Planters Seed Planter

[Stoner]

Can anyone point me in the right direction in looking a seed planter. I would be using it in a small garden and some food plots for deer and turkey. I would be planting corn, watermelon, milo, sunflowers, canteloup, collards, okra, etc.
I am not running a large commercial operation. I looking for a small planter with the different seed plates at a reasonable price. Thanks for any help given.

 

[PineRidge]

I've seen quite a few listed at eBay. There's been a guy there from time to time offering nice refurbished Deere planters. I believe Bob Skurka bought one.

 

[MadReferee]

What do you consider a reasonable price?

I have been looking at the Covington planters, the 1 Row Planting Unit. It looks like they do it all. These are sold by Sweet's, one of the TBN adverstisers. Price for the one row planter complete with plates is under $1000.

Covington Planters

 

[redlevel]

http://gardenharvestsupply.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=8&idproduct=63

The little Earthway garden seeder is about as cheap as you will find for planting a garden. I have one that is probably 30 years old and still going strong. You can get plastic plates for it that will plant various garden seed, including corn, peas, turnips, collards, okra, etc. It is a push planter, so if you are planting large food plots, it might not be the way you want to go. You can find Planet Jr. planters either new, at about $500 a shot for a push planter, or, depending on what area of Florida you are in, you could probably locate hundreds, if not thousands, of them (used) in the plant growing areas. They used to use them to plant their plant beds. Most plant growers have now gone to a little more precision type of planter. When I plant watermelons and cantalopes, I usually just buy a couple of trays of the plant plugs to grow my plants, then transfer them by hand to the garden.

The Covington planters are more of a row crop type planter. They have been in use in this part of the country (mid-GA) for at least 60 years. I have a set that was purchased by my FIL in 1956. I plant corn, peanuts, soybeans, etc. with them. I also lay out my garden rows with them. In other words, I run the planters without any seed in the hoppers, then come back with the Earthway or Planet Jr. and plant on the firm seedbed made by the rubber press wheels on the planter.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Check Ebay for an old John Deere 71 Flexi Planter. These are pretty much the state of the art in terms of old style mechanical planters. In fact they are so good that they are still made today (but no longer made by Deere). The beauty of them is that they are SIMPLE. So simple that I can even figure out how to use them. The planter plates are available and inexpensive. They can be adapted to plant all sorts of seeds. And the used/refurbished units are reasonably inexpensive.

Very nicely refurbished 2 row units, with custom box steel 3pt hitch set ups are typically found from $700 to $850. At this price range, expect the unit to have been completely taken apart, gears or chains replaced as needed, sand blasted, primed and repainted, with correct decals, etc.

At the $400 to $600 price range you occasionally find 2 row units, the ones I've seen have lighter built (but still probably good enough) 3pt hitch assemblies, typically have been repainted, and they don't appear to have been totally rebuilt but still should be serviceable.

My 2 row unit is pictured below. Mine has large fiberblass hoppers, but honestly they are 10x bigger than I need. I'd be just has happy to have the standard steel hoppers on mine. It came this way so that is what I have. You can also find 1 row planters for sale on Ebay. The price for a 1 row unit is typically about 2/3rds the price of a 2 row unit.

 

[redlevel]

Bob, are you trying to say the JD71 units are ergonomically superior to the old Covingtons?

If so, you would be correct. I also have a set of 71's on a Pittsburgh cultivator. They are located at another farm. The Covingtons or the 71's work fine for a garden or for food plots. Back in the 70's when most farmers around here were replacing their Covingtons with 71's, most kept the old Covingtons to plant their peanuts with. They (I) could get more pounds of seed down per acre with the Covingtons. Neither of them are suitable for planting small seeded crops like collards or turnips. There was a "small seed attachment" available for the 71's, but it was very expensive and did not work all that well according to some vegetable growers I talked to in South GA and North Florida.

As you said, the 71's are much simpler to operate and adjust than the Covingtons. The bicycle chain and sprocket set-up is easy to change. One really needs a manual with them.

 

[rogerzipp]

I am looking for watermelon seed plates, I am trying to restart my small operation and I have and ol John Deere planter and have no idea the model but believe to be prior 1960's and not even sure what the plate looks like since I have not done anything in years. if anyone has a picture of a number for this plate or somewhere to find this info it would be greatly appreciated. thank you.

 

[Agrantina]

The problem with the ones on ebay is the shipping $275.. The 71 two row is around 750 to 800.. But with shipping its to much for me... I just cant find a 71 around here (west tn)-- I got a old 23 model but finding out it is really rougher than my buddy thought when he got it... oh well- I would love to have one but a 1k is to much for me only using it a few times a year..

AndyG

 

[Luremaker]

The problem with the ones on ebay is the shipping $275.. The 71 two row is around 750 to 800.. But with shipping its to much for me... I just cant find a 71 around here (west tn)-- I got a old 23 model but finding out it is really rougher than my buddy thought when he got it... oh well- I would love to have one but a 1k is to much for me only using it a few times a year..

AndyG

Keep looking on Kijiji and craigslist you are bound to find one. Last week there was a two row 71 for $200 and a 9 row 71 for $1300 locally. Both sold quickly as the ads were not up long.

 

[blueriver]

I am looking for watermelon seed plates, I am trying to restart my small operation and I have and ol John Deere planter and have no idea the model but believe to be prior 1960's and not even sure what the plate looks like since I have not done anything in years. if anyone has a picture of a number for this plate or somewhere to find this info it would be greatly appreciated. thank you.

Post a picture of the old JD ...