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

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.
Don't know, but ferminator is not a no-till drill.
 
Don't know, but ferminator is not a no-till drill.
I'm interested in an implement that will make planting easier. Price will be the governing factor. With 20+ members in camp - it's extremely tough to get enough votes to spend significant money on things. As it stands now, it's most likely that we'll continue to broadcast plant by walking the plots, (HOT, HEAVY work in late July & August!!!!), or having a guy drive a 4-wheeler, while another cranks a spreader sitting on the back rack. 2 of us bought our OWN Solo poly-hopper hand crank style spreaders ......... but they're too hard to lug around loaded for hours in the heat & humidity. Our backs aren't getting any younger!!

I know they make powered spreaders for 4-wheelers, but suggesting we BUY one brings grumbles and groans. We're talking $200 to maybe $500 for such a spreader. You'd have to hear the grumbling to believe it.

The reason I'D like to have a no-till drill are because some of the seed we plant gets cleaned up by turkeys before it can sprout. We have flocks of anywhere between 20 and 35 spend days scratching up the seed. A drill would probably put the bolts to those turkeys, and we'd get a crop. For some seeds, cultipacking hasn't worked to hide the seed - dragging either. BW, oats, wheat, and to a lesser extent rye - get hammered by turkeys. Expensive to provide bird feed to turkeys.
 
I'm interested in an implement that will make planting easier. Price will be the governing factor. With 20+ members in camp - it's extremely tough to get enough votes to spend significant money on things. As it stands now, it's most likely that we'll continue to broadcast plant by walking the plots, (HOT, HEAVY work in late July & August!!!!), or having a guy drive a 4-wheeler, while another cranks a spreader sitting on the back rack. 2 of us bought our OWN Solo poly-hopper hand crank style spreaders ......... but they're too hard to lug around loaded for hours in the heat & humidity. Our backs aren't getting any younger!!

I know they make powered spreaders for 4-wheelers, but suggesting we BUY one brings grumbles and groans. We're talking $200 to maybe $500 for such a spreader. You'd have to hear the grumbling to believe it.

The reason I'D like to have a no-till drill are because some of the seed we plant gets cleaned up by turkeys before it can sprout. We have flocks of anywhere between 20 and 35 spend days scratching up the seed. A drill would probably put the bolts to those turkeys, and we'd get a crop. For some seeds, cultipacking hasn't worked to hide the seed - dragging either. BW, oats, wheat, and to a lesser extent rye - get hammered by turkeys. Expensive to provide bird feed to turkeys.
What kind of soils do you have?.......and what are you going to operate the drill with? Tractor model?

Edit: I've seen some pretty nice conventional drills that can be used as a no-till drill in the right soils. A converted five or six foot 3 point drill sells for about $2500. or so.
 
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I'm interested in an implement that will make planting easier. Price will be the governing factor. With 20+ members in camp - it's extremely tough to get enough votes to spend significant money on things. As it stands now, it's most likely that we'll continue to broadcast plant by walking the plots, (HOT, HEAVY work in late July & August!!!!), or having a guy drive a 4-wheeler, while another cranks a spreader sitting on the back rack. 2 of us bought our OWN Solo poly-hopper hand crank style spreaders ......... but they're too hard to lug around loaded for hours in the heat & humidity. Our backs aren't getting any younger!!

I know they make powered spreaders for 4-wheelers, but suggesting we BUY one brings grumbles and groans. We're talking $200 to maybe $500 for such a spreader. You'd have to hear the grumbling to believe it.

The reason I'D like to have a no-till drill are because some of the seed we plant gets cleaned up by turkeys before it can sprout. We have flocks of anywhere between 20 and 35 spend days scratching up the seed. A drill would probably put the bolts to those turkeys, and we'd get a crop. For some seeds, cultipacking hasn't worked to hide the seed - dragging either. BW, oats, wheat, and to a lesser extent rye - get hammered by turkeys. Expensive to provide bird feed to turkeys.

