Review of Landpride 3p600 drill

[omicron1792]

So you don’t crimp with fall planting. Only spring.

I posted this a few days ago.

Green cover summer release and fall release pics.

Same field. Summer release. Fall release roday

habitat-talk.com

This is me drilling into a different field.



This is right this second. Same field.



There is no one on the planet that has done this exact process more than grant woods with growingdeertv. I have talked to him numerous times about this. He does not use cutting coulters on his genesis drill. He drives his tractor three times a year on the field. He plants in spring with drill. He crimps In spring. Then he plants in fall with drill. That’s it.

GP people want to sell you a more expensive drill. If you were a farmer and drilling cover into a corn crop then yes. Get front coulters. Otherwise this is it my man.

 

[Foggy47]

What you suggest is what I am doing too. I used my Tar River 505 drill for two seasons and would drill into the standing crops (plant "green") to minimize thatch issues. Then after planting I rolled the rye over the newly planted crop. No issues. In fall.....the rye was decayed enough that planting through the thatch was a non-event.

I did try four ways to terminate rye. 1. Spraying with herbicide. 2. Flail Mowing. 3. Roller Crimping. 4. Culitpacker All methods ESCEPT cultipacking work well to terminate. I prefer Roller Crimping 1st.....2nd would be flail mowing followed by herbicide (due solely to environmental reasons and limitations on other crops growing.). I have the same crimper as shown by Omi.

I sold my Tar River SAYA 505.....and Bought a Great Plains 3P500. and will be doing the same functions with it.....if all goes as planned.

 

[omicron1792]

What type of soil do you have?

Do you have pics of your fall plots coming through that milo/millet mix after planting/crimping?

Also type of dirt has little to do with it IMO.

I have all types but lots of Alabam clay. Won’t find tougher than that. But my drill cuts it like butter. I’m not sure front coulters would help you with hard dirt, and may actually hurt.

NT drill is heavier, but all the extra weight is in the front coulters. It actually spreads the weight more. My 3p600 every pound is on the planting coulters. And it weighs 2000lbs loaded with seed. I think mine does better in harder soils.

Again, if you were consistently planting into corn stalks then maybe. But you can see me drilling into thick millet and Milo and sorghum x sudan and my result.

 

[Foggy47]

I don't yet have experience with the 3P500 ......but feel certain what Omicron says will work for many of us. I got light soils.....and do not anticipate issues with penetration......tho some of those hard clay soils might be an issue. My "old" Tar River penetrated all kinds of situations even in virgin sod.

Also some will depend how deep you want seeds to go. I'd think an inch or less is quite attainable. Getting to 2.5" deep in hard clay could be a whole other issue. Most of my seeds go to 1/2" to 3/4" deep or so.

 

[swat1018]

The coulters help in areas other than soil and cutting. The "wavy" coulters are designed to work the ground a little bit, don't know how else to say it. Which, in turn, helps at effectively closing the trench.

 

[Brian662]

So you don’t crimp with fall planting. Only spring.

I posted this a few days ago.

Green cover summer release and fall release pics.

Same field. Summer release. Fall release roday

habitat-talk.com

This is me drilling into a different field.

View attachment 50765

This is right this second. Same field.

View attachment 50766

There is no one on the planet that has done this exact process more than grant woods with growingdeertv. I have talked to him numerous times about this. He does not use cutting coulters on his genesis drill. He drives his tractor three times a year on the field. He plants in spring with drill. He crimps In spring. Then he plants in fall with drill. That’s it.

GP people want to sell you a more expensive drill. If you were a farmer and drilling cover into a corn crop then yes. Get front coulters. Otherwise this is it my man.

What terminates the summer release?

I assume what the crimper is doing in the spring is basically crimping the rye leftover from the fall planting?

 

[omicron1792]

What terminates the summer release?

I assume what the crimper is doing in the spring is basically crimping the rye leftover from the fall

Correct in crimping and rye. Allelopathic of rye and thick layer helps suppress warm season weeds until planted crops take off.

Cold temps do. Also weed pressure less in fall and winter.

Fall seeds like clover also don’t do as well under deep thatch layer.

