omicron1792
5 year old buck +
Correct Brian.
I like the agitator. I can’t think why you wouldn’t want one. Yes it’s in large seed box only.
I like the agitator. I can’t think why you wouldn’t want one. Yes it’s in large seed box only.
Review of Landpride 3p600 drill
- Thread starter omicron1792
- Start date
deepsleep
5 year old buck +
Well, neither dealer has called me back, but I'm still researching. I'm thinking the best plan for now is to plant 1/2 of my acreage in wide double row corn, with a row of soybeans in between each pair of rows. I think I can get my corn rows out to about 64" so I can drive a Ranger in between to overseed PTT, WR, Radishes, clover in the fall. In the spring, drill in a summer mix and in the fall drill in a fall mix, then back to corn/beans the next spring. The other 1/2 will be in rotation with this. My question is whether a 3p600 will drill into the remaining corn stalks that next spring to plant a summer crop. I'm assuming it is best to leave them standing and drill in the direction they were planted. I have sandy loam. Is this possible or is it asking too much?
Brian662
5 year old buck +
I think that may be messy...double disc openers getting corn stalks wedged in there and fouling up things is what I visualize but I've never tried it.
Wind Gypsy
5 year old buck +
I don’t think you’d have much for clogging/tangling but haven’t done it. I’d think the main downside would be the openers coming out of the ground when they run over corn stalks.
Foggy47
5 year old buck +
After I quit on row crops and corn.....I had flail mowed the corn in early summer. Then I did not drill into it until late August. Non-event with corn stalk residue with that time between planting. The fall mower chewed it up pretty fine.....and time breaks it down. I've read that "hair pinning" with straw can be a concern....but I don't think corn trash should be a huge concern if you chop it.
deepsleep
5 year old buck +
I appreciate the shared experiences. I think as long as I can get most of the seed in the ground and some only TO it, It'll be worth it. I just don't want to sacrifice small plot planting ability with the 606nt and don't want to spend a ton of money on a much larger tractor to use a 3p606nt. I also had thought about getting a flail mower and mowing in the late winter/early spring.
omicron1792
5 year old buck +
I would drill the corn in the spring/summer, then leave it standing and just broadcast rye and clover into it in the fall instead of drilling it.
deepsleep
5 year old buck +
Yes, I agree 100%. My plan is to follow this overseeded corn with a summer blend in the spring and then a fall blend then back to corn/beans the next spring. I'm planning to only have 1/2 of my tillable in a corn bean mix every year and rotate with a GC style mix. I'm hoping to get my planter out to about 64" on the outside, so I can drive my Ranger between rows to broadcast rye/clover/radishes in the late summer. The middle row will be soybeans. I'll plant each pass tight to emulate double rows, 60" apart with a row of soybeans in between.
Foggy47
5 year old buck +
I'm offering up this "synopsis" for those guys that are looking into a drill. Hope it helps.
I've been doing food plots for over 15 years now. The last four years I have had a drill. It's been a great adventure for me. Four years ago, I started with a Tar River Saya 505 and got along pretty well with it for two seasons. It was "affordable" and got me in the door. After some experience and lots of reading I took a plunge to my current Great Plains 3P500. There was so little said about the GP/LP 3P500/600 anywhere on the web or YouTube.....so it was a bit of a leap of faith for me......and for a few other brave souls on this board.
These drills were new tools to me....and both took a bit of seat time to figure out. The early Tar River products were set up very haphazardly at the factory....and I was an early adopter to that Tar River product. I have written extensively about it both here and at the Facebook site....in an effort to help others with it too. It's a good product for the money and will serve many folks well. Tho if I were buying a Tar River today.....I believe I would simply purchase their Conventional Grain Drill model (without the slicing coulters) over the Says model.....especially for light soil use. You'd save some money over the Saya model....and likely get similar results. Those no-till coulters may do more harm than good IMO....and in the opinions of other users as they produce the need for more weight to penetrate due to the additional coulters. "Maybe" real hard soils would prove different....but I have my doubts. ( I have read that Tar River listened to what many of us early users had said....and now is assembling a better quality product and it should produce a better experience out of the gate. Nice work Tar River!)
