KS Farms Mfg - Planters

[Dukslayr]

Does anyone have any experience with these guys? I just spent about 40 minutes on her phone with them discussing the planters they build. They build planters for guys doing plots off of new and used drills with some of their own propriety stuff. They are sending me a quote for a 4 row refurb unit setup for what I need to no-till corn, beans, sunflowers and milo. Just curious if anyone on here as dealt with them before. Here’s their website. I’ll post the quote when I get it. Most of it is listed on their website. Keep in mind I can’t do this myself. I don’t have the time or ability to deal with refurbishing something myself.

http://m.ksfarmsequipment.com

Thanks for any input.

Thomas

 

[swat1018]

People have used them before with good reviews. I didn't look at the price, be curious. I have a GP606NT drill, and just inherited a 6x30" JD7000 planter w/ no-till. Anxious to get the planter and play with it, especially for the price!

 

[Dukslayr]

People have used them before with good reviews. I didn't look at the price, be curious. I have a GP606NT drill, and just inherited a 6x30" JD7000 planter w/ no-till. Anxious to get the planter and play with it, especially for the price!

For the money I’m guessing the cost of a fully refurbished unit with their specific modifications is going to be about 1/2-1/3 of the price of a good used NT drill. Based on what I can tell my biggest losses will be the lack of planting small seeds on narrow rows, which is a factor. The planter will certainly require less HP to operate well and probably be a bit more precise from a seed count and placement standpoint though (not that seed count matters to me, in general).

 

[Tree Spud]

Ask for references ...

 

[Dukslayr]

Ask for references ...

That’s part of what I’m doing here. Any business can give you a couple satisfied customers but hoping that asking the general public might help too.

 

[buckdeer1]

I haven't ever had his equipment but I do know they have been in Bailyville for years selling these.I have a couple a JD drills I need to cut down

 

[Dukslayr]

Just got the quote back. For a fully refurbished 4 row planter with their “drivemission”, no till coulters, corn meters and HD springs it’s $5,200. I don’t know much about their propriety drivemission, but the overall setups sounds slick and easy to use for a variety of row crops for someone who isn’t a farming expert. A 3 row is about 1,000 less than the 4 row.

 

[swat1018]

I need to look at their website. What makes their 4 row different than a 4 row JD7000? Are they Yetter row units?

 

[WTNUT]

Just got the quote back. For a fully refurbished 4 row planter with their “drivemission”, no till coulters, corn meters and HD springs it’s $5,200. I don’t know much about their propriety drivemission, but the overall setups sounds slick and easy to use for a variety of row crops for someone who isn’t a farming expert. A 3 row is about 1,000 less than the 4 row.

I just glanced on line. What does the “drivemission” I will look closer. I have a 5 row built with Flex 76 planters. I still plant small plots of corn with it. I will tell you I have not had very good success planting corn with a smaller no till drill.


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[WTNUT]

They do seem to build some nice planters from the web page photos. I would be “cautious” about thinking they will be true “no till” planters operating of the three point hitch. No till requires weight.


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[swat1018]

https://columbiamo.craigslist.org/grd/d/hallsville-jdrow-planter/6775749267.html

 

[Dukslayr]

I just glanced on line. What does the “drivemission” I will look closer. I have a 5 row built with Flex 76 planters. I still plant small plots of corn with it. I will tell you I have not had very good success planting corn with a smaller no till drill.


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As I understand it, there can be a significant difference in success with a no-till drill vs planter when planting corn.

I don’t know how enough about how all planters work to explain their drivemission...it’s beyond my pay grade. Someone could probably understand the differences more easily if they called and talked to them. I’ll learn a lot more once I get a planter and start breaking things

 

[Dukslayr]

They do seem to build some nice planters from the web page photos. I would be “cautious” about thinking they will be true “no till” planters operating of the three point hitch. No till requires weight.


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I asked about this. He either lied to my face or I should have no problem at all planting into dead/burned down CRP. I explained, in detail, how long the land had been in CRP, terrain, soil, etc. Grabted all soils are different but he didn’t hesitate a bit about planting into burned down long term CRP. Obviously they’re in the business of selling things, but hopefully they don’t flat out lie to their customers.

 

[Tree Spud]

I asked about this. He either lied to my face or I should have no problem at all planting into dead/burned down CRP. I explained, in detail, how long the land had been in CRP, terrain, soil, etc. Grabted all soils are different but he didn’t hesitate a bit about planting into burned down long term CRP. Obviously they’re in the business of selling things, but hopefully they don’t flat out lie to their customers.

CRP and managed ag soil are 2 different things in my mind. Annual crop soil that is rotated has very little compaction and beans can be sown with nt till as corn is rotated with some type of tilling. CRP depending on length of time in CRP can be less desirable soil that is compacted.

Big investment if you don't get the results you want.

 

[Dukslayr]

CRP and managed ag soil are 2 different things in my mind. Annual crop soil that is rotated has very little compaction and beans can be sown with nt till as corn is rotated with some type of tilling. CRP depending on length of time in CRP can be less desirable soil that is compacted.

