No-till drill - price of a used (but good) one?

[Bowsnbucks]

Gentlemen -
Can you guys give me a range of prices for a GOOD used no-till drill?? I think it would do our camp well to possibly invest in one.

Also - we're a non-farming group of guys in camp. Any thoughts on non-complicated, easily-serviced makes / models are much appreciated. You farming guys know the ropes as far as servicing your own drills - the ins & outs, the things to look for. We do not. A couple of us are from construction and car mechanical backgrounds - but those are different ball games from farm equipment. Any tips are appreciated !!!

 

[Wind Gypsy]

Might be helpful to know how many acres and what tractor you'd be using?

I don't know anything about the 10 or 15+ year old drills so be interesting to hear other's inputs. For the most part it seems used Great Plains or Genesis drills are going for what they cost new a year or two ago..

 

[Wind Gypsy]

If this is a real deal and there's no catch, I'm disappointed i missed it.

Garden Items For Sale ads in Texarkana, AR - Shoppok

Find fresh ads in Garden Items For Sale in Texarkana, AR. New listings: aqha horse $2 750, Vermeer 605 XL $5 500

www.shoppok.com

 

[yoderjac]

Gentlemen -
Can you guys give me a range of prices for a GOOD used no-till drill?? I think it would do our camp well to possibly invest in one.

Also - we're a non-farming group of guys in camp. Any thoughts on non-complicated, easily-serviced makes / models are much appreciated. You farming guys know the ropes as far as servicing your own drills - the ins & outs, the things to look for. We do not. A couple of us are from construction and car mechanical backgrounds - but those are different ball games from farm equipment. Any tips are appreciated !!!

What do you want to plant? I could not justify the price of a big-boy no-till drill. I ended up getting a 4' Kasco no-till versadrill used for about 3K. It is a workable solution for me for planting large seed but I rarely use it any more as I've changed my seed choices to those I can T&M better for a number of reasons. If you search for Kasco on this forum, you will find the good, bad, and ugly of that from my posts.

There reason I ask what you want to plant, you might also consider a cut-down planter. They seem to be much more affordable for 2 or 3 rows. If you have more time than money, these cut-down no-till planters might be a fit.

A few thoughts to keep in mind. If you have big open fields, a tow-behind drill can be handled by a smaller tractor. If you have more tight conditions, a 3-pt drill will require enough lift capacity with your hitch. Big boy drills are quite heavy.

I'm no farmer and can't talk to the GOOD drills, but there are others on here with lots of experience with them.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[Bowsnbucks]

We have about 8 or 9 acres that we plant to food plots. They are long-established fields (camp is an old farmstead). Our tractor was bought NEW about 8 years ago - a JD 55 HP with hyd. lift in the rear.

The plots we usually plant are - WR, WW, oats, buckwheat, clovers (red & white), turnips, radishes, rape, chicory, alfalfa mixed with 2 varieties of red clover.

Fields are mostly over 3/4 acre, some 3 to 4 acres wide open. Biggest plot is probably 2 acres. Tight spots we'll spray / roll / T & M. Being an old farmstead, we have roads between fields for access. We don't have to squeeze into tight spots in forest openings.

What's a cut-down, no-till planter?? Never heard that term.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

We have about 8 or 9 acres that we plant to food plots. They are long-established fields (camp is an old farmstead). Our tractor was bought NEW about 8 years ago - a JD 55 HP with hyd. lift in the rear.

The plots we usually plant are - WR, WW, oats, buckwheat, clovers (red & white), turnips, radishes, rape, chicory, alfalfa mixed with 2 varieties of red clover.

Fields are mostly over 3/4 acre, some 3 to 4 acres wide open. Biggest plot is probably 2 acres. Tight spots we'll spray / roll / T & M. Being an old farmstead, we have roads between fields for access. We don't have to squeeze into tight spots in forest openings.

What's a cut-down, no-till planter?? Never heard that term.

I assume Jack is referring to something like this https://rdhoutdoors.com/no-till-planters https://rdhoutdoors.com/bargain-lot-planters not what I'd want to use unless corn/beans are a large portion of your plots.

Do you do throw and mow currently? The stuff you plant sounds pretty prime for it and it doesn't sound like you are planting into virgin ground which may be tougher to establish with T&M.

 

[yoderjac]

We have about 8 or 9 acres that we plant to food plots. They are long-established fields (camp is an old farmstead). Our tractor was bought NEW about 8 years ago - a JD 55 HP with hyd. lift in the rear.

The plots we usually plant are - WR, WW, oats, buckwheat, clovers (red & white), turnips, radishes, rape, chicory, alfalfa mixed with 2 varieties of red clover.

Fields are mostly over 3/4 acre, some 3 to 4 acres wide open. Biggest plot is probably 2 acres. Tight spots we'll spray / roll / T & M. Being an old farmstead, we have roads between fields for access. We don't have to squeeze into tight spots in forest openings.

What's a cut-down, no-till planter?? Never heard that term.