 

[Foggy47]

I do a drill and / or overseed with 100 lbs of winter rye and clovers about Sept 1. The rye will grow about 6 to 10" high and the deer love it in fall....and it's a good fail safe / emergency crop if brassicas fail due to drought, etc. The clover is planted for spring and to furnish nitrogen for future crops. In spring the deer are on that rye FIRST THING....followed soon by the clover. With a tough winter ......ANYTHING green is like a lifesaver to them. Then the rye really takes off to keep weeds from growing while the clover flourished hunter that rye. The rye provides fawning cover in June....form the numbers bears and coyotes here. In late June or Early July....I will start the process of planting my screen crops and my brasica plots for fall. Then terminate the rye via a roller crimper. (and / or in some cases terminate the clover / rye with chemicals to get the brasica established).

 

[Brian662]

Correct in crimping and rye. Allelopathic of rye and thick layer helps suppress warm season weeds until planted crops take off.

Cold temps do. Also weed pressure less in fall and winter.

Fall seeds like clover also don’t do as well under deep thatch layer.

I'll have to do some more research into the green cover seeds rotation then. I don't want clovers in the winter here in MN. I need high tonnage forage that will last into December, which is brassicas, cereal grains, etc.

Sorry for all the questions, just trying to figure out if this will work for my ideal setup.

 

[Foggy47]

I'll have to do some more research into the green cover seeds rotation then. I don't want clovers in the winter here in MN. I need high tonnage forage that will last into December, which is brassicas, cereal grains, etc.

Sorry for all the questions, just trying to figure out if this will work for my ideal setup.

I have about 10 acres of clover and rye. In July.....I NEED to terminate the clover via herbicides in order to get the brassica established. But in late summer I will again overseed that brasica with clover and rye for next year. WHY?.......in order to get the nitrogen credits stored up in that clover when it's terminated. This way you keep the ground covered (weeds surpassed) while you grow your own "feriltzer" and mulch with the cover and rye. Its BEAUTIFULL.....and an easy way to get 'er done.

 

[Brian662]

I have about 10 acres of clover and rye. In July.....I NEED to terminate the clover via herbicides in order to get the brassica established. But in late summer I will again overseed that brasica with clover and rye for next year. WHY?.......in order to get the nitrogen credits stored up in that clover when it's terminated. This way you keep the ground covered (weeds surpassed) while you grow your own "feriltzer" and mulch with the cover and rye. Its BEAUTIFULL.....and an easy way to get 'er done.

That seems like a better rotation to me than the true "summer release" blends given the shorter growing seasons in MN.

 

[Foggy47]

That seems like a better rotation to me than the true "summer release" blends given the shorter growing seasons in MN.

EXACTLY! I tried the summer release last year.....and I do not have a long engouh growing season here in zone 3 to get it to all work. Also....ifI do it that way....I am terminating my rye during peak fawning season.....which is a no-no for me. No point in it here.

Gotta add....I am in AZ during the winters (normally) and live on the lake. I get back in early May....and have lots of other stuff to do. By letting my doe fawn groups enjoy the food and fawning cover I get great quantities of food and cover.....while the peak weed season passes......and I do not lift a finger. To me....and my land.....this is the way to roll.

 

[omicron1792]

More pics of fields drilled with 3p600 in fall. All fields with thick summer crop that was either mowed then drilled, or drilled into standing crop.

 

[Foggy47]

The above pic is early spring just after the snow is gone. Those deer are pretty thin....and have had a tough winter here in the north. They are on that rye immediately.....and still will scavenge any remaining brasica bulbs and forage that is not rotten. In just another week or so....the clovers are flourishing and provide further nutrition as the rye appeal diminishes by late May.


I look at my land as basically several large and several small clover plots totaling 10 acres that wend through the property of 110 acres....the balance being timberland and swamp. Basically the plots are in about 12 different areas.....many are somewhat connected to one another and all are irregular shaped. I have grown three varieties of white clover, and a few varieties of red clovers. I will use more annual clovers in the future including medium red, crimson clover, and Frosty Berseem and Blansa clover (as I transition from perennial clovers to more annual and biannual clovers).

Then in June I need to use Glyphosate to terminate strips in these clovers (and the rye) prior to planting my brasica mix.......and a stip(s) of screen and vertical cover mix of sorghum Sudan, corn, millet, beans, and such. After planting these strips.....I then roller crimp the entire areas......and wait for fall.

If all goes as planned........In late August / Early September I intend to used my Herd Spin seeder mounted on the loader on my tractor......to broadcast clover and rye into the brasica and into the vertical screen cover strips. Then drill the clover perimeters with the same clovers and rye. Maybe add some oats or wheat (?) for more fall attraction. Much of that vertical cover will diminish into the fall and over winter. At which time the rye provides the needed cover in spring.....and allows the clovers to flourish once again.

