Overseeder Options

[Anonymous Poster]

I have about six acres of good turf on my property and operate a BX2200. I've always used a piece of.... well, light weight Brinly 40" spiker aerator/drop spreader combo to overseed thin spots and poke holes in my yard each fall. I'm going to be buying a plug aerator this summer and am looking for options for an economy 3PH overseeder or seeder for estate use. I will probably overseed a few yards to help offset the costs but I'm not going top get into the landscape business.

At this point, my First Choice aerator will run about $600 and high-quality drop spreader (Gandy, etc.) would cost about the same or a little more. I wouldn't mind spending around $1,000 to $1,500 bucks but I don't know if such an overseeder exists. Keep in mind this is a BX and the 3PH can't handle all of the medium-large 3PH overseeders out there.

All leads will be rewarded by the personal satisfaction you gain from helping a frustrated tractor owner, and perhaps in the form of good Karma and a fulfilling afterlife or reincarnation.

Andy

 

[pieterv]

Under your cicumstances, I believe I would try to use a low cost Spin Spreader in combination with your intended First Choice Aerator. Those units are avaialble form First Choice as well. They wil work fine on your BX, versus a drop spreader. There are no drawbacks, and the cost is likely half or less. Drop sreaders lost out against spin units about 25 years ago because of working capacity and the overlap problem with drop spreaders: you will have to drive perfect to avoid skips or too much overlap versus a gradual tapered-down pattern on spin spreaders. It would be ideal if could use a drag harrow to increase the seed-soil-contact after seeding. A good shower right after seeding is great as well.

Alternative: rent an Overseeder from a local dealer or rental place. Your BX is likely very marginal for the smallest ones offered.

 

[Soundguy]

Ok, I'll bite on this one, I need all of the good karma I can get.... trying to stave off the flames in the here-after ya' know what i mean.

If you are looking for a broadcast spreader, for the 3pt, but are concerned with weight ( I assume you are, if you are using a drop spreader ), I got one at TSC, it has a 4sided pyramid shaped hopper, with a small agitater at the bottom. Comes with an adjustable lever setup so that you can control the spreader from the tractor seat ( small and medium tractors ). The spreader only weighs like.. ohh 50 pounds ( they make a similar model that is electric for atv's) empty, and is setup for cat 1, but uses the shorter 18" distance between the lower lift arms like that of cat0. The best part is that is has a flexible 'universal' pto shaft. The shaft has a flexible rotating inner core, and a fixed outer shell like that of a hyd hose. The pto end isn't even splined, it is smooth, with a couple of set screws to hold it on.. so if you have some weird pto, etc.. it works fine.

I originally got this to replace my drop spreader that i pulled behind my little yanmar 1700, ( weight on the 3pt issues ).
I've seeded and fertalized my 3 and 10 acre farm, and it works great. Costs about $260.00 or so. Holds about 2 50lbs bags of bahai seed and a couple 33lbs bags of fertalizer. Not sure if you have a TSC in your area, but if you don't, perhaps some of your farm supply stores may have something similar.

I much prefer a broadcast spreader to distribute material, over a drop spreader. I overseed my pasture with rye before it gets cold every year to try to prevent the livestock from de-grassing the area.

Soundguy

<font color=blue>"All leads will be rewarded by the personal satisfaction you gain from helping a frustrated tractor owner, and perhaps in the form of good Karma and a fulfilling afterlife or reincarnation."

 

[AndyInPA]

Thanks for the lead, Soundguy. I can't guarantee the Karma return on your time investment, but your future actions will certainly accrue to counterweigh your past actions and I, too, am hoping that all of my upcoming life actions reconcile my overdrawn Karma account--overdsrawn as a result of a questionable misspent youth.

As to the TSC seeder option, I checked out their catalogue, which I keep at the ready. The description calls the 3 bushel seeder a "Worksaver Seeder" but the picture of the unit shows a label that says something like "Farmstar Equipment." Can you tell me offhand which brand it is? I'd like to find out a little more about the structure and dimensions of the hitch, as well. You mention that its size is a Cat 0 by dimension, but fits the Cat 1. Does it come with Cat 1 pins and a toplink mast? Again, the picure was incomplete.

