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

[Foggy47]

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 !!!

If you want a no-till drill you have a few options. Not sure of your soil type(s) but if it is sandy.....you may get along nicely with a "conventional" grain drill (they do not have "slicing openers" but otherwise operate just as a no till drill.....and many get along well with sandy soil). Many folks like the convenience of a 3 point mounted drill in smaller and irregular food plots as you have less maneuvering to do as you can pick up the drill.....turn and set it down again to plant. You have enough tractor for about a six foot drill.....which would cover your tractor tires.

A new 6 foot conventional drill by Great Plains or Land Pride is going to cost you about $16,000 equipped with a small seed box (3P600) If you make that a no-till drill you will up the price by about $6000 more (3PNT600). Good products.

If you go to a Genesis 5 (light or heavy) your going to pay about $16000. currently. I dont think you have enough tractor (or land need) to go to a larger drill. You will need to add a few thousand dollars for a small seed box if you need that. Some want it....others get along without.

Tar River Saya No Till drill is a new alternative that will work on many soils. Tar River Saya 507 will run you about $6000. New. It has both large and small seed boxes. A little harder to set up(?).

There are guys that convert conventional drills to a there point hitch version and cut them down to size. Expect to pay $3000 to $6000 depending on your needs / wishes.

There are some lesser known brands also but these drills are the mainstream products at this point in time.

What category do you fit into?? (I went with the Tar River Saya 505 (five foot wide version) and have about the kind of acres you talk about above - it's working for me.)

 

[Robert86]

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.

That's how I spread my seed, I have one guy drive and I spread. I made my own mix of brassica's and calcium so I don't spread to heavy. It works great, I farm, and have equipment to use and find it's easier and faster just to do it this way for my plots. Only this I use a planter for is corn and beans, winter rye I use my grain drill, but I wouldn't have too.

 

[Foggy47]

That's how I spread my seed, I have one guy drive and I spread. I made my own mix of brassica's and calcium so I don't spread to heavy. It works great, I farm, and have equipment to use and find it's easier and faster just to do it this way for my plots. Only this I use a planter for is corn and beans, winter rye I use my grain drill, but I wouldn't have too.

I've got a drill.....but I also rigged my Herd Seeder so that it can be lifted high above standing crops on my loader.....or mounted on my UTV - front or rear. It could broadcast seeds into tall standing crops.....while perhaps pulling a cultipacker or roller / crimper on the three point. Also could apply fertilizer the same way. Not sure if I will use it this way.....but I do have a receiver on my Titan plate that would make it easy to use in such a fashion. Just need to hook up the wires and rig some pull ropes for the slide gate.

 

[omicron1792]

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.

I've got a drill.....but I also rigged my Herd Seeder so that it can be lifted high above standing crops on my loader.....or mounted on my UTV - front or rear. It could broadcast seeds into tall standing crops.....while perhaps pulling a cultipacker or roller / crimper on the three point. Also could apply fertilizer the same way. Not sure if I will use it this way.....but I do have a receiver on my Titan plate that would make it easy to use in such a fashion. Just need to hook up the wires and rig some pull ropes for the slide gate.

I’ve got a hitch mounted spreader I might do same thing with on my titan skid plate too. Great idea!

 

[Robert86]

I've got a drill.....but I also rigged my Herd Seeder so that it can be lifted high above standing crops on my loader.....or mounted on my UTV - front or rear. It could broadcast seeds into tall standing crops.....while perhaps pulling a cultipacker or roller / crimper on the three point. Also could apply fertilizer the same way. Not sure if I will use it this way.....but I do have a receiver on my Titan plate that would make it easy to use in such a fashion. Just need to hook up the wires and rig some pull ropes for the slide gate.

That's pretty slick, I bought a hopper for my leaf blower. I've blown brassicas in my stand corn and beans before, I did it while it was raining, turned out pretty good.

 

[PrairieShadow]

That's pretty slick, I bought a hopper for my leaf blower. I've blown brassicas in my stand corn and beans before, I did it while it was raining, turned out pretty good.

Tell me more about this hopper for a leaf blower.

 

[Robert86]

Tell me more about this hopper for a leaf blower.