I would not buy a no-till drill for those crops. I presumed you were looking to plant large seeds that don't T&M well like beans and corn. A GOOD no-till drill will be a high cost with little benefit with those crops. They crops you plant overlap heavily with the crops I plant and I don't use my Kasco to plant any of them. I'd consider other techniques for dealing with seed predation if that is your concern.

 

[KingLoser]

I assume Jack is referring to something like this https://rdhoutdoors.com/no-till-planters https://rdhoutdoors.com/bargain-lot-planters not what I'd want to use unless corn/beans are a large portion of your plots.

Do you do throw and mow currently? The stuff you plant sounds pretty prime for it and it doesn't sound like you are planting into virgin ground which may be tougher to establish with T&M.

I had not seen these before. I imagine they can be used by smaller tractors than the other no til drills? Seems just like a mini version but I don't see specs on weights or anything.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

I had not seen these before. I imagine they can be used by smaller tractors than the other no til drills? Seems just like a mini version but I don't see specs on weights or anything.

I'm not well versed in them but they are just lower row count versions of planters used in commercial agriculture and are quite a bit heavier per row than what you see in the no-till drills marketed more commonly in the food plot world. I would expect a 2 row configuration of the "no-till planters" in that link to weigh more than a genesis 3 drill. They are oriented around beans and corn, you're not going to get as tight of row spacing in a single pass.

 

[yoderjac]

I had not seen these before. I imagine they can be used by smaller tractors than the other no til drills? Seems just like a mini version but I don't see specs on weights or anything.

Planters are more precise than drills and often have the old style plates for each seed. Weight should not be a big issue. My little Kasco has 9 rows over 4' and is light for a drill. It does not handle trash well. Farmers used these planters for many years with many rows on big tractors. Folks often bought these used and cut them down to single or double row planters and refurbished them and sold them to food plotters that have more time than money. I don't have one myself. I did look at them hard before I found the used Kasco. This was my first endeavor into no-till. My concern was the limited seed types the are built to plant. Since I've been using min-till/no-till techniques for quite a few years now, I've found most of the seed I plant doesn't need a drill or planter. So, if I just wanted something to plant large seeds like beans and corn and I did not have the Kasco, I would at least consider this option.

 

[omicron1792]

Gentlemen -
Can you guys give me a range of prices for a GOOD used no-till drill?? I think it would do our camp well to possibly invest in one.

Also - we're a non-farming group of guys in camp. Any thoughts on non-complicated, easily-serviced makes / models are much appreciated. You farming guys know the ropes as far as servicing your own drills - the ins & outs, the things to look for. We do not. A couple of us are from construction and car mechanical backgrounds - but those are different ball games from farm equipment. Any tips are appreciated !!!

I just bought a landpride 3p600. I bought it slightly used for a good price. My first experience will be this fall so will post on here with my experience.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

I assume Jack is referring to something like this https://rdhoutdoors.com/no-till-planters https://rdhoutdoors.com/bargain-lot-planters not what I'd want to use unless corn/beans are a large portion of your plots.

Do you do throw and mow currently? The stuff you plant sounds pretty prime for it and it doesn't sound like you are planting into virgin ground which may be tougher to establish with T&M.

We do some T & M, mainly with mixed brassica plots into yellowing buckwheat that's going to seed heads, or into older, thin-spotted clover plots. We don't have enough open ground to plant soybeans (tried it 2 years and they never got above 6" before deer ate them all to the dirt). We used to plant corn, but it's too much of a one-season plot that SUCKS N out of the ground. Beside that - our bear population hammers the corn when it's in the milk stage and we lose the plot for the most part. We get more mileage from green plots that provide good nutrition year-round. WR, WW, and the brassica mixes give good winter and early spring food sources. Our deer definitely dig through snow to get at the greens. We have MILES of red, white and chestnut oaks all around us for acorns, which the deer favor once they start dropping. Takes pressure off the food plots to some extent, though the deer still come in for ......... chow variety??

Our fields have been cultivated for the last 20 years to one extent or the other. Soil is pretty workable with small stones in it and a few bigger rocks that we toss out when we come across them. It's a clayish-loam. I'm trying to convince the camp members that no-tilling / sparse-tilling is a better way to go for long-term weed control and soil building. Farmers around my part of the state (home - not camp) plant cover crops and don't do much plowing like they used to. They seed into (drill??) cover crops and I don't see bare soil very often anymore. I don't see much of a weed problem in their fields either. I have no idea if they spray as well as use thatch to control weeds.

 

[KingLoser]

We have MILES of red, white and chestnut oaks all around us for acorns, which the deer favor once they start dropping. Takes pressure off the food plots to some extent, though the deer still come in for ......... chow variety??

Based on the reading I've done and the podcasts I've listened to, the deer are after protein when they hit that green stuff. Acorns are full of carbohydrates and are sweeter, but the deer still need protein rich food.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

I would not buy a no-till drill for those crops. I presumed you were looking to plant large seeds that don't T&M well like beans and corn. A GOOD no-till drill will be a high cost with little benefit with those crops. They crops you plant overlap heavily with the crops I plant and I don't use my Kasco to plant any of them. I'd consider other techniques for dealing with seed predation if that is your concern.

