swat1018
5 year old buck +
No thanks...
Genesis drills
- Thread starter Dukslayr
- Start date
No thanks...
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
Keep in mind that one thing that makes the Big Boy drills work so well is the weight. They basically have enough weight to get to maximum planting depth in most soil conditions. The use depth limiting wheels to let you set the drill shallower from there. I have a little food plot class drill, 4' Kasco Versa no-till Drill. They way it is "supposed" to work is that by tightening the top link you put more of the weight on the front of the drill to increase depth and less on the cultipacker in the rear. To get less depth you lengthen the toplink to put more of the weight on the back of the drill where the cultipacker is and less on the openers.
Well, I found trying to get the depth right was more an art than a science. Depending on soil conditions, I might not be able to get enough depth even with the cultipacker off the ground and without sufficient weight on the cultipacker the rows don't get closed. When I could get it adjusted right, when lifted for transport, it was too close to the ground and would hit when making turns on uneven ground. One time I even knocked the chain off when the cultipacker hung.
I've made a number of mods to make it work. You can find details on other threads. The include a hydraulic top-link and chain so it floats with even weight distribution. I simply add 5 gal buckets full of concrete to get the right depth depending on soil conditions. My point is that weight can be an important factor in a no-till drill.
Don't get me wrong. After making a bunch of mods, my little Kasco is a great food plot tool, but I only paid $3K used for it. It is well worth that money, but I would not buy a new one.
Thanks,
Jack
Well, I found trying to get the depth right was more an art than a science. Depending on soil conditions, I might not be able to get enough depth even with the cultipacker off the ground and without sufficient weight on the cultipacker the rows don't get closed. When I could get it adjusted right, when lifted for transport, it was too close to the ground and would hit when making turns on uneven ground. One time I even knocked the chain off when the cultipacker hung.
I've made a number of mods to make it work. You can find details on other threads. The include a hydraulic top-link and chain so it floats with even weight distribution. I simply add 5 gal buckets full of concrete to get the right depth depending on soil conditions. My point is that weight can be an important factor in a no-till drill.
Don't get me wrong. After making a bunch of mods, my little Kasco is a great food plot tool, but I only paid $3K used for it. It is well worth that money, but I would not buy a new one.
Thanks,
Jack
Finally had a chance to use the 3' drill last night. Planted about 1.5 acres and I'm impressed with it. The 3pt lift capacity on our 30hp tractor is 1400lbs and the seeder is listed at 1188lbs so I could definitely feel it back there when driving with it lifted but no issues once it was dropped in the ground. Everything about it seems well thought out and overbuilt.
I wasn't fully prepared to calibrate the seeder (didn't bring a scale), nor would I have had time to do so after replacing a leaking hydraulic line on the tractor. In hindsight I went a bit light on the rye, planting closer to 50lbs/acre rather than the 100ish lbs/acre I was hoping for. The drill has depth setting of .5", 1" and 2", and can be fine-tuned by adjusting the top link of the 3pt to adjust angle of the seeder forwards & backwards and effectively tip the cutting wheels shallower or deeper. I just set it at 1" and went with it.
Again, I'm happy to answer questions on it - but probably after the holiday weekend!
I wasn't fully prepared to calibrate the seeder (didn't bring a scale), nor would I have had time to do so after replacing a leaking hydraulic line on the tractor. In hindsight I went a bit light on the rye, planting closer to 50lbs/acre rather than the 100ish lbs/acre I was hoping for. The drill has depth setting of .5", 1" and 2", and can be fine-tuned by adjusting the top link of the 3pt to adjust angle of the seeder forwards & backwards and effectively tip the cutting wheels shallower or deeper. I just set it at 1" and went with it.
Again, I'm happy to answer questions on it - but probably after the holiday weekend!
That is correct. So that would be one limitation of it, however I don't know if other drills can plant at different depths either in the same pass? The Genesis is the only one I have experience with.
And with just 1 seed box, perhaps there might be some "settling out" of different seeds in the box as well where more of one type of seed separates out towards the top of the box and another type settles towards the bottom. Haven't planted a mixture and don't plan on it this year at least.
What make/model tractor are you using?
