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

[Bowsnbucks]

A firminator could be a compromise. The discs set straight make small slots in soil, and the cultipacker really helps with germination. Then can mow thatch down that stands back up. I’ve had good success with mine.

I'll have to look into a "firminator." Never heard the term.

 

[Foggy47]

Given our camp's frugal nature, I don't see a drill in our near future unless one of us hits a lottery.

For our min-till / no-tilling, I think we'll be doing T&M. Our plots have been satisfactory without drilling. We aren't going for the cover of "Food Plotters Monthly" !!! I was under the impression that for good plot success, in some situations - a drill was almost necessary. Broadcasting seed over top of existing thatch (whatever type) was the situation I THOUGHT would be better done with a drill - as opposed to broadcasting. Maybe it's not that hyper-critical. We do pack after seeding to get better seed/soil contact, and that probably knocks seeds down through the thatch that haven't already hit the soil. OPINIONS WELCOME!!!

I guess I drew the wrong conclusion on smaller seeds not working well in a drill. Wild Thing's post above showed they DO WORK well. No doubt - as shown in his pic.

Seems odd to me that you guys have a 55 HP tractor ($50,000 tractor) and then balk at the implements to use with it. That Firminator will cost more than that $3500 Tar River drill said above....and then you are in the semi tillage world to make it work. I'd take some time to think now what your budget and goals are for this stuff. I realize its hard to work with a group on this stuff.....and old ways are hard to change.

 

[yoderjac]

Seems odd to me that you guys have a 55 HP tractor ($50,000 tractor) and then balk at the implements to use with it. That Firminator will cost more than that $3500 Tar River drill said above....and then you are in the semi tillage world to make it work. I'd take some time to think now what your budget and goals are for this stuff. I realize its hard to work with a group on this stuff.....and old ways are hard to change.

Maybe I missed it. Did he tell us how old the tractor was?

 

[Foggy47]

Maybe I missed it. Did he tell us how old the tractor was?

"Our tractor was bought NEW about 8 years ago - a JD 55 HP with hyd. lift in the rear."

^ about post number 6 or so.

 

[yoderjac]

"Our tractor was bought NEW about 8 years ago - a JD 55 HP with hyd. lift in the rear."

^ about post number 6 or so.

Yep, I missed it.

 

[buckdeer1]

I bought a great plains solid stand today for 500.00.It's a min till and 14 ft,I could pull it with my tractor in my light soils.It has a drive wheel on one side and is set up with a 3pt option with a dolly.I might look at cutting and making into a 7ft 3pt drill

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Seems odd to me that you guys have a 55 HP tractor ($50,000 tractor) and then balk at the implements to use with it. That Firminator will cost more than that $3500 Tar River drill said above....and then you are in the semi tillage world to make it work. I'd take some time to think now what your budget and goals are for this stuff. I realize its hard to work with a group on this stuff.....and old ways are hard to change.

The tractor was bought with funds from a 1-time logging. Any purchases now are viewed with MUCH more scrutiny.

 

[omicron1792]

Came in today…. Super pumped. In fantastic shape. Greases and lubricates everything, it’s ready to go.

 

[Foggy47]

Good on you Omicron. I'd sure like to hear your experience with that. Are you planning to no-till with it? I was very close to "upgrading" to a 3P500 a few months back. Not sure if it would perform better on my land than what I got. (and that is my dilemma). What tractor you operating with? Soils look light? Please post your results with this machine. Thanks.

 

[omicron1792]

Kubota mx5400. I’ll be happy to keep y’all updated. I’ve learned so much from y’all!

Yes. I’m hooked on no till these days. That’s the plan. Bought a 6’ Goliath crimper too.

You can also see some switch popping up that I planted on this side of the tractor. Man that stuff is a Lesson in patience.

 

[Wild Thing]

Congrats on the new drill Omicron. You are going to love it.

 

[Tree Spud]

I'll have to look into a "firminator." Never heard the term.

I upgraded from a JD Van Brundt cut down drill to a Firminator this year. Very pleased with it. It will plant clover to corn seed. The disc can be adjusted to vary the angle and depth of cut. This is their 6'. There are scrapers on both the disc and the cultipacker to remove mud which is real handy. very well built.

There is a write-up on it in my land thread...
https://habitat-talk.com/threads/herron-ridge-…-trials-tribulations-some-good-stuff.13327/page-4

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Thanks for the pics and info, Spud !!!! That thing looks like the ticket for food plots. I'll have to look over at your other thread to read more on it.

What other cultipacker disc sizes are there??

 

[yoderjac]

Thanks for the pics and info, Spud !!!! That thing looks like the ticket for food plots. I'll have to look over at your other thread to read more on it.

What other cultipacker disc sizes are there??

In general, I'm not a fan of all in one implements short of a no-till drill. Most, like the PlotMaster, do lots of operations but not well. Of the all-in-one implements, the Firminator is one of the best. It is heavier duty than most of the others. On the old site, Alpha Doe posted a lot about the firminator. It does have some limitations, but I can't recall what they were, but in generally they were very happy with it. They are pretty heavy. It would be interesting to see if the disc, set quite straight, would work well for a min-till approach.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[omicron1792]

Thanks for the pics and info, Spud !!!! That thing looks like the ticket for food plots. I'll have to look over at your other thread to read more on it.

What other cultipacker disc sizes are there??

I’m a big fan. Keeping mine with the drill. I have a lot of logging roads and small sites it’s perfect for.

Cultipacker sizes are 9 and 16”. Can’t think of a reason not to get the bigger one.

I have William Yancy contact info if anyone wants one. First class operation. Well built machine.

 

[yoderjac]

I’m a big fan. Keeping mine with the drill. I have a lot of logging roads and small sites it’s perfect for.

Cultipacker sizes are 9 and 16”. Can’t think of a reason not to get the bigger one.

I have William Yancy contact info if anyone wants one. First class operation. Well built machine.

Weight may be an issue for some with smaller tractors with less lift capacity. I presume the 16" cultipacker increases the weight.

 

[omicron1792]

Weight may be an issue for some with smaller tractors with less lift capacity. I presume the 16" cultipacker increases the weight.

Yeah. It’s a heavy machine. I don’t have numbers in front of me but 6’ with all bells and whistles prob 1800lbs.

I view this as a positive though.

 

[Tree Spud]

Weight may be an issue for some with smaller tractors with less lift capacity. I presume the 16" cultipacker increases the weight.

Yeah. It’s a heavy machine. I don’t have numbers in front of me but 6’ with all bells and whistles prob 1800lbs.

I view this as a positive though.

Weight on my 6' Firminator with 16" cultipacker is 1,750 lbs. I have a Kubota MX5800 and did fine with it. The heavier cultipacker did a good job breaking up the soil clods. There is a 4' 3 pt model and you can get a tow behind version.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Bumping this thread.
What does a 6' Firminator cost?? Trying to get ACCURATE prices online is tough. Some sites won't give prices. I've read some great write-ups about Firminators.

 

[omicron1792]

About 8k now