Grass Seeders / Drills

[JeffInCO]

I got quotes from local dealers on both the Woods STR-60 and the LandPride APS 1560... They both came back about the same ($5k), except that an extra seed box is available for the LandPride which adds another $1800.

Has anyone used both? Any preferences?

Thanks,

Jeff

 

[The It]

I got quotes from local dealers on both the Woods STR-60 and the LandPride APS 1572... They both came back about the same ($5k), except that an extra seed box is available for the LandPride which adds another $1800.

Has anyone used both? Any preferences?

Thanks,

Jeff

In your original post it sounded like you are only planning to plant grasses. But, if there is any chance that you will plant bigger seeds at some point, you may want to ask about how each machine handles bigger seeds. When I was looking at these two machines to plant mixed covercrop including oats, vetch, clover, austrian peas, and fava beans, Woods told me that their machine would crush the larger seeds and Landpride told me their machine could handle them all. $1800 for an extra seed box seems pretty pricey, but I didn't check that out because I buy pre-mixed seed.

Also, while it probably doesn't matter for your application it was important for mine, the actual width (as opposed to the working width) of the Landpride machine is somewhat narrower than the Woods machine.

In January I was quoted $4100 for a Woods STR48S-2 and $4200 for a Landepride APS1548-01.

 

[JeffInCO]

For now, I'm planting grasses... But maximum versatility is a bonus, and I do plan on planting other types of seed in the future. The more that I can do with one implement, the better.

Thanks!

Jeff

 

[leonz]

I got quotes from local dealers on both the Woods STR-60 and the LandPride APS 1560... They both came back about the same ($5k), except that an extra seed box is available for the LandPride which adds another $1800.

Has anyone used both? Any preferences?

Thanks,

Jeff

Hello Jeff,

As long as you are still looking you should price the Brillion seeders too
as they offer two models for what you wish to do.

 

[jenkinsph]

Jeff,
I have broadcasted Fescue using the method in your first post but also rolled the seed after covering. Rolling for good seed to soil contact really helps.

I will be interested to hear the results using a no till seeder if you go that route, My experience is that the grass does much better with a properly tilled seedbed. I have places that the no till method could be used for so I will be interested to see how this works out.

 

[dougg]

You could save by buying an older used seeder in good shape. We found an old Deere grain drill with the extra small seed box. It works fine. But keep your eyes out for a heavy pasture seeder. These will reseed pasture in one pass. The discs cut a slice in the sod, drop the seed and press it in.

 

[dougg]

Flusher, Your homemade drop seeder is a beauty!

 

[flusher]

In your original post it sounded like you are only planning to plant grasses. But, if there is any chance that you will plant bigger seeds at some point, you may want to ask about how each machine handles bigger seeds. When I was looking at these two machines to plant mixed covercrop including oats, vetch, clover, austrian peas, and fava beans, Woods told me that their machine would crush the larger seeds and Landpride told me their machine could handle them all. $1800 for an extra seed box seems pretty pricey, but I didn't check that out because I buy pre-mixed seed.

Also, while it probably doesn't matter for your application it was important for mine, the actual width (as opposed to the working width) of the Landpride machine is somewhat narrower than the Woods machine.

In January I was quoted $4100 for a Woods STR48S-2 and $4200 for a Landepride APS1548-01.

Same here. I bought a 2-row JD 71 Flexi-planter ($1K plus shipping) to put in Austrian winter peas and fava beans this year. My old restored Minneapolis Moline P3-6 grain drill wouldn't work (crushed these seeds).

 

[flusher]

Flusher, Your homemade drop seeder is a beauty!

Thanks--it was a fun project.
One of these days I'd like to get my hands on a Brillion grass seeder to see how it compares to that DIY seeder of mine.

 

[The It]

Same here. I bought a 2-row JD 71 Flexi-planter ($1K plus shipping) to put in Austrian winter peas and fava beans this year. My old restored Minneapolis Moline P3-6 grain drill wouldn't work (crushed these seeds).

My 6' Great Plains 3P600 drill is an excellent seeder for all size seeds, with minimum ground prep. We're in the process of changing the width of our vine aisles to where the drill would no longer fit. So, after researching a number of different types and brands, I ended up buying a Kasco KVS-483 vineyard model. Its a curtain seeder with disks ahead of the seed hopper and cultipacker following it. My dealer got it for $4600, delivered. Since I use the seeder for cover cropping, I decided to trade off the precision and economy that a drill provides, for curtain coverage.

 

[cummins08]

I know this is an old post, but are the seeders like you mentioned from woods or the landpride all purpose seeders worth the money? I seed around 25 to 30 lawns with fescue every fall. Do these machines have better germination rates than broadcast? Seems like they would work great from what I can tell.

 

[Fallon]

Everything I have read says its cheaper to rent a drill than broadcast. You save that much in seed cost by the better germination rates of drilling over broadcasting.

 

[cummins08]

That is what I was thinking. Feel like I waste a lot with broadcast and seed isn't getting any cheaper.

 

[flusher]

I know this is an old post, but are the seeders like you mentioned from woods or the landpride all purpose seeders worth the money? I seed around 25 to 30 lawns with fescue every fall. Do these machines have better germination rates than broadcast? Seems like they would work great from what I can tell.

Landscape seeders like Woods, Landpride, Brillion show up on eBay regularly. The 5-ft wide models generally sell in the $3-4K range. My neighbor uses a 5-ft Brillion to seed his alfalfa hayfield.

Good luck.

 

[The It]

I use mine in a vineyard, where the conditions and cosmetics are different than a lawn. For my situation it works great. If I were doing lawns, I'd rather use a seed drill. But, if you can, you should rent or borrow one of these to see if it does the job to your satisfaction.

Cheers!

 

[cummins08]

Yeah I was just thinking an all purpose seeder might be cheaper than a drill. I'll have to look around and see what I can find. Thanks for the info!

 

[flusher]

Yeah I was just thinking an all purpose seeder might be cheaper than a drill. I'll have to look around and see what I can find. Thanks for the info!

Drills and seeders are two different types of planter. The classic grain drill (aka grain drills) plants seed in rows spaced 6-8" apart (typical spacing for hayfields). Seeders have seed chutes that distribute the seed uniformly in a line perpendicular to the direction of travel (like you would for landscape/lawn planting).

You can convert a grain drill into a seeder by adding a seed chute. These chutes are easy to fabricate DIY.

Grain drills and seeders require the soil to be prepared by discing and/or rototilling.

There is another type of planter called a no-till drill that plants seed in ground that, as the name suggests, does not have to be prepared via tillage. No-tills typically are heavily constructed planters compared to grain drills and seeders and tend to be quite a bit more expensive.