I wish you luck Bows. In my experience the guys doing the grumbling are usually not the same ones putting all the sweat equity into the plots or the projects. We are finally at a place where we have equipment which has cut down on the labor and resulted in better plots.
 
Bowsnbucks,

No-till drills are nice. Traditonal seeders can be used in some soils, like grain drills.

Seeds can be spread, then disced lightly, and cultipacked. You could weld seed box ontop of a set of discs, use a drop wheel and chain to get the spreader to roll, then use some large funnels and hose to direct the seed onto the discs. The JD might be able to drag the cultipacker behind the discs too.

IF you cna change the ang;e of the discs to something less agressive, or put a depth setting set of wheels on the back to keep it from going too deep.

Brillion seeders can be found for $1500 or so.

Far as beating up spreader motors. This is what I did. I bought a used gandy drop spreader and use the boradcast spreader for seed only.

I feel for ya being in the club. IT's knida nice not being the only guy on here to share their land..... I do a touch over an acre. 3 old log landings and a 1/4 mile of snowmobile trail.
 
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A little closer to PA.........
 
What kind of soils do you have?.......and what are you going to operate the drill with? Tractor model?
Clayish loam with small stones in it. Our tractor is a JD 55hp bought new with logging money. We've had it about 9 years now.
 
I wish you luck Bows. In my experience the guys doing the grumbling are usually not the same ones putting all the sweat equity into the plots or the projects.
BINGO, Diesel !!! Same here. Grumblers are NOT putting in the sweat at our place either. A couple of us have been doing the planting of plots for about 8 years. We aren't getting younger, and our backs take a beating lugging 40 lb. hoppers of seed & fertilizer for hours in the heat.

If we could find an effective way to keep turkeys off our buckwheat, oats & wheat after planting and cultipacking, we wouldn't need a drill. Turkeys clean up everything.
 
BINGO, Diesel !!! Same here. Grumblers are NOT putting in the sweat at our place either. A couple of us have been doing the planting of plots for about 8 years. We aren't getting younger, and our backs take a beating lugging 40 lb. hoppers of seed & fertilizer for hours in the heat.

If we could find an effective way to keep turkeys off our buckwheat, oats & wheat after planting and cultipacking, we wouldn't need a drill. Turkeys clean up everything.

Without reading back through the whole thread - seems like disking your bigger seeds in is probably the best option with what you've got to prevent the turks from eating them all? Are you just trying to avoid the tillage?
 
BINGO, Diesel !!! Same here. Grumblers are NOT putting in the sweat at our place either. A couple of us have been doing the planting of plots for about 8 years. We aren't getting younger, and our backs take a beating lugging 40 lb. hoppers of seed & fertilizer for hours in the heat.

If we could find an effective way to keep turkeys off our buckwheat, oats & wheat after planting and cultipacking, we wouldn't need a drill. Turkeys clean up everything.
Lots of people having great luck with tar river saya drill. Whole thread on it on this forum.
 
Clayish loam with small stones in it. Our tractor is a JD 55hp bought new with logging money. We've had it about 9 years now.

Sounds like you have plenty of tractor to pull most small drills. Not sure if a conventional drill would work for you.....worth checking into. As said the Tar River has worked well for many of us....including myself. I do ten acres with the drill now.....and put 1/3 the time on my tractor now. Could rent a tractor for a few days each year if you have the means to mow with other equipment.....invest in the drill and use the money for other improvements. (just a thought).

Ive used my drill for 1.5 years now....and consider selling some of my tillage equipment. Bigger reasons tho.....less moisture needed (big thing in my sand) and less fertilizer inputs = lower costs and effort going forward.
 
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Without reading back through the whole thread - seems like disking your bigger seeds in is probably the best option with what you've got to prevent the turks from eating them all? Are you just trying to avoid the tillage?
Not necessarily trying to avoid tillage - just the turkeys eating the seed before it can get going. Discing may be the way to go - cultipacking hasn't stopped the turks. Will discs bury the seed to deep? Less aggressive disc angle??
 
