Tar River SAYA-507 No Till Drill

Got quoted $6,800 today for the Saya 507 but can't get it until September or October. No thanks. Told them I'd think more about it come summer time and see what the wait time was as it got closer.
I'm still very skeptical that this drill could work in heavy clay soil and even if it were able to cut an opening, would it be able to close it back up?

Wow, that's crazy. A year ago my local Ag store was selling for $4800..
 
Thanks to all who posted here and replied on this thread.. Good info. Looking into a Saya here in SC.
Heavy clay soils.
 
I wonder if for heavier soils to get it to close if you could slip something like this over the packer so you could get more weight and direct pressure over the seed trench. Screen Shot 2021-12-31 at 9.53.06 AM.png
 
I am curious if anyone has played with the coulters on these? There are some impressive coulter mfgs out there.
 
I just got my saya 507 mid december. I ordered it back in Jan of 21. Took long time.
 
I just checked, it went over $10,000. I think that's plenty for a well used 20 year old drill.
I watched it was hoping it would go lower as well

Sent from my SM-G998U using Tapatalk
 
I watched it was hoping it would go lower as well

Sent from my SM-G998U using Tapatalk
there was a tye 4ft drill on wichita craigs list last week
 
I have a SAYA due in next month. Will I need a floating top link for the rear hydraulic remote?
Thanks - great thread.
 
I purchased a Tar River Saya 505 last August. I spent allot of time to set it up. The front coulters were not well aligned with the rear double disk openers.....and the row settings were all askew. A few hours of wrench time got them into sync. Then I spent a few more hours to get the seed cups set correctly. These two things are fundamental to decent operation....along with calibrating the seed drop.

Ar first I was determined to get the 507 (7' model) but I'm glad I have the 5 footer as it is entirely within my tractor wheels and protected from the many trees along the edges of my plots. The little extra time to plant is not worth the extra price to me.

We had an all-summer drought last year. Most of my plots had burned up during the drought....and I made a decision to start anew and get into the no-till drill mode by fall....which I did . In late August I planted 10 acres with 135 lbs of a combination of 10 seeds / acre.....with 100 lbs being rye.....and using clovers, peas, brassicas, radish and such. The drill was mostly used over previously tilled land....tho none was tilled prior to using the drill at this time. Rather everything was nuked with glyphosate and then the seeds drilled via both boxes. I did drill some virgin sod and the drill worked fairly well in all situations and penetrated my sandy loam soils without any issues. All went along better than I anticipated.

About the time I finished drilling these seeds, it started raining.....and nice rains continued throughout the fall. I got a super stand of rye and all the other seeds seemed to germinate nicely as well. Quite pleased with the drills performance in my soils and with my (Kubota L3560 HSTC tractor). I am awaiting a roller crimper to be delivered at any time.....and the drill and crimper combo should enable me to change my practices going forward. Kinda stoked about going the NoTill route.

In sandy soils the seed trenches close easily with the rolling rear basket and the spring loaded plate system found on the Saya. Better than anticipated. Not sure how this set up would work in heavier soils tho? Maybe fine?....dunno.

The Tar River Saya is a good value for a small time user. Uncertain of it's longevity....but with care..... I think it could last most food plotters a long time. I am concerned about that rear basket wrapping in the heavy Cereal Rye when it comes time to green plant into the rye in June. Anybody have some experience in this?
 
I purchased a Tar River Saya 505 last August. I spent allot of time to set it up. The front coulters were not well aligned with the rear double disk openers.....and the row settings were all askew. A few hours of wrench time got them into sync. Then I spent a few more hours to get the seed cups set correctly. These two things are fundamental to decent operation....along with calibrating the seed drop.

Ar first I was determined to get the 507 (7' model) but I'm glad I have the 5 footer as it is entirely within my tractor wheels and protected from the many trees along the edges of my plots. The little extra time to plant is not worth the extra price to me.

We had an all-summer drought last year. Most of my plots had burned up during the drought....and I made a decision to start anew and get into the no-till drill mode by fall....which I did . In late August I planted 10 acres with 135 lbs of a combination of 10 seeds / acre.....with 100 lbs being rye.....and using clovers, peas, brassicas, radish and such. The drill was mostly used over previously tilled land....tho none was tilled prior to using the drill at this time. Rather everything was nuked with glyphosate and then the seeds drilled via both boxes. I did drill some virgin sod and the drill worked fairly well in all situations and penetrated my sandy loam soils without any issues. All went along better than I anticipated.

About the time I finished drilling these seeds, it started raining.....and nice rains continued throughout the fall. I got a super stand of rye and all the other seeds seemed to germinate nicely as well. Quite pleased with the drills performance in my soils and with my (Kubota L3560 HSTC tractor). I am awaiting a roller crimper to be delivered at any time.....and the drill and crimper combo should enable me to change my practices going forward. Kinda stoked about going the NoTill route.

In sandy soils the seed trenches close easily with the rolling rear basket and the spring loaded plate system found on the Saya. Better than anticipated. Not sure how this set up would work in heavier soils tho? Maybe fine?....dunno.

The Tar River Saya is a good value for a small time user. Uncertain of it's longevity....but with care..... I think it could last most food plotters a long time. I am concerned about that rear basket wrapping in the heavy Cereal Rye when it comes time to green plant into the rye in June. Anybody have some experience in this?
I got a 505 late last spring . I've done basically the same thing you have done. I'm planning to use my tiller with the PTO shaft disconnected as my crimper for this year. I would think & hope the basket simply rolls right over the rye. What all is in your 10 species mixture besides the rye? I did rye, wheat, balansa & crimson clover, radish, turnips, & brassica's.
 