 

[omicron1792]

View attachment 50787
The above pic is early spring just after the snow is gone. Those deer are pretty thin....and have had a tough winter here in the north. They are on that rye immediately.....and still will scavenge any remaining brasica bulbs and forage that is not rotten. In just another week or so....the clovers are flourishing and provide further nutrition as the rye appeal diminishes by late May.
View attachment 50789View attachment 50790

I look at my land as basically several large and several small clover plots totaling 10 acres that wend through the property of 110 acres....the balance being timberland and swamp. Basically the plots are in about 12 different areas.....many are somewhat connected to one another and all are irregular shaped. I have grown three varieties of white clover, and a few varieties of red clovers. I will use more annual clovers in the future including medium red, crimson clover, and Frosty Berseem and Blansa clover (as I transition from perennial clovers to more annual and biannual clovers).

Then in June I need to use Glyphosate to terminate strips in these clovers (and the rye) prior to planting my brasica mix.......and a stip(s) of screen and vertical cover mix of sorghum Sudan, corn, millet, beans, and such. After planting these strips.....I then roller crimp the entire areas......and wait for fall.

If all goes as planned........In late August / Early September I intend to used my Herd Spin seeder mounted on the loader on my tractor......to broadcast clover and rye into the brasica and into the vertical screen cover strips. Then drill the clover perimeters with the same clovers and rye. Maybe add some oats or wheat (?) for more fall attraction. Much of that vertical cover will diminish into the fall and over winter. At which time the rye provides the needed cover in spring.....and allows the clovers to flourish once again.

Love that clover Foggy

 

[Brian662]

I put money down today on a GP 3p600. All said and done, it was $14,750 with small seed box, 7.5" rows, seed agitator. Unfortunately it won't be ready until Jan 2024 but I feel like it's a very good price and if it doesn't happen to fit my needs, I'll be able to move on from it for very close to purchase price.

I've got about a year and change to figure out what rotations I want to use and how best to utilize the drill. I'm looking forward to the journey.

 

[Foggy47]

I spent the day at my land today. About 1/2 my time was spent setting up my used Great Plains 3P-500 drill. It had the drive wheel set for too deep of use for me as the previous owner must have wanted to drill soybeans at about 2.5" or more. I had a devil of a time adjusting that drive chain to get the slack out of it.....as I did not quite understand the chain tightener set-up and it was hard to get a "purchase" on the "rotating affair" they had for this drill. I was working in the sun in 85 degree temps with some high humidity.....so that did not sit well with me.

Couple of observations:

* The center drive wheel is paramount to good operation. Kinda fussy about keeping contact when drilling seed.
* I poured a 5 gallon pail of sunflowers in and it all ran out. <----Now I understand the settings on the seed cups. (really was a piss-me-off moment tho....lotsa extra work).
*. The drill is freaking high. I'm too old to climb up on that silly step they have to look into the seed box .....or add more seed. I gotta figure a way to attach a two-step ladder to the rig.
* Took me a bit to set this drill up for my needs. It was used and the previous owner had different land and purposes. I found some chunks of clay wedged in the drill....I'm sure the previous owner had heavy soils. I wish I had just bought a new drill....as the savings were not too great. Found one bent steel piece that needs to be repaired or replaced. This is one implement that I got a little bamboozled on. I will get over it.
* I do feel that this drill will far outlast the Tar River Saya I replaced with this one.....and the engineering and fasteners and quality of the components is quite evident to me. However the Tar River has a few benefits too. Like just getting onto the walk-boards. No big deal when your 40....but when your 75 it's a huge thing.
* I am very pleased so far in the ability of this drill to penetrate my soils. NO PROBLEM using this "conventional' drill for "no till" purposes in my sandy soil. I planted into some existing clover/ rye ground......and into some heavy sod I have in some low ground. Penetration of the openers was fine in both cases. I see no need for a leading Coulter for my purposes. The soil here is very hard and dry currently.....so I know I can be happy in other conditions.
*. My tractor "toyed" with lifting and pulling this drill. It's only 5' wide and I know I could pull a wider drill with ease. Still.....I likely wont have more than an extra hour in time to plant my current (8 acres) of land with this drill....vs a 6 footer. Almost any small diesel tractor can handle this drill....IMO.

