no till drill's

[Mallard1]

A couple of us that hunt together are thinking about buying a no till drill sometime before next spring. Being that they cost as much as a small tractor we don't want to buy the wrong one so hoping some people here can help.

we are looking to plant at some time or another corn, soy beans, wheat, milo, oats, clover, and sun flowers. at times would like to plant multiple seeds in the same field, doing so at the same time would be great. the current tractors are 2 50hp and 1 75hp. all have loaders and are 4x4. we could only use the biggest but flexibility with the smaller two would be nice. most years we would plant between 50-100 acres between spring and fall. 3 acres an hour I believe is as slow as we want to plant.

after a quick search a couple that jump out are the genesis 5 and 8 along with the great planes 606NT.

any big advantages of a pull behind vs a 3pt hitch?

Does anyone have any of these or can offer any guidance to help with this?

 

[CH4Ohio]

I had a Woods PSS84 (Precision Super Seeder) with all the options. Spike rollers up front and in the middle, all 3 seed boxes, cast iron cultipacker on rear. It was a monster. 3 point hitch. I had it on a 50 HP JD and mainly on flat ground. I wouldn't want to move it on steep ground with that tractor.

It's not a "no till" drill with openers and closers, etc. But it is designed to tear up or rough up the ground, if you like, drop seed, and pack it down in one pass. They make versions of this in smaller sizes and lots of hunters use them for planting food plots for deer. Some have discs up front but I liked the heavy spike rollers.

I used it to seed a couple small fields that were tilled up first. Also overseeded some pasture. Also sprayed an area with Roundup and then came in and seeded it in alfalfa. Had good results with each approach.

Not sure what kind of terrain you'll be in. That might suggest whether 3 point is better or not. Cabela's and others as well as Woods sell "Hunter's editions" of these planters and typically you see them in 4', 5', and 6' models.

These cost a lot less than a small tractor and I found a lot of good shape used ones when I was looking.
Good luck with the search.

EDIT -- I just did a quick search and, like all other equipment, used ones in this area seem to be scarce just like everything else.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

Pull type is good if you get spun down or stuck. Unhook, drive away and chain pull plow across bad spot. 3 PT can be hard to get loose.

 

[Storm56]

I have the Genesis 5. I have planted corn @ 21 inch rows, 3 rows per pass, wheat mixed with clovers, turnip/radish mixes and soybeans. It works well and is relatively easy to set up. It is too heavy for the 48 HP John Deere 4700. I use it with the 80 HP McCormick. Never had any trouble with it.

I just finished drilling the wheat/clover mix into my existing clover fields to freshen them up. It sure is nice not having to turn over the fields then disk etc. There is surely a learning curve and some little tricks I picked up over the years. The folks at RTP have been quite helpful.

The Great Plains units are likely the cream of the crop but were priced quite a bit higher than the Genesis when I bought, plus they are more complicated when changing seeds. They also require a small seed box for small seed like clovers.

It has truly cut down on field prep and I really like the fact that I can just drill more seed into my existing fields that just need a touch up.

 

[CH4Ohio]

No-till in established clean crop fields is one thing. "No till" in openings in the woods or in areas that have not been cultivated (maybe ever) is another. I wonder which this is intended for?

 

[Mallard1]

I have the Genesis 5. I have planted corn @ 21 inch rows, 3 rows per pass, wheat mixed with clovers, turnip/radish mixes and soybeans. It works well and is relatively easy to set up. It is too heavy for the 48 HP John Deere 4700. I use it with the 80 HP McCormick. Never had any trouble with it.

I just finished drilling the wheat/clover mix into my existing clover fields to freshen them up. It sure is nice not having to turn over the fields then disk etc. There is surely a learning curve and some little tricks I picked up over the years. The folks at RTP have been quite helpful.

The Great Plains units are likely the cream of the crop but were priced quite a bit higher than the Genesis when I bought, plus they are more complicated when changing seeds. They also require a small seed box for small seed like clovers.

It has truly cut down on field prep and I really like the fact that I can just drill more seed into my existing fields that just need a touch up.

Thank you, looking at the specs of the genesis 5 the Deere 4700 should have enough lift, hp and weight, where does it come up short or is it just easier on the 80hp? The reason I ask is I have basically the same tractor in the Deere 4320.

 

[Storm56]

I am pretty sure when I bought my Genesis they were listed at almost 3000 lb. Someone mentioned the newer models were lighter? The hitch capacity on the 4700 is 2500 lb. Never even tried it. But I can tell you after owning mine for something like 6 years, I believe a utility tractor is the right tool.

Sent from my SM-T810 using TractorByNet mobile app

 

[Mallard1]

No-till in established clean crop fields is one thing. "No till" in openings in the woods or in areas that have not been cultivated (maybe ever) is another. I wonder which this is intended for?

mall of our food plots are fields or lanes that are currently established food plots.

we have used cultivators, discs and tillers in the past. We have removed all stumps, roots and they have been smoothed out. Then we broadcast and cultipack down.

we are looking to improve the plots and speed up the process some

 

[Mallard1]

with the multiple seed boxes on the great plains I assume you can plant 3 different types of seeds at the same time? is this correct?

how does the genisis work with planting different sized seeds or seed blends?

 

[Storm56]

Yes on the Great Plains unit. With the Genesis I just mix the seed before putting it in the planter. As mentioned I just sewed wheat and clover mix. If you wanted to just seed for instance clover on the GP unit you need the small seed box. On the Genesis you can get it adjusted without one. But I almost always mix the clover with either oats or wheat.