Seeders Brillion Seeder

   / Brillion Seeder #1  

myyaz33

Platinum Member
Joined
Aug 5, 2006
Messages
754
Location
Nebraska
Tractor
TYM T273
Just acquired an older Brillion seeder and wanted to see if anyone can identify the model. I can't seem to find the model only the serial number. Seed boxes are in good shape and it appears to have been greased often looking at the buildup. Other than that don't know much more about it. It is a 5 1/2ft model and I can make out it does say Sure-Stand on it. Hoping someones has had some experience with one like it. I plan to call Brillion on Monday to see if I could locate a manual for it too.

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   / Brillion Seeder #2  
What does it have for seed agitation? Is it brush like? Brillion has built landscape seeders for years and the paint shows it's age. The twin hoppers are for different types of seed.
 
   / Brillion Seeder
  • Thread Starter
#3  
No brushes. You can kinda see the agitator in the one box from the picture.

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   / Brillion Seeder #4  
Normal grass seed units have brushes! What you have is for field duty, I'd have to look in the books but I don't think that model is built today or at least we haven't stocked such a unit other then for grass seed at that width.

The set up you have looks to be the same as the agriculture units. The only difference would be the width. I'm not sure that an early unit might not have been built for grass seed that used the parts you have but today they use brushes.
IT would be quite trying to seed a 100 acre farm field 5' at a time!
 
   / Brillion Seeder #5  
I have a newer Landpride 6' seeder designed for grass and it doesn't have any brushes. My landpride has small rotating metal paddles on a 6' rod to stir the seed. It looks like you also have a "rolling cage" type paddle which my landpride doesn't have. Is that correct? I don't see why it couldn't be used for grass seed.
 
   / Brillion Seeder
  • Thread Starter
#6  
radman1 - Your description is much better. Rolling cage type paddle is what mine is as well. I think it would work fine for grasses. Hope so, that is why I bought it.

art- the only field duty will be some small food plots. unless I get real bored.
 
   / Brillion Seeder
  • Thread Starter
#7  
Contacted Brillion and they forwarded me a pdf copy of the parts list and user manual for this old seeder. How is that for service?

Seeder is older than some of you old farts on the forum... Tried it out and everything works as it should.

Anyone care to input what something like this sells for in their area?
 
   / Brillion Seeder #8  
Yours is a "typical" Brillion seeder and , surprising as it may seem, shares many parts with the current model. There are "older" Brillions and "newer" Brillons with the biggest difference being that the older has needle bearings in the hubs and newer (1980's?) has roller bearings.
Yours is an older model that I think someone converted to 3-pt hitch but that's OK. Might be factory. The small box has a precise metering system for small seeds such as timothy or uncoated alfalfa and will meter with surprising accuracy. The bigger box is a drop type box and will handle fluffier stuff like rye or lawn seed or whatever with precesion.
I would rebuild this seeder and keep as a family heirloom. Buy all new needle bearings, drive chains and fix or replace any damaged tin. Lube up those small box meters, clean up the old welds and repaint. The red is IH red and the green is JD green. Line up the packer wheels so the rear wheels "split" the groove made by the front wheels to cover seed correctly.
The seed metering chart is probably online and the four page "owner's manual is mostly the same for all models. Yours is likely a "Sure Stand." You should actually meter the seed in a test before a big job--all you do is lift off the ground, fill with seed and turn gears with a wrench.
I would not be afraid to seed up to maybe 50 acres with this seeder since it goes really fast. Other seeders such as landpride--I have owned them all--and they are close--but lesser-- copies of the Brillion but the Briilion seeder is the standard by which all others are judged. There are a lot of these machines around and sometimes they go cheap.
In the midwest it could go for $450 to $650. A new six ft model is almost $5,000. And, brushes are only used for some lawn seed specific units because some feel they meter grass seed (only) better.
 
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   / Brillion Seeder
  • Thread Starter
#9  
sixdogs- Thanks for the great supporting information on my new seeder. Could you or someone also clarify whether or not the front & rear packer "wheels" move independently or they move as one? Hopefully I have made enough sense.
 
   / Brillion Seeder #10  
sixdogs said:
Yours is a "typical" Brillion seeder and , surprising as it may seem, shares many parts with the current model. There are "older" Brillions and "newer" Brillons with the biggest difference being that the older has needle bearings in the hubs and newer (1980's?) has roller bearings.
Yours is an older model that I think someone converted to 3-pt hitch but that's OK. Might be factory. The small box has a precise metering system for small seeds such as timothy or uncoated alfalfa and will meter with surprising accuracy. The bigger box is a drop type box and will handle fluffier stuff like rye or lawn seed or whatever with precesion.
I would rebuild this seeder and keep as a family heirloom. Buy all new needle bearings, drive chains and fix or replace any damaged tin. Lube up those small box meters, clean up the old welds and repaint. The red is IH red and the green is JD green. Line up the packer wheels so the rear wheels "split" the groove made by the front wheels to cover seed correctly.
The seed metering chart is probably online and the four page "owner's manual is mostly the same for all models. Yours is likely a "Sure Stand." You should actually meter the seed in a test before a big job--all you do is lift off the ground, fill with seed and turn gears with a wrench.
I would not be afraid to seed up to maybe 50 acres with this seeder since it goes really fast. Other seeders such as landpride--I have owned them all--and they are close--but lesser-- copies of the Brillion but the Briilion seeder is the standard by which all others are judged. There are a lot of these machines around and sometimes they go cheap.
In the midwest it could go for $450 to $650. A new six ft model is almost $5,000. And, brushes are only used for some lawn seed specific units because some feel they meter grass seed (only) better.

So these Brillion devices are really fancy drop seeders that compact the soil (front cultipacker), drop the seed and then press the seed in with the rear cultipacker. Aren't they also referred to as "full stand" seeders as opposed to a row seeder like a grain drill?

How does this type of seeder compare to a grain drill (with grass box) as far as germination efficiency? Is the Brillion more seed-germination efficient than the broadcast/cultipacker method?
 
 
 
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