Not necessarily trying to avoid tillage - just the turkeys eating the seed before it can get going. Discing may be the way to go - cultipacking hasn't stopped the turks. Will discs bury the seed to deep? Less aggressive disc angle??

With experimenting you should be able to find what works to keep seeds from getting buried too deep. A less aggressive disc angle or a chain drag harrow should work fine.

Sequence: Disk, broadcast big seeds, lightly disk or use a chain drag harrow, broadcast small seeds, then cultipack. That's how we do it at my parents place. Sure takes longer than one pass with a drill but germination is great.
 
Do "conventional" drills require tillage before using them?? (You can tell I'm no farmer!!) If so - how do you prep the seed-bed?? How does the seed get covered? (seeds like buckwheat, oats, wheat, rye, peas.) I'm / we're familiar with plows, discs, spring-tooth and spike harrows, PTO-driven mower decks .......... drills and roller-crimpers - not so much. We're on a mountain-top old farmstead with fields established probably 100+ years ago.
With 20+ guys as members, we typically get 20+ ways to do any given thing "the right way." This is why I ask you gents who ACTUALLY know farm equipment !!!!
 
) or use a chain drag harrow,
Chain drag harrow?? We've used a section of chain-link fence before - is that what you're talking about?? Or an actual set of chains arranged somehow??
 
Do "conventional" drills require tillage before using them?? (You can tell I'm no farmer!!) If so - how do you prep the seed-bed?? How does the seed get covered? (seeds like buckwheat, oats, wheat, rye, peas.) I'm / we're familiar with plows, discs, spring-tooth and spike harrows, PTO-driven mower decks .......... drills and roller-crimpers - not so much. We're on a mountain-top old farmstead with fields established probably 100+ years ago.
With 20+ guys as members, we typically get 20+ ways to do any given thing "the right way." This is why I ask you gents who ACTUALLY know farm equipment !!!!

In clay I assume you'd have a tough time getting good seed coverage with a "conventional" drill without tillage prior to planting. The ones ive seen just have a few links of chain dragging behind each row to cover and if you just have a slit in clay it's going to be hard to move soil on top of the seed if not worked pretty good before hand.
 
In clay I assume you'd have a tough time getting good seed coverage with a "conventional" drill without tillage prior to planting. The ones ive seen just have a few links of chain dragging behind each row to cover and if you just have a slit in clay it's going to be hard to move soil on top of the seed if not worked pretty good before hand.
I have no experience operating a conventional drill in heavy loam or clay soils. Tho from what I have read it would seem that it's a no-go without loosening up the soil first via disking or tilling. In my light soils many folks can get along just fine with a conventional drill used in a no-till fashion. (One saving grace in light, sandy soil.)

Edit: Just reflecting on what the change to no-till has done for me and my land. Normally I would start with one trip with the sprayer....and Usually I made two passes with the disk or one pass with the tiller each spring. (thus drying out my soil). Then broadcast seeds, followed by a drag (more drying) and followed by a cultipacker. Usually one or two passes with fertilizer and another pass with a sprayer. I think this year I am done with fertilizers.....and will do a chemical burn down and some possibly (?) minimal tillage in July to establish brassica plots within my clover plots. Then In fall I will drill winter rye and clovers into the plots and broadcast the winter rye tot the brasica. That's it.
 
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Totally depends on the drill. My drill is conventional but weighs 2k with seed. That matters more IMO than front cutting coulters which many remove anyways.

The front coulters are for cutting through thatch and such more than the dirt. I think a no till drill over conventional drill “may” have an advantage in that scenario. However, in dirt there is more weight on the planting coulter in a conventional drill than a no till drill so my guess is I get seed in dirt better than I’d drill had front coulters.

This is way way beyond what you need in this thread!!!
 
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