Herd Seeder Solution (one of about six thus far)

foggy

5 year old buck +
Spent some time looking for a means to fix my Herd Seeder today. I've had a constant problem with pushing
the lever (with two holes in it) a bit too hard and in so-doing....unseating a nipple from it's base. This allows all your seed to escape as the nipple comes out and makes too large of hole. Bad news.....and you don't realize it happens until it's too late.

Well.....after looking at the situation......all it took is a positive surface to prevent the lever from over-travel (and thus upsetting the nipple - which you cannot see here). I fixed a C-clamp to the seeders frame and it prevents the lever's over-travel. Solved.

Now.....why does not HERD provide such a means to do this function???o_O Others have complained about this very same situation.....and it's very annoying and seems easy to fix.

Folks brag on this seeder.....it's expensive....and I cannot understand why folks like it. Been a re-building process from the day I got mine. I can re-engineer this stuff.....but with the price I paid, you would think HERD would have done some of this. GRRRRRR



the lever photo-39.JPG
 
FWIW......This is the first time I have been able to use this seeder without the nipple coming loose and spilling all my seeds. :)
 
Iv had to re bend the stock gate stop a few times. Next time il use the old c clamp trick. My beef with the Herd is I could never get consistent flow with fine seed like Switch grass or White clover. Took apart and found the sand casting were the dump gate is screwed to, is rough and concave. Ended up building it up with body filler and draw filling it flat. That stopped any leakage around the dump gate. Then to get more control of fine seed I took there WSG gate and cut 4 3/32" slots in it. Now I can spread as little as 4LB of Switch Grass per acre.
Another problem is the oil light bushings ware out after about 10 hours of use and are hard to find if you don't go through Herd. The screw holding that bushing in the plastic spreader is left handed. The cotter pin that holds the lid to the spring is in center which always keeps the lid covering half the opening while filling. Ended up re drilling 2" off center and now hangs off the side while open.
 
Good tips above. I also have duct-taped a piece of custom fit plastic sheet (from a bucket lid) to form a funneled floor at the rear of the seed hopper. This allows the seeds to more readily flow to the metering gate and eliminate sporadic seeding as the hopper gets low on seed. (Food plotters are always working with low quantities of small seeds.....and I cannot understand this big honkin flat section at the back of the hopper.)

I may use the body filler idea above and make my funnel a more permanent solution.
 
Excellent idea with the bucket lid. That has me thinking about modifying my Herd this winter. Was thinking, putt a trash bag inside then use body filler mixed with fiberglass to cone shape that flat spot. After curing remove Bondo, peal off trash bag,and re install holding in place with a screw.
 
Let me know when you need more bushings. I can turn them out of UHMW plastic and they might hold up better.

I replaced the suspension bushings in my atv with some nylon ones and they've done great.
 
Thanks Jim, What is UHMW plastic.
 
UHMW = Ultra-high-molecular-weight it's a polyethylene. This is used a lot in the food industry as it is very chemical resistant. Good stuff. We make a lot of bushings from it and they last longer than Teflon, delrin or celcon.
 
UHMW = Ultra-high-molecular-weight it's a polyethylene. This is used a lot in the food industry as it is very chemical resistant. Good stuff. We make a lot of bushings from it and they last longer than Teflon, delrin or celcon.
Tough stuff too! Used some UHMW poly in several product applications. Nearly indestructible.....and reasonably priced too!
 
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