Big investment if you don't get the results you want.

Agreed. That’s why I was very specific with what I plan to plant into.

 

[WTNUT]

They do seem to build some nice planters from the web page photos. I would be “cautious” about thinking they will be true “no till” planters operating of the three point hitch. No till requires weight.


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I asked about this. He either lied to my face or I should have no problem at all planting into dead/burned down CRP. I explained, in detail, how long the land had been in CRP, terrain, soil, etc. Grabted all soils are different but he didn’t hesitate a bit about planting into burned down long term CRP. Obviously they’re in the business of selling things, but hopefully they don’t flat out lie to their customers.

Here are my two cents and I have planted a lot of corn for plots (sometimes as much as 200 acres in a year), planted with the JD 7000 as a true JD built planter, old Allis Chalmers no till planters as built by AC and as a pull behind unit, with not till drills, with my little Flex 77 three point unit, and probably a few other planters I have forgotten.

I looked on line again and the “drivemission” is a little vague, but I will bite on that one. It probably works. However, Unless you have GREAT soil that is NOT like a lot of my river bottom soil that has a fair amount of clay in it I will be shocked if it truly plants as a no till into old CRP land. I will say please keep me posted because if it does truly work I would buy one and sell my 5 row flex 77. Those 3 point cut down planters are really really really really really handy for my farms. I plant a lot of 2-3 acre food plots with corn that are just too small to plant with a big planter. Then I plant the big fields with the big planter. If I could avoid tilling or disking the 15-20 acres of small plot corn I plant every year it would save me a lot of time.


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[swat1018]

Here are my two cents and I have planted a lot of corn for plots (sometimes as much as 200 acres in a year), planted with the JD 7000 as a true JD built planter, old Allis Chalmers no till planters as built by AC and as a pull behind unit, with not till drills, with my little Flex 77 three point unit, and probably a few other planters I have forgotten.

I looked on line again and the “drivemission” is a little vague, but I will bite on that one. It probably works. However, Unless you have GREAT soil that is NOT like a lot of my river bottom soil that has a fair amount of clay in it I will be shocked if it truly plants as a no till into old CRP land. I will say please keep me posted because if it does truly work I would buy one and sell my 5 row flex 77. Those 3 point cut down planters are really really really really really handy for my farms. I plant a lot of 2-3 acre food plots with corn that are just too small to plant with a big planter. Then I plant the big fields with the big planter. If I could avoid tilling or disking the 15-20 acres of small plot corn I plant every year it would save me a lot of time.


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How do you fertilize your corn plots? My GP drill plants corn fine. It's not production corn, and I usually just do corn mixed with beans to put cover in my bean plots so the bucks just can't stay back in the woods and see across the whole plot. Sorry if I hijacked your thread.

 

[WTNUT]

I just sent you a private message. I looked at the web page again and the ones they have pictured do not have any coulters in front and I think you would need them.





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[WTNUT]

Coulters


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[Dukslayr]

Here are my two cents and I have planted a lot of corn for plots (sometimes as much as 200 acres in a year), planted with the JD 7000 as a true JD built planter, old Allis Chalmers no till planters as built by AC and as a pull behind unit, with not till drills, with my little Flex 77 three point unit, and probably a few other planters I have forgotten.

I looked on line again and the “drivemission” is a little vague, but I will bite on that one. It probably works. However, Unless you have GREAT soil that is NOT like a lot of my river bottom soil that has a fair amount of clay in it I will be shocked if it truly plants as a no till into old CRP land. I will say please keep me posted because if it does truly work I would buy one and sell my 5 row flex 77. Those 3 point cut down planters are really really really really really handy for my farms. I plant a lot of 2-3 acre food plots with corn that are just too small to plant with a big planter. Then I plant the big fields with the big planter. If I could avoid tilling or disking the 15-20 acres of small plot corn I plant every year it would save me a lot of time.


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If I end up with one I’ll defimifely let everyone know. I’ll probably be planting more beans than corn, but I’m going to experiment with a number of crops including milo and sunflowers. I obviously have my doubts about planting into dead sod as well, but will say that the conviction of his answers to my questions didn’t leave me feeling like he was hedging any bets on this units abilitiy to plant into burned down CRP. If I end up with one the worst case is I have a more expensive planter that I have so some tillage with (not the end of the world since that’s what I’ve been planning to do...just would love to save some time with my limited amount of weekends I get at the farm.

My real dilemma is less about whether this planter will work and whether I just just buck up and bite the bullet on a good NT drill for planting NWSG, wheat, beans, etc. Evevtually I’m going to renovate the CRP when I re enroll (presuming funds are available)...but I can always contract that out and have it actually done right Some switchgrass will definitely be in my future as some point as well.

The other allure of a cut down 3pt system, for me, is the ease of transport. I’ve got a buddy who I’ll be planting for 15 miles away and the ability to easily stick it on trailer with the FEL and haul it over there would be hardly.