My 2 cents.

 

[Brian662]

Good review Foggy, I'm sure you'll fabricate some kind of foldable step similar to a boat ladder that will get you onto the drill much easier than the factory setup allows.
Congrats again on the new toy and can't wait to see pics of your applications and successes soon!

 

[deepsleep]

I really enjoyed reading this thread, as well as the many others comparing the nt vs. min-till drills vs PH drills, etc. Like many of you in the past, I'm currently in the research/shopping phase for a drill. My hunting property is a few states away, and I am only able to get up there a couple of times yearly to plant. Initially, I had multiple micro plots in the woods as well as a larger plot in a power line. Total food plot area was around 5 or 6 Ac. I've done a little of everything over the years, but last few years, I settled into a rotation of throw and spray/cultipack rye and buckwheat, although the last 2 have been rye only and a few areas of clover. This winter, I acquired another piece of land with around 14 Ac additional tillable. 9 of that is Ag ground that has been NT soybeans for at least a decade, the other is a newly cleared powerline. This spring I put in about 8 acres of corn with my Brutebuster 3 row planter. Despite it being a bit rocky, I had no trouble no-tilling into this. For those that aren't familiar, this planter is technically till or min-till with shark teeth row cleaners on the front and double disk openers and closing wheel. I'm currently trying to formulate a longer term plan to decrease fertilizer and herbicide use. I'm thinking I could set up a rotation where every other or 3rd year I'll plant a corn/bean mix (beans in middle row of planter) rotated with diverse cover crop blends. In the spring, I'll plant corn/beans in one half and drill the summer blend into the other. In the fall, overseed the corn/bean mix with rye/clover/radishes/etc, and drill the fall blend into the summer blend. I guess my question related to the 3p500/600 series pertains to whether or not my tractor can handle it, and how time-intensive is it to set up each time. I have an L4240, which I'm guessing will work, as it is similar to the MX series some of you guys are using-- it has higher 3pt capacity but smaller loader and frame. The other concern pertains to setup--in reading through about 6000 posts on here and other forums, I've seen where people have had some growing pains. Is it feasible to get to my property, hook it up and be off and running in an hour or less (after the initial learning phase). Also, for those that have them, do you wish you had gone with the NT model or towable NT model? I'd rather go with the 3p600 because of all of my remote plots. Thanks.

 

[omicron1792]

I really enjoyed reading this thread, as well as the many others comparing the nt vs. min-till drills vs PH drills, etc. Like many of you in the past, I'm currently in the research/shopping phase for a drill. My hunting property is a few states away, and I am only able to get up there a couple of times yearly to plant. Initially, I had multiple micro plots in the woods as well as a larger plot in a power line. Total food plot area was around 5 or 6 Ac. I've done a little of everything over the years, but last few years, I settled into a rotation of throw and spray/cultipack rye and buckwheat, although the last 2 have been rye only and a few areas of clover. This winter, I acquired another piece of land with around 14 Ac additional tillable. 9 of that is Ag ground that has been NT soybeans for at least a decade, the other is a newly cleared powerline. This spring I put in about 8 acres of corn with my Brutebuster 3 row planter. Despite it being a bit rocky, I had no trouble no-tilling into this. For those that aren't familiar, this planter is technically till or min-till with shark teeth row cleaners on the front and double disk openers and closing wheel. I'm currently trying to formulate a longer term plan to decrease fertilizer and herbicide use. I'm thinking I could set up a rotation where every other or 3rd year I'll plant a corn/bean mix (beans in middle row of planter) rotated with diverse cover crop blends. In the spring, I'll plant corn/beans in one half and drill the summer blend into the other. In the fall, overseed the corn/bean mix with rye/clover/radishes/etc, and drill the fall blend into the summer blend. I guess my question related to the 3p500/600 series pertains to whether or not my tractor can handle it, and how time-intensive is it to set up each time. I have an L4240, which I'm guessing will work, as it is similar to the MX series some of you guys are using-- it has higher 3pt capacity but smaller loader and frame. The other concern pertains to setup--in reading through about 6000 posts on here and other forums, I've seen where people have had some growing pains. Is it feasible to get to my property, hook it up and be off and running in an hour or less (after the initial learning phase). Also, for those that have them, do you wish you had gone with the NT model or towable NT model? I'd rather go with the 3p600 because of all of my remote plots. Thanks.

Never one time have I wished I had the NT model or pull behind over my 3p600