SWIFFY
5 year old buck +
https://stcloud.craigslist.org/grd/d/saint-joseph-no-till-drill-seeder-kasko/6969631021.html
This looks like a nice piece...???
This looks like a nice piece...???
swat1018
5 year old buck +
It's a piece, alright!
Just kidding, kinda. I used one a buddy had. I thought it sucked, but I guess it would beat other methods. For $7000, I'd be looking for a real drill. Buddy quit using his and it set for years, traded it to a dealer on a GP drill.
jsasker007
5 year old buck +
The more I read about planters the more I like my herd broadcast seeder.
S.T.Fanatic
5 year old buck +
I have no problem getting beans, peas, and sunflowers growing by broadcasting. I havent tried corn yet but i'm guessing that would also work. IMO a drill for small seeds would be a complete waste of money.
DavidHunter2001
5 year old buck +
This is an old post but I figured I would reply anyway. I have been using a Genesis 8 for three seasons now and I can say it is working very well. Had a few minor repairs that I had to do because of operator error, but for the most part it works well. I planed a fall blend and the blend stays mixed and comes out nice and even. There is one thing that I was not happy with. It was not set up for a quick hitch compatibility. So I modified mine to make it work with my quick hitch and now it connects in a few seconds. Good well built machine.
TreeDaddy
5 year old buck +
How big is your tractor?
How steep is the learning curve for no till plotting?
bill
DavidHunter2001
5 year old buck +
I have a new Holland T5-120 120 HP tractor and it handles the Genesis 8 great. The learning curve for the no till was not terrible. I am following Dr Grant Woods ( growingdeer.tv/buffalosystem ) method of planting Eagle beans in spring, then crimping the Buffalo blend when the beans start to come up. Follow that in Fall by planting the Buffalo blend right thru the standing beans in the fall. Some of the beans will get cut by the drill and die but it is surprising how many survive. They seem to pop back up after drilling. The Buffalo blend (also from Eagle seed) is a blend of several seeds including brassicas, cereal rye, buckwheat and clover. The crops are meant to provide nutrients for the next crop so that eventually you do not need to add fertalizer or lime. The decaying crops (crimped with a rolling crimper) provide nitrogen as they decay and also keep the weeds from coming thru like mulch. I am only 2 seasons into using this system, but the deer love it. I have seen the deer numbers skyrocket and need to start taking a lot more does. I live in Southern Ohio and we have a lot of clay soils that tend to pool water on top and turn to mush in winter. With No till I can drive my Quad on all the plots and I dont leave huge ruts like before with tilling the soil. Makes for easy shed hunting! Overall I am very happy with no till and would recommend it to anyone that can do it.
Jordan Selsor
5 year old buck +
Guy I know that plants a ton of native grasses (works for pure air natives) just made a FB post saying the genesis was worthless for planting native grasses. He demoed one for a large planting..
Dukslayr
5 year old buck +
You know what he was planting? I can’t imagine someone would have success planting fluffy NWSG with a Genesis so I guess that would be a surprise to me. If it struggled with switch grass maybe a bit more concerning? Even a GP still without the NWSG is limited on what grasses it can successfully plant from what understand.
Jordan Selsor
5 year old buck +
Not sure on his mix... Guys name is Justin Adams. You may reach out to him on FB.
IkemanTx
5 year old buck +
Native grasses typically require a very specialized drill, so that doesn’t surprise me at all.
I wouldn’t judge a piece of equipment based on its performance at something it isn’t even designed for.
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swat1018
5 year old buck +
I can't believe he even tried! My GP would be worthless too. You have to have a drill designed for it, including a native seed box with agitator. My biggest concern for the Genesis is, for the money, it doesn't even have a small seed box. Sure, people say, "I mixed all this seed and it came up great." Some seeds in a mix need to be deep, other shallow, that's why I don't care for the Genesis, no way to do it correctly in one pass. I do wish the GP had the calibration tray deal that Genesis does, that is a great piece of engineering, but I wouldn't trade my small seed box for it.
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davidhelmly
5 year old buck +
I agree totally with you about the small seed box swat, I actually talked to the RTP rep last June and he thought that a small seed box would be an option in the near future. I will most likely see him again this June and will get an update.
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