Anyway.....after some time with the Tar River product I found their seed delivery system was not up to par with the Great Plains / Land Pride drills.....and the lower priced Tar River is not the same quality in some other areas too. Though it may be perfectly adequate for many of us......I decided to make a move into a better quality drill. I like quality equipment.....so I made a change. I compared the Great Plains / Land Pride with the Genesis products.....and saw no advantage in the Genesis product....other than a bit more weight. That may have been a concern before my experience with the Tar River......but especially in my light soils I became convinced the GP/LP product WITHOUT the no-till coulters would work for me. Today....after two years of use.....I have NO Doubt the Great Plains / Land Pride drills are the best solution for my land (and I believe for many others too). Tho I have no experience using the Genesis products.....so there is that. I have a hard time accepting that a single seed box will work for both large and small seeds. Genesis added a small seed box option now....but that comes at a still higher price. Also Genesis continues to refine their products....and I'm sure they are good. Likely it would deliver similar results....maybe better in hard clay soils? Tho.....I have been able to penetrate through virgin sod and any previous crop residue and mulch in my ground.....both in dry and wet conditions. I simply do not have a problem with getting seeds in the seed trench provided by my drill.
The GP/LP No-till product: 3PNT600 would likely be a good product too.....but I think that would require more tractor to lift the unit than I have got......and many others here too. I'm certain the pull type models would be great too....but many of us operate in small irregular food plots with timber on all sides. We need a 3 point mounted drill to operate. Simply too hard to maneuver a pull type product for me. If I had large open fields or a bigger tractor...there is little doubt I would look in that direction as I think the pull-type units provide still better function. Pulling these drills is of little concern.....it becomes all about the ability to lift the drill and operate it safely on hilly conditions...with the 30 HP tractors (or so) that many of us have.
I've had a few ups and downs learning how to operate the Great Plains "minimum till" drill. Mine came to me used.....and it was set up a bit wonky evidently for different soil conditions.....so I had a little whitewater time overcoming the previous user's settings. Also I added a neat rear step which I think GP/LP should offer too. It's hard to access the walk boards to put seed in the hoppers for us old guys. I needed a small ladder to accompany me into the field prior to my rear step additon. This should not be....IMO. Also I added a foam marker system which is super helpful when drilling into standing crops and duff situations. Only change I can think of....is I would buy a GP 3P600 over the 3P500 I have. Little, if any advantage in the foot smaller unit. ....and, I don't think they offer the 3P500 anymore.
Another improvement would be to make weight brackets for both sides of these drills to enable 4 suitcase weights to be easily added. That may solve some clay soil considerations? .....just a couple of hat-shaped irons would do the trick and enable us to hang some extra weight. I would offer the foam markers as an option. I likely would also order agitators if I were buying new.
Another improvement that GP/LP could incorporate.....is to make that drive wheel adjustment easier for users. That chain tension adjustment and wheel bolt set up requires too much time and effort....IMO. Yet....once you got it set.....you got it. (Mine came to me far too deep for my purposes.) I likely will have no use to plant things more than about 1" deep. I think that is true for many of us. That was one shortcoming of the Tar River product IMO. Getting and maintaining a depth set up is a bit of smoke and mirrors with the Tar River. It works....but it was always "iffy" to me. Also, a hydraulic top link makes set up so much easier....highly recommended.
Orienting the small seed box tube to drop seeds BEHIND the trench was my latest learning event with my current drill. Mine came to me with the seed tube delivering small box seeds into the seed trench. Also, I had converted my Tar River hoses to deliver seeds behind the trench....by relocating the drop tubes on the small seed box to a location behind the openers too. IMO....that would be an easy "fix" for the Tar River products.....along with a better "closing" wheel or packer wheel set up. Tar River seems to be listening these days.....so maybe they are working on some improvements.
I suppose I could be considered "over analytical" on the topic of drills. (grin) But these tools can be so useful to many of us food plotters.....yet represent a quite sizable investment to get started in no-till or regenerative ag. It's important stuff! The game is changing rapidly.....and better drill products that are easier to use will help us all.
I have little doubt that I would buy a new 3P600 if shopping today.....tho I've never used a Genesis product....and likely they are good product too....if you have enough tractor to pick them up (?). From what other credible folks have told me.....I see little value in no-till coulters unless your have concrete soils (tho I have only used a drill on my sandy soils). Many have removed their no-till coulters and have achieved better results without them.....so I have read.
If your considering a drill.....I hope you find this information of value. Good luck!