Perhaps your further assitance might give cause for your afterlife to contain a few supermodels or at least a bit of an erotic tone.

Andy

 

[TresCrows]

Despite exhaustive attempts on my part I have never found such a thing as you want--a small seed drill for overseeding. In fact the average tractor on this board is to small to operate the vast majority of overseeders. No rental place I have ever been to has diddly much less diddly for a BX. I finally gave up and bought a drag harrow and a Heard M-96 PTO spreader. This works well for seeding but a true seed drill in a small tractor size would be a vast improvement.
I drag up the ground, then I spread seed, then I drag a second time to work the seed in. This works best on sparse or bare ground, getting seed into an existing lawn it may not work so well.
Why something powered by the PTO, about 4 feet wide with rtotating blades like the push type you rent at garden centers does not exist is a mystery to me. J

 

[Anonymous Poster]

I am looking for a way to seed about 7 acres of dry land pasture up here in Montana. So far I haven't found a used overseeder or even a place to rent one to use with my TC35. I found a link for Green-Rite overseeders: http://www.wikco.com/Green-Rite.htmlIt appears that the unit can also be used for tilling which would help justify the price. Any opinions or experience with this unit or any other Green-Rite equipment?Dave

 

[AndyInPA]

J: Frustrating that such a useful, and perhaps marketable implement has yet to be offered. Lot's of CUT users out there who might give up $2K cash for something like this. For Heaven's sake, we've got "teens" of thousands wrapped up in our tractors and we want full utility (to use the double entendre). For a property my size, I may be putting down > $300-$400 of seed every year, or two. The capital outlay is justifiable in my case, especially if I pull in a few hundred bucks a year seeding for neighbors and friends.

Make it durable, greasable, and under 600 lbs. and word of mouth on this board alone would create at least a cult demand.

Anyway, the perfect mousetrap might only be 3 1/2 feet wide to keep the weight down. Seeding is a deliberate, typically annual, activity not to be rushed like mowing or fertilizing, so the added time-on-task with a 42-incher wouldn't be an issue with me. I know the pros need to watch time scales, but I don't mind spending a few hours or half-day on a crisp September Saturday sowing fescue or bluegrass.

I'm persistent, if nothing else, so I'll post any findings. I've been told that pulling or pushing a tine de-thatcher after broacasting seed is a reasonably effective way of getting the kernels to the soil. I may end up with Herd or Garber combined with a 5-6 feet-wide de-thatcher if nothing else pans out.

Later,
Andy

 

[AndyInPA]

BTW, I figured out that Worksaver makes and labels some equipment for Farm Star. The TSC unit might be either brand but the same unit. Just under $300. The Herd looks to be a better engineered unit which I'm sure means a better engineered price.

Andy

 

[AndyInPA]

J: Here's a 48" overseeder rated for 18 PTO hp and over but I wouldn't want to pay for this one unless I knew I could recoup the outlay through commercial use. Gandy quality demands the big bucks:

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.gandy.net/deth_ovseed.html>http://www.gandy.net/deth_ovseed.html</A>

Andy

 

[AndyInPA]

Here's a distributor's pricing. Note the separate pricing for the dethatcher deck and overseeder hopper /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.wikco.com/Gandyseed.html>http://www.wikco.com/Gandyseed.html</A>

 

[AndyInPA]

Hey, TresCrows...Would it be possible for you to post a pic of the 3PH frame on your Herd seeder? I'd just like to see how solid it is built. Any issues on the lift arm spacing for the BX?