Check out extreme blower products, that's the one I bought. It works great and really can shoot small brassica seeds, I'd say at least 100 feet if not more. I just drove around the field of corn, and blew the seed in the air, I did it during a rain storm. I was soaked but it worked perfectly. In my beans I'll walk through and blow seeds in spots where the deer really mowed down the beans. I always try and do it during rain, or just before.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

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.

When we cultipack prior to broadcasting seed, it's when we start with a naked piece of soil - disced with no existing crop left on it. T & M with a standing crop - we cultipack AFTER we broadcast the seed - for the reasons you gave. We've had good luck seeding into mature, yellowed, standing, headed-out BW, and then after overseeding, rolling the BW down. Good seed to soil contact and good germination.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

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.

The corrosion I mentioned previously is with the spreader motor - not the ATV. With the motor mounted below the hopper, the fertilizer fine dust gets into the motor (claimed to be "sealed") and the motor ends up shot before its time. The shields are not the problem - it's the location of the motor that throws the fertilizer. When we rinse the hopper to remove fertilizer residue, the liquid drainage gets into the "sealed" motor and corrodes it. Short life on a supposedly "sealed" motor. If we let the fertilizer residue on the spreader & hopper without rinsing, the metal parts corrode anyway. Catch 22 in our experience. We got 3 years out of a powered spreader mounted on an ATV before the motor was corroded beyond help.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Only person you have to justify it to is yourself, and maybe your better half, LOL!

I have to sell it to 20+ camp members !!! No easy task.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

Seems like for the plots OP plants a drill isn't necessary and may even be slower than throw and mow but there is still some benefits.
-Reduced reliance on thatch management
-Reduced necessity to time seeding concurrently with a rain forecasted and likely better resistance to drought conditions by getting seeds into moisture without tillage
-Higher germination rates - for smaller seeds not dropped directly between the openers i wonder about this one - are they all getting pressed by the press wheels? I could see a case where a lot of the small seeds are spilled or bounce outside of soil disturbed by coulters and openers into thatch and missed by press wheels where it would benefit to roll with a cultipacker anyway.
-Better protection from birds and other by getting seeds buried.
-Reduced seed use

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Check out extreme blower products, that's the one I bought. It works great and really can shoot small brassica seeds, I'd say at least 100 feet if not more. I just drove around the field of corn, and blew the seed in the air, I did it during a rain storm. I was soaked but it worked perfectly. In my beans I'll walk through and blow seeds in spots where the deer really mowed down the beans. I always try and do it during rain, or just before.

I'm gonna check this out.

 

[KingLoser]

I'm enjoying this thread...it is giving me many more things to think about.

 

[yoderjac]

When we cultipack prior to broadcasting seed, it's when we start with a naked piece of soil - disced with no existing crop left on it. T & M with a standing crop - we cultipack AFTER we broadcast the seed - for the reasons you gave. We've had good luck seeding into mature, yellowed, standing, headed-out BW, and then after overseeding, rolling the BW down. Good seed to soil contact and good germination.

Yes, with traditional tillage, cultipacking prior to planting is often used to break up clods and compress some of the air out of the soil.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

The corrosion I mentioned previously is with the spreader motor - not the ATV. With the motor mounted below the hopper, the fertilizer fine dust gets into the motor (claimed to be "sealed") and the motor ends up shot before its time. The shields are not the problem - it's the location of the motor that throws the fertilizer. When we rinse the hopper to remove fertilizer residue, the liquid drainage gets into the "sealed" motor and corrodes it. Short life on a supposedly "sealed" motor. If we let the fertilizer residue on the spreader & hopper without rinsing, the metal parts corrode anyway. Catch 22 in our experience. We got 3 years out of a powered spreader mounted on an ATV before the motor was corroded beyond help.

Thanks for the explanation. I'm about a year into a cheap $150 atv spreader and that doesn't surprise me.

 

[Diesel5610]

I have to sell it to 20+ camp members !!! No easy task.

Yep, I get it. It was basically the equivalent of my buddy and I each buying a 4 wheeler. We are both lucky enough to be at a point where we have disposable income and our properties and habitat management are our primary hobby. Worth it to us but it will be a different answer for everybody.
The current economy and hard times ahead may actually have some used ones popping up for anyone in a position to be able to take advantage of it.

 

[Foggy47]

I have to sell it to 20+ camp members !!! No easy task.