I got a 505 late last spring . I've done basically the same thing you have done. I'm planning to use my tiller with the PTO shaft disconnected as my crimper for this year. I would think & hope the basket simply rolls right over the rye. What all is in your 10 species mixture besides the rye? I did rye, wheat, balansa & crimson clover, radish, turnips, & brassica's.
I put down cereal rye, red clover, Lidino Clover, Alice White Clover, Small Burnett, Austrian Peas, Forage Collards, PT Turnips, GH Radish, Barley.
 
I have a SAYA due in next month. Will I need a floating top link for the rear hydraulic remote?
Thanks - great thread.
I dont think you want a floating top link. I do have a hydraulic top link and it is easy to set-up the drill. quite important that the drill is level front to back......so that the opening coulters and the double coulters are at the same depth to drop your seeds properly.
 
I dont think you want a floating top link. I do have a hydraulic top link and it is easy to set-up the drill. quite important that the drill is level front to back......so that the opening coulters and the double coulters are at the same depth to drop your seeds properly.
Thanks. Very helpful thread; this as well as the seed mixes. I have a 72" Woods tiller I'm deciding whether to keep or trade/sell. I ordered one set of rear remotes and it seems I won't need a second for a float valve.
I have a (very) old, heavy (not sure total weight) pull behind cultipacker the previous owner left when we bought as he had no way to move it. I wonder if something that heavy would work to terminate cereal grass? I plan to find out. My L4300 "grunted" pulling it up a grade.
 
I pulled the trigger on a DRL-072. I know its not the no-till model but I have had good success running a conventional drill in no till applications but I really wanted something with double disc openers instead of the single disc on my old JD/VB drill. Watched an auction last weekend that was in Alabama last and they sold like 5 of the Saya-505. Every one of them sold for 5k to 5200.
 
Thanks. Very helpful thread; this as well as the seed mixes. I have a 72" Woods tiller I'm deciding whether to keep or trade/sell. I ordered one set of rear remotes and it seems I won't need a second for a float valve.
I have a (very) old, heavy (not sure total weight) pull behind cultipacker the previous owner left when we bought as he had no way to move it. I wonder if something that heavy would work to terminate cereal grass? I plan to find out. My L4300 "grunted" pulling it up a grade.
I have seen a good many videos that have said that a cultipacker will not perform as needed to terminate the rye. Also mowing is said to not do this nicely as well. What is wanted is to use the rye as mulch and have this evenly laid down in a matt to suppress weeds and provide fertilizer values. Hard to accomplish this without a roller / crimper. Some have been successful using a tiller tho.....I just dont have any direct experience with these methods said here.....only what I read and see on video.

The most recent info says to use the drill to "plant green" into the standing rye.....and then to later terminate the rye via the roller crimper when the rye reached the dough stage. Sounds like the timing and method is very important to a good kill.
 
I have seen a good many videos that have said that a cultipacker will not perform as needed to terminate the rye. Also mowing is said to not do this nicely as well. What is wanted is to use the rye as mulch and have this evenly laid down in a matt to suppress weeds and provide fertilizer values. Hard to accomplish this without a roller / crimper. Some have been successful using a tiller tho.....I just dont have any direct experience with these methods said here.....only what I read and see on video.

The most recent info says to use the drill to "plant green" into the standing rye.....and then to later terminate the rye via the roller crimper when the rye reached the dough stage. Sounds like the timing and method is very important to a good kill.

No doubt that a roller/crimper is a great tool for terminating cover crops....but there is more than one way to skin the cat. I don't have a roller/crimper yet but I have successfully planted into standing rye which I laid down with my cultipacker....I have mowed cover crops to terminate them and then planted .... and I have drilled into standing cover crops as well. Where there is a will, there is a way...

I rolled this cover crop of cereal rye on July 8th in Upper Michigan in order to drill my brassica seed...

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The seed in the rye was still in the dough stage and not viable so I did not get any volunteer rye...

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but I got a great layer of thatch to prevent erosion, suppress weeds and retain moisure...

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A week later I had great germination...

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I mowed the left side of this plot with my brush hog...

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About a week or so later, I sprayed to terminate all of the new rye which had germinated and drilled my new cover crop...(August 28th)

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The drill has no problem drilling into my clay/loam soil, even through fairly heavy sod...

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October 8th - my 12 variety cover crop is thriving and feeding my deer...

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The following May 17th I sprayed to terminate the cover crop and drilled sugar beets...

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I did spray twice but the thatch also helped to suppress weeds...

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I have also drilled into standing cover crops without rolling or mowing...

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These beans had been pretty well hammered by the deer but I went ahead and just drilled a crop of cereal grains right over top of the beans. The vast majority of the beans survived and I had a new crop of cereal grains at the same time.

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2022 will be my 7th year since going no-till. I have not turned any dirt at all and my disc and field cultivators continue to sit idle. One day I will probably pick up a roller/crimper, but in the mean time I will continue to terminate cover crops by other means while drilling my seed. Soil tests prove that my soil nutrients have improved immensely and I do not plan to use any synthetic fertilizers at all this year.
 
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