I've been doing food plots for over 15 years now. The last four years I have had a drill. It's been a great adventure for me. Four years ago, I started with a Tar River Saya 505 and got along pretty well with it for two seasons. It was "affordable" and got me in the door. After some experience and lots of reading I took a plunge to my current Great Plains 3P500. There was so little said about the GP/LP 3P500/600 anywhere on the web or YouTube.....so it was a bit of a leap of faith for me......and for a few other brave souls on this board.
These drills were new tools to me....and both took a bit of seat time to figure out. The early Tar River products were set up very haphazardly at the factory....and I was an early adopter to that Tar River product. I have written extensively about it both here and at the Facebook site....in an effort to help others with it too. It's a good product for the money and will serve many folks well. Tho if I were buying a Tar River today.....I believe I would simply purchase their Conventional Grain Drill model (without the slicing coulters) over the Says model.....especially for light soil use. You'd save some money over the Saya model....and likely get similar results. Those no-till coulters may do more harm than good IMO....and in the opinions of other users as they produce the need for more weight to penetrate due to the additional coulters. "Maybe" real hard soils would prove different....but I have my doubts. ( I have read that Tar River listened to what many of us early users had said....and now is assembling a better quality product and it should produce a better experience out of the gate. Nice work Tar River!)
Anyway.....after some time with the Tar River product I found their seed delivery system was not up to par with the Great Plains / Land Pride drills.....and the lower priced Tar River is not the same quality in some other areas too. Though it may be perfectly adequate for many of us......I decided to make a move into a better quality drill. I like quality equipment.....so I made a change. I compared the Great Plains / Land Pride with the Genesis products.....and saw no advantage in the Genesis product....other than a bit more weight. That may have been a concern before my experience with the Tar River......but especially in my light soils I became convinced the GP/LP product WITHOUT the no-till coulters would work for me. Today....after two years of use.....I have NO Doubt the Great Plains / Land Pride drills are the best solution for my land (and I believe for many others too). Tho I have no experience using the Genesis products.....so there is that. I have a hard time accepting that a single seed box will work for both large and small seeds. Genesis added a small seed box option now....but that comes at a still higher price. Also Genesis continues to refine their products....and I'm sure they are good. Likely it would deliver similar results....maybe better in hard clay soils? Tho.....I have been able to penetrate through virgin sod and any previous crop residue and mulch in my ground.....both in dry and wet conditions. I simply do not have a problem with getting seeds in the seed trench provided by my drill.
The GP/LP No-till product: 3PNT600 would likely be a good product too.....but I think that would require more tractor to lift the unit than I have got......and many others here too. I'm certain the pull type models would be great too....but many of us operate in small irregular food plots with timber on all sides. We need a 3 point mounted drill to operate. Simply too hard to maneuver a pull type product for me. If I had large open fields or a bigger tractor...there is little doubt I would look in that direction as I think the pull-type units provide still better function. Pulling these drills is of little concern.....it becomes all about the ability to lift the drill and operate it safely on hilly conditions...with the 30 HP tractors (or so) that many of us have.
I've had a few ups and downs learning how to operate the Great Plains "minimum till" drill. Mine came to me used.....and it was set up a bit wonky evidently for different soil conditions.....so I had a little whitewater time overcoming the previous user's settings. Also I added a neat rear step which I think GP/LP should offer too. It's hard to access the walk boards to put seed in the hoppers for us old guys. I needed a small ladder to accompany me into the field prior to my rear step additon. This should not be....IMO. Also I added a foam marker system which is super helpful when drilling into standing crops and duff situations. Only change I can think of....is I would buy a GP 3P600 over the 3P500 I have. Little, if any advantage in the foot smaller unit. ....and, I don't think they offer the 3P500 anymore.
Another improvement would be to make weight brackets for both sides of these drills to enable 4 suitcase weights to be easily added. That may solve some clay soil considerations? .....just a couple of hat-shaped irons would do the trick and enable us to hang some extra weight. I would offer the foam markers as an option. I likely would also order agitators if I were buying new.
Another improvement that GP/LP could incorporate.....is to make that drive wheel adjustment easier for users. That chain tension adjustment and wheel bolt set up requires too much time and effort....IMO. Yet....once you got it set.....you got it. (Mine came to me far too deep for my purposes.) I likely will have no use to plant things more than about 1" deep. I think that is true for many of us. That was one shortcoming of the Tar River product IMO. Getting and maintaining a depth set up is a bit of smoke and mirrors with the Tar River. It works....but it was always "iffy" to me. Also, a hydraulic top link makes set up so much easier....highly recommended.
Orienting the small seed box tube to drