My new grain drill is here!! Help!

[HCJtractor]

I bought a used Truax Grass Drill (FLX 88) on Ebay and it just arrived. It is a no till with 3 seed boxes for all types of seed. It is 8' wide and plants a 5' strip. The tongue is missing so it is a 3 point hitch type. Boy, it's heavy. When the trucker delivered it to my dealer, I used a new Kubota 70 horse to unload it from the trailer. It had been loaded sideways, so I eased up to the side and could hook it up to the tractor (which was a new one, not mine). They did not have a big tractor with a FEL. As I slowly drove it off the trailer, and the wheels cleared, it lifted my front end a foot off the ground! Whoops! Luckily, my 70 horse has a FEL and grapple, so it can at least handle the weight, but I sure know its back there. I guess they are really not meant to actually lift, but more to roll on its own wheels.

I still have to trailer it back to my place so loading it on my flat top gooseneck frightens me a little. The wheels sit outside my tractor wheels, so it is going to either hang off my ramps or barely touch them. As heavy as it is, I am a little concerned about driving this beast up my ramps. I also wonder if the coulters or disc openers will hang up on the ramps. I am even thinking about making a tongue so I can pull it in the future rather than load it.

For any of you guys who have used a drill like this, please advise me on its use and how best to transport it. Any info that you could share would be most helpful, as I have never used one or even seen one used.

 

[The It]

Not sure if you have the manual or not. If not, you can find some info at Index of /manuals

Also, if you can't understand the manual, here is something to get you started: Mike O’Connor Blog Archive Mike’s Idiot’s Guide to the Truax Seed Drill

Regarding transport, if it's wider than your trailer I would have a local pallet company make a suitable skid for it, and load/unload it sideways with a forklift. If you have the FEL Height and Weight capacity, you could also rig a chain to pick it up to load/unload it. If you have to drive it on the trailer, and it's wider than the trailer, at least put a couple of pallets under the entire width (including the wheels) to help better distribute the weight that is on the coulters. Chain it well, regardless of how it's loaded.

 

[leonz]

I bought a used Truax Grass Drill (FLX 88) on Ebay and it just arrived. It is a no till with 3 seed boxes for all types of seed. It is 8' wide and plants a 5' strip. The tongue is missing so it is a 3 point hitch type. Boy, it's heavy. When the trucker delivered it to my dealer, I used a new Kubota 70 horse to unload it from the trailer. It had been loaded sideways, so I eased up to the side and could hook it up to the tractor (which was a new one, not mine). They did not have a big tractor with a FEL. As I slowly drove it off the trailer, and the wheels cleared, it lifted my front end a foot off the ground! Whoops! Luckily, my 70 horse has a FEL and grapple, so it can at least handle the weight, but I sure know its back there. I guess they are really not meant to actually lift, but more to roll on its own wheels.

I still have to trailer it back to my place so loading it on my flat top gooseneck frightens me a little. The wheels sit outside my tractor wheels, so it is going to either hang off my ramps or barely touch them. As heavy as it is, I am a little concerned about driving this beast up my ramps. I also wonder if the coulters or disc openers will hang up on the ramps. I am even thinking about making a tongue so I can pull it in the future rather than load it.

For any of you guys who have used a drill like this, please advise me on its use and how best to transport it. Any info that you could share would be most helpful, as I have never used one or even seen one used.

About your seeder,

you will be money and aggravation free by hiring a flatbed wrecker to haul it but as I do not know your travel distance.........

The flatbed wrecker truck is the best of both worlds as it will be wide enough, will carry the load, and it will be lashed down and have now means of moving while under transport.

it would be worth the cost of having it hauled there just for the piece of mind as they will simply raise the bed, then lower the bed body in reverse to lower the bed to the ground and lower the drill with the winch cable to the ground for you

 

[dougg]

That's a nice piece of equipment. Keep us posted on how it works out for you and post a few pix of your new crop coming up.

 

[HCJtractor]

I have a manual and have a copy of mike's idiot guide. Its not wider than my trailer as it has an outside wheelbase of 8' so I'm good there . Only tricky part is its wheels sit outside tractor wheels so adjusting the ramps may leave the drill's wheels barely on the ramps. But that should be ok as my rear hydraulic can lift it and support it. I need to just go very slow and see how it goes. I dont want to hire it done as i will need to transport it several times a year. One reason I want to build a tongue is so that i can tow it (at 20 mph) for short trips of 10 miles. Called Truax today and the owner himself replied and offered to send me the diagram and specs on the tongue I am missing so i can build one The drill is designed to be used either way. Was impressed with their customer service!

 

[leonz]

If you plan on towing this thing several times a year
you should plan on replacing the hubs and bearings
with oil bath boat trailer hubs and bearings.

These bearings will not tolerate high speeds normally
unless they have an oil bath lubrication system

 

[The It]

Sounds like you're good to go, then. Order your seed and show us your straight rows.

 

[babypp2]

That's a nice piece of equipment.

 

[flusher]

Nice drill. I looks like quite a load for that Bota.
What are you planting?
Generally, when you use no-till for crops, you spray the weeds with roundup or another broad spectrum herbicide, mow if you have tall weeds standing (2-3 ft) and then plant. With multiple boxes you can seed and fertilize in one pass.

Good luck.