How To Use A Seed Drill

[npalen]

I understand what you're saying about point rows and would make a couple passes around the outside of the field first to let the point rows taper out.
The big farmers, of course, have GPS and auto row seed shutoff to avoid double seeding these rows. Us small time retired farm boy operators, not so much. LOL

 

[downslope]

I understand what you're saying about point rows and would make a couple passes around the outside of the field first to let the point rows taper out.
The big farmers, of course, have GPS and auto row seed shutoff to avoid double seeding these rows. Us small time retired farm boy operators, not so much. LOL

Of course the wider the implement, the more acute the point row "problem" becomes. Do the GPS guys have auto shutoff on their sprayers as well? How does that work, whole boom, partial boom, or individual nozzles?

 

[M5farms]

There was a time when quality of planting straight rows of ANYTHING meant something and I have seen men re disk and start over if the rows were crooked . I still plant by sight. When starting a rectangular field its best to start on longest side , when you get to the end lift swing wide and start back down on your next thru . When you get to the short rows just make a circle and then start the thru. it doesn't hurt to re drive on what you have planted with a drill . after your done it should take but maybe 2 rounds around the perimeter to plant the ends and the short side where you turned .

 

[nybirdman]

Here is the way we were taught.Of course you have to plant the ends.Just continue until completed.This gives equal and maximum turn around area.We have some long and narrow food plots so this doesn't help there.

 

[SkylineAcres16]

Well this has turned into some good discussion. How long do you think it will take to plant 8 acres? I think it says the seeding width is 10'6". Is there a "sweet spot" speed wise to drive or it really doesn't matter?

 

[M5farms]

Depends on how smooth the field is . 4 to 5mph is pretty normal so with that about 2 hrs

 

[npalen]

I finally figured out why I was having so much trouble understanding the "start in the middle" strategy. I grew up here in the Midwest where typical field sizes range from 80 to 160 acres where it wouldn't be feasible to start out in the middle. There would be way too much "empty" driving from one side of the field to the other as the work progresses.

We're talking about a much smaller field here and thus the different strategies.

The mention of trying to make straight rows reminds me of back in the fifties as a youngster on my Dad's farm here in Kansas. I was trying to make straight rows pulling a two row corn lister (planting milo) with a D2 Caterpillar which had track rails worn crooked by many miles of moldboard plowing with one track running in the furrow. The little Cat would not track straight so had to constantly correct the steering. Needless to say, my rows were not straight nor evenly spaced as there was no marker for row spacing.

 

[countrybumpkin]

Depends on how smooth the field is . 4 to 5mph is pretty normal so with that about 2 hrs

Pretty accurate info, the calculator showed 1hr 14 min at 5 mph NON STOP, So take in any stopping , refilling and such.

 

[Farmsdirt]

Speed in mph times the width in feet divided by 8.25 equals acres per hour take that times field efficiency (.85 is a good number)

 

[BHD]

over the last 50 years I have planted thousands of acres of wheat, and other,

using old John Deere Van Brunt pull type drills, we always started on the out side edge and worked round and round, to the center, a then finished up the turns at the end, just now and then did we go back and forth,

if the drill is a three point hitch THE YES LIFT IT OUT OF THE GROUND BEFORE TURNING, one will tear the openers up,

no need to lift a pull type out of the ground , (yes it is hard on the disks or openers if you pivot on one wheel or even turn so sharp on a pull type the one wheel backs up), and it is hard on the hitch if you catch the tire of the tractor on the hitch and bend it up or even catch it and flip the drill over into the tractor, (my brother learned it the hard way on a rod weeder).

AND NEVER BACK UP WITH A DRILL , it will plug up the openers, drop tubes blocking the seed from dropping in to the soil, and you will have mess,