Conservation seeder/over seeder.

[DJ54]

I don't apply fertilizer until after first cutting is off anyway. I have a cone spreader for that, mounted on the same IH 240. Not so many trips back and forth, when you make a 20' pass..!!

Here is a couple pictures of this years first cutting. The Timothy wasn't in the boot stage yet, but everything else was ready, so I cut it. That 4 acres made 18, 500+lb bales. Not to shabby for here.

 

[AKfish]

I don't apply fertilizer until after first cutting is off anyway. I have a cone spreader for that, mounted on the same IH 240. Not so many trips back and forth, when you make a 20' pass..!!

Here is a couple pictures of this years first cutting. The Timothy wasn't in the boot stage yet, but everything else was ready, so I cut it. That 4 acres made 18, 500+lb bales. Not to shabby for here.

Whoa... Very nice stand! I'm 'green' jealous! I'll have to do some lookin' around for Toro and Olathe now. Appreciate the posts.

AKfish

 

[DJ54]

Actually, what you see there was mostly sown with an older PTO one of these on the left: Garber Seeder, Made in America And done using the "frost seeding" method. As you can see, it worked well.

Basically, prep work consisted of mowing the stubble late in the year, after the grass went dormant, which was Nov. here. Then in the Spring during the freeze & thaw cycles we have, causing the ground to honeycomb, spread the grass seed. This would be in the last two weeks of Feb.-First two weeks of Mar. The honeycomb effect literally pulls the seed into the earth. Getting the perfect day to do it is another story. Works great for most seed, not so well for Timothy.

If you're not familiar with it, do a search on frost seeding, and I'm sure you'll get more than several hits on it.

 

[AKfish]

Actually, what you see there was mostly sown with an older PTO one of these on the left: Garber Seeder, Made in America And done using the "frost seeding" method. As you can see, it worked well.

Basically, prep work consisted of mowing the stubble late in the year, after the grass went dormant, which was Nov. here. Then in the Spring during the freeze & thaw cycles we have, causing the ground to honeycomb, spread the grass seed. This would be in the last two weeks of Feb.-First two weeks of Mar. The honeycomb effect literally pulls the seed into the earth. Getting the perfect day to do it is another story. Works great for most seed, not so well for Timothy.

If you're not familiar with it, do a search on frost seeding, and I'm sure you'll get more than several hits on it.

That's exactly how I planted my first field of timothy. Worked great. Planted around Nov. 1 and it snowed about 6 inches a couple of days later. Pretty field by the middle of July.

I just planted another 2.5 acres on the 13th of Nov. this year. When the lower 48 was getting hammered by the early snow and cold waves down the center of the country; we were in the high 40's and low 50's up here! Crazy! I got all kinds of field work done that normally would have to wait until the middle of May.

But.... I'd really like a better way to deal with winter kill areas and other parts of my pasture/hay fields that are low and tend to drown out every other year or so. It'd be nice to jump on those areas in late May and have a green-up stand by August at least. I'd get some production during that year instead of having to wait another season before I could graze/mow it.

AKfish

 

[DJ54]

Might not be cost effective, or possible to drain those areas with tile, but how about running a single shank subsoiler through those areas..?? I have a spot that's about 3/4 of an acre that lays pretty flat, and a smidge low to the surrounding area. Approx. 8" of topsoil, and underlaid with glacial till, mostly shaley clay. 25 years of cattle running on it, and 10 years of making hay off of it, it was pretty compacted. Two years ago, I ran my subsoiler through there making passes about every 4', and went about 24" deep. Made a world of difference.

 

[AKfish]

Might not be cost effective, or possible to drain those areas with tile, but how about running a single shank subsoiler through those areas..?? I have a spot that's about 3/4 of an acre that lays pretty flat, and a smidge low to the surrounding area. Approx. 8" of topsoil, and underlaid with glacial till, mostly shaley clay. 25 years of cattle running on it, and 10 years of making hay off of it, it was pretty compacted. Two years ago, I ran my subsoiler through there making passes about every 4', and went about 24" deep. Made a world of difference.

No doubt that would make a real difference with drainage and keeping those areas 'alive'? I'd have to probably hire that out 'cause I sold my single shank subsoiler/trencher... Only used it 1-2 times in 20 years. Course, I never had a tractor that would pull it @ 24" either. Never did try the 5075, though.

AKfish

 

[DJ54]

I have a IH Fast-Hitch one, and use it on my Super C Farmall. I definitely know it's back there..!! The sweet part with the Fast-Hitch, the draft on the subsoiler gives it the traction needed to pull it. It helped that I did it the latter part of April, when the surface was dry, but still damp below. Pulls WAY harder than 2-14's..!!

The guy I bought it from was an IH dealer, and they were selling left over items at auction from when they shut the dealership. He said it was a strange thing... They tried to pull it with a Farmall 300, and it wouldn't do it. Put it back on their Super C, and it would. Go figure...

 

[sweettractors]

I have a IH Fast-Hitch one, and use it on my Super C Farmall. I definitely know it's back there..!! The sweet part with the Fast-Hitch, the draft on the subsoiler gives it the traction needed to pull it. It helped that I did it the latter part of April, when the surface was dry, but still damp below. Pulls WAY harder than 2-14's..!!

The guy I bought it from was an IH dealer, and they were selling left over items at auction from when they shut the dealership. He said it was a strange thing... They tried to pull it with a Farmall 300, and it wouldn't do it. Put it back on their Super C, and it would. Go figure...

Sometime a bigger diameter tire will pull stronger. Was there a difference in the 300 and the C Farmall? Ken Sweet

 

[DJ54]

Farmall 300 replaced the Super H. Had near 34 hp on the drawbar & 38" tires. Super C has near 21 hp. & 36" tires.