Thanks again,
Andy

 

[TresCrows]

Andy, I am in the middle of a computer upgrade that resulted in the loss of considerable data. I decided it was time for the ol'Gateway to move on and ordered a new Dell with all the kewl stuff including 80GB hard drive and a new scanner and a picture printer and a 21 inch screen--I can read your posts without my glasses /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif . Unfortunately somewhere in the process of tranferring files I trnsferred some of them into outer space or such---so until I get the camera setup reloaded I am without pics.
There is no issue with the mounting of the Herd M-96 spreader to the BX. The drive shaft will have to be cut and if not careful it is also possible to lift the spreader so high that the top link will hit the cross piece on the back of the tractor. I have had good succes with my Herd spreader with both my BX and my 2410. They are a good/friendly bunch and have sent me repair pieces--my own negligence --on open acount. Yep, you can bend the frame if the drive shaft is too long so I tied it out--yep it bent. The unit is pretty sturdy, has all metal gears, cast iron gear box and steel support arms. It should last many years with proper care--mostly cleaning leftover fertilizer from the unit after use. It has a number of grease zerks that also require lubrication before use. Sorry it took so long to get back but I am having a computer quandry here.
I tell you what, y'all may have bigger tractors than me but this cool black and gray 2.5GHz mean machine I got here is bad to the bone--it is so fast smoke comes off it and the CDRW melt from the centrifugal force--perhaps a small boast and it devours whole files lickity split, awesome. Goodbye Gateway cuz this dude got a Dell /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif . J

 

[AndyInPA]

Thanks, J. No rush. I'm also looking at the Garber seeder and it doesn't look nearly as solid. I'm sure it's reliable but I can't come to grips with attaching what appears to be a radiator hose to my PTO. At least I would have a tough time damaging it i.e. your Herd experience. BTW, I found a <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.turfco.com>Turfco</A> model aerator that is a little more expensive than the First Choice and may be more of a "professional" model. Not that there's anything wimpy about the First Choice.

Yup, it's getting about time to retire the old Gateway P5 120 with overdrive, 80MB RAM, and 1.6 GB of hard drive storage. I'm on my third monitor, second modem, and fourteenth mouse pad, but she's patched together pretty well and has faithfully served me since 1996. I guess I don't know what I'm missing as far as processor speed. It'll probably be like my upgrade from the MTD to the BX. I'll probably wear eye protection when I boot the new PC up for the first time--if I can find the money for the upgrade after purchasing these next attachments.

Andy

 

[AndyInPA]

Oh yeah...

TresRavens, how much was the Herd spreader, excluding the parts you destroyed?

Muchas Gracias

 

[TresCrows]

I think list was like 350 dollars and the place I bought it took maybe 10 percent off that. I am not sure--it has been 3 years now. It is a pretty good unit. Good luck. J

 

[Soundguy]

<font color=red>Thanks for the lead, Soundguy. I can't guarantee the Karma return on your time investment, but your future actions will certainly accrue to counterweigh your past actions and I, too, am hoping that all of my upcoming life actions reconcile my overdrawn Karma account--overdsrawn as a result of a questionable misspent youth. <font color=red>

I wish i could chalk my karma debts up to youth, but i was fairly benign then, but now as an adult have really found out how to get into a pickle now and then!

I believe my TSC one was farmstar, and yes, the pins ( which are welded on ) are cat1, and the toplink attatchment is cat 1 as well. There is an assemble which is part of the frame for the spreader that incorporates the toplink hitching area.

Very light, and can be attatched without a crowbar or hammer, unlike many 3pt implimints. I like the pto setup the best, no worry about size/adjustment, etc... just make sure you have an allen wrench set.. as it doesn't come with one!

live long and prosper..er.. or something like that. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Soundguy

<font color=green>"Farmstar Equipment." Can you tell me offhand which brand it is? I'd like to find out a little more about the structure and dimensions of the hitch, as well. You mention that its size is a Cat 0 by dimension, but fits the Cat 1. Does it come with Cat 1 pins and a toplink mast? Again, the picure was incomplete.

 

[bigpete]

Andy,

I'm contemplating the Turfco also because of the compatibility with the size of my 445 hitch. It's an expensive bugger but looks solid. I spoke with Jim at their company and he was very helpful. Buying direct is an advantage for me because all the dealers in my area seem put off by special order attachments--both Deere and Kubota dealers.

Let us know how your search turns out.