 lb. Never even tried it. But I can tell you after owning mine for something like 6 years, I believe a utility tractor is the right tool.

Sent from my SM-T810 using TractorByNet mobile app

 

[Mallard1]

No-till in established clean crop fields is one thing. "No till" in openings in the woods or in areas that have not been cultivated (maybe ever) is another. I wonder which this is intended for?

mall of our food plots are fields or lanes that are currently established food plots.

we have used cultivators, discs and tillers in the past. We have removed all stumps, roots and they have been smoothed out. Then we broadcast and cultipack down.

we are looking to improve the plots and speed up the process some

 

[Mallard1]

with the multiple seed boxes on the great plains I assume you can plant 3 different types of seeds at the same time? is this correct?

how does the genisis work with planting different sized seeds or seed blends?

 

[Storm56]

Yes on the Great Plains unit. With the Genesis I just mix the seed before putting it in the planter. As mentioned I just sewed wheat and clover mix. If you wanted to just seed for instance clover on the GP unit you need the small seed box. On the Genesis you can get it adjusted without one. But I almost always mix the clover with either oats or wheat.

 

[Mallard1]

Yes on the Great Plains unit. With the Genesis I just mix the seed before putting it in the planter. As mentioned I just sewed wheat and clover mix. If you wanted to just seed for instance clover on the GP unit you need the small seed box. On the Genesis you can get it adjusted without one. But I almost always mix the clover with either oats or wheat.

Thank you, when I’ve planted clover I also plant either wheat or oats on top, however I plant more clover seeds per acre than the cover crop. I see on the GP model it would still do this. How does that work with the genesis? Do you just adjust the ratio of seeds in the hopper to achieve the same results?

 

[Storm56]

I generally plant red and white clover. Red @ 8 lb acre and white @ 5 lb acre along with wheat or oats @ 60 lb to the acre. I simply mix it all together and then put it in the seeder and set it up so it spreads the entire mix in one acre.

 

[CH4Ohio]

The co-ops and feed stores around here will run seeds through their blower to mix them thoroughly at no extra cost. As long as they're compatible seeds (like alfalfa wouldn't mix with orchardgrass). Makes it easier to just add to your seeder with out trying to mix and you get a thorough even stand of mixed crop.

 

[kneedeep]

A drawn planter needs more room to turn around.
A weighted 4x4 utility tractor will pull more than it will carry.
Transporting planters can be challenging.
View attachment 715332View attachment 715333

 

[Turkeyman]

I have a great plains 3 pt 605 no till. I pull it with a Deere 4720 hydro FEL, R4 and have no trouble pulling it. I’ve done it for 12 years with no problems then I had to rebuild my rock shaft because the deere is rated for 2500 pounds of lift and I would put 400 pounds of seed in it plus the 2300 pounds of drill weight. Love the small seed box too. I chose 3pt because I want to be able to put it on a 84” wide trailer. If you are able to use it in wide-open spots I would get a tow behind model some of the plots we hunt I must do a three point turn around at the end. Also use 5075m with no loader and 4wd and it handles the weight with no problem, but have 1000 lb on front weight bar. I used to use a 5320 and it had no trouble picking up the weight empty but once I put seed in it I could not steer so you’ll have to keep your front end loader/ bucket on. Like you all we are a hunt club and plant about 100 acres a year with it and this year with all the rain and thatch it was the only way we could plant. Let me know if you have questions.

 

[Wyobuckaroo]

About 15 or so years ago.. In my tool and die shop I helped a guy proto type a 3pt, cat 2, power opener over seeder.. The target buyer for this was to be golf courses and sports field operators..

I was told it worked great with higher germination rates than expected... I suspect this type over seeder would work well with many low till, no till areas.. I also suspect it would work well with many small grain seeds, but not sure how it would handle row crop type seeds, like corn or beans in the mix..

But then if you could get a small seed planter to do 80% of the variety you want to plant.. Then do the last 20% being big seeds with a corn planter....

When I plant "food plot" type plants for our small livestock, I disc or chain harrow, hand broadcast, and cover with the chain harrow or a brace of light truck tires to cover.. This being the cheap way, but adequate for our use..

My 5 cents of experience..