Maybe we ought to throw a good seat cushion on the rear rack of a 4-wheeler and drive the person hand-cranking the seed out around the plots. 2 of us have the Solo model with the hard poly hopper to spread seed with. We've looked into a powered spreader to mount on the front rack of 4-wheelers. Trying to figure out which models won't dribble fertilizer down over the motor to end up corroding it. We have no experience with the models that have the motor mounted inside the hopper.

We do cultipack our plots after seeding, and depending on the seed size, we may also cultipack BEFORE seeding to prepare a good seedbed for the smaller-seeded varieties of crops.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Based on the reading I've done and the podcasts I've listened to, the deer are after protein when they hit that green stuff. Acorns are full of carbohydrates and are sweeter, but the deer still need protein rich food.

We're lucky that we have miles of oaks. Nature does her thing - and we just have to supply the green, protein-rich stuff to keep the deer around.

 

[yoderjac]

Maybe we ought to throw a good seat cushion on the rear rack of a 4-wheeler and drive the person hand-cranking the seed out around the plots. 2 of us have the Solo model with the hard poly hopper to spread seed with. We've looked into a powered spreader to mount on the front rack of 4-wheelers. Trying to figure out which models won't dribble fertilizer down over the motor to end up corroding it. We have no experience with the models that have the motor mounted inside the hopper.

We do cultipack our plots after seeding, and depending on the seed size, we may also cultipack BEFORE seeding to prepare a good seedbed for the smaller-seeded varieties of crops.

I use a broadcast spreader on the 3-pt hitch of the tractor to broadcast my T&M crops. I'm not using fertilizer any more so that is not an issue for me. I don't cultipack before broadcasting seed. I want the previous crop standing to maximize seed hitting the ground. I then cultipack to knock down the previous crop to provide the thatch layer and press the seed into the ground.

 

[KingLoser]

I use a broadcast spreader on the 3-pt hitch of the tractor to broadcast my T&M crops. I'm not using fertilizer any more so that is not an issue for me. I don't cultipack before broadcasting seed. I want the previous crop standing to maximize seed hitting the ground. I then cultipack to knock down the previous crop to provide the thatch layer and press the seed into the ground.

I assume you're spraying a bit before you broadcast to kill the previous crop? Or does the cultipacker terminate?

 

[Wind Gypsy]

Maybe we ought to throw a good seat cushion on the rear rack of a 4-wheeler and drive the person hand-cranking the seed out around the plots. 2 of us have the Solo model with the hard poly hopper to spread seed with. We've looked into a powered spreader to mount on the front rack of 4-wheelers. Trying to figure out which models won't dribble fertilizer down over the motor to end up corroding it. We have no experience with the models that have the motor mounted inside the hopper.

Maybe i'm misunderstanding your concern but you could mount it on the back rack. Some either have shields or you can make one to keep fertilizer from spreading towards the ATV.

 

[yoderjac]

It depends. My fall mix is typically WR/CC/PTT or GHR. In poor acorn crop years, the deer terminate the turnips in the winter. Otherwise, I mow in early spring to terminate the PTT well before it bolts. The WR provides an early spring food followed by the Crimson Clover that acts as a reseeding annual in my area. If I catch the WR in the right stage, the cultipacker is enough. It kills some but not all. It is laid down enough for sufficient light to get in. Summer is a slightly greater stress period and I have close to enough scale to be doing QDM, so I plant for summer. I typically broadcast a mix of buckwheat and Sunn Hemp for the summer. They both germinate best in warm soils; 80 degree soil temp is optimal for buckwheat. That means I'm planting late enough that the cultipacker is enough. When I was planting soybeans, I needed to plant early. In that case, I would spray after planting and cultipacking. Keep in mind that WR will die on its own in the summer, so as long as it is laying down and not too thick, it is no really competing with my summer crop.

Keep in mind that I'm quite weed tolerant. It is a fallacy that we need clean fields. For a farmer a "weed" is anything he didn't plant. For a deer manager, many weeds are quite beneficial to deer.

 

[Diesel5610]

Unfortunately used no-till drills really hold their value, IF you can even find one. I have rented one for probably 15+ years and have looked for a used one most of that time. I have only seen one or two anywhere near us in that time and they were sold before I ever saw them. My buddy and I ended up buying a Great Plains 606NT, I pick it up tomorrow. I have had the new one on order for over 6 months. I hated the anxiety with hoping the weather cooperated with the dates I had reserved, not having access to the rented unit when I needed it, etc..
We have 3 properties we plant and probably have 30 ares in plots of some sort. We don’t plant that many acres every year but actually have at times in the past. I am going to guess we do 10-15 acres depending on the year now. A drill doesn’t make sense for a lot of people but they certainly cut down on planting time if you get to a point where you are planting a lot of acres. Planting 10 acres is enough acres if you could find one that fits your budget. Only person you have to justify it to is yourself, and maybe your better half, LOL!