Do yourself (and your members) a favor and look at a few videos by Grant Woods on Growing Deer and the value of a NT Drill. Select one video that tells the whole story. Then send that video to your club members prior to discussion on adding a drill to your camp. Let him do the selling. Lay out the costs for the various scenarios of equipment you need to run the camp. If you have 20+ members......you could be into a drill for less than $1000 per member. That drill would reduce your costs over time....and provide better hunting in the future. With that many investors to spread the cost.....I think it is a no-brainer.

 

[Rit]

The corrosion I mentioned previously is with the spreader motor - not the ATV. With the motor mounted below the hopper, the fertilizer fine dust gets into the motor (claimed to be "sealed") and the motor ends up shot before its time. The shields are not the problem - it's the location of the motor that throws the fertilizer. When we rinse the hopper to remove fertilizer residue, the liquid drainage gets into the "sealed" motor and corrodes it. Short life on a supposedly "sealed" motor. If we let the fertilizer residue on the spreader & hopper without rinsing, the metal parts corrode anyway. Catch 22 in our experience. We got 3 years out of a powered spreader mounted on an ATV before the motor was corroded beyond help.

Look into fluid film. That will ease all your corrosion concerns.

 

[Wild Thing]

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

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That was a helluva deal Wind Gypsy. I bought the same drill 6 1/2 years ago on a “show special” with all of the options except the NWS grass box. I was really happy to get it for only $16,200. I understand the same drill today is well over 20K. I wouldn‘t sell mine for a nickel less than I paid for it. Whoever sold that drill must have been in a real bind for cash.

 

[Wild Thing]

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 !!!

BnB - I am only planting 16 acres currently with my Land Pride 606NT drill (pictured in my avatar) but the price of the drill was well worth it to me and still would have been if I were only planting 10 acres. I did sell my conventional drill and my JD7000 4-row planter when I bought the no till drill so there was some “trade-in” value there also. I have not used my heavy duty disc, my 12‘ vibra shank cultivator or my 6’ (wing) cultivator at all since I purchased the NT drill and plan to sell some of those implements as well in the near future.

It is surprising what little equipment you need when you have a decent tractor and a no till drill. After 6 years of no-till and cover cropping I don't need fertilizer anymore so I could probably sell my 3 pt cyclone spreader as well. I still use my 3 pt sprayer but I hope to continue to minimize my use of herbicides. I do hope to acquire a roller/crimper some day but I have been able to get by with my cultipacker in the mean time. The only other implement I use now is my rotary mower (brush hog) occasionally.

As mentioned previously, if you take care of your equipment it holds its value very well. I mentioned this in another thread recently but I believe just about every piece of farm equipment I have purchased (mostly used), I have sold for more than I paid for it - including my first farm tractor. The way I look at it is that I am pretty much just using these things for free. I am very confident that if I kicked the bucket tomorrow, my estate would be able to sell all of my equipment for pretty close to or more than what I paid for it.

There is also a big savings when you plant no-till and use cover cropping wisely. With the price of fertilizer this year, I am pretty sure I saved around 2K this year alone just not having to use synthetic fertilizer. My tractor logs also show that I am sitting in the tractor seat less than half the time I was when I was turning dirt - from well over 200 hours per year to less than 100 hours per year (i also use my tractor for winter snow removal). This is a savings in diesel fuel as well as a huge savings in time and tractor maintenance. Speaking of maintenance, you need not worry about not having mechanical skills to maintain your drill. I have used my drill now for almost 7 full planting seasons and all I have had to do to mine is grease the zerk fittings, air up the tires once in a while and keep it clean. Pretty much zero maintenance. I do wash it after every use and it is always parked inside my pole barn.

The combination of ease of planting, savings on inputs and tremendous boost in creating healthy soils for me has been a no-brainer. I realize that a lot of folks aren't going to be able to come up with the initial cost of good no till equipment or they are only planting a few acres so they can get by fine with hand tools and/or ATV equipment. I have been planting food plots since 1986 so I‘ve been there and done that myself. In my current situation the no till planting works best for me and I didnt have to break into my 401k or steal the kids college tuition money to do it so everybody is happy at home. In your situation I see this as a minor expense for 20 camp members. They will find that regenerative ag, the release system, buffalo system, or whatever you choose to call it, certainly has far more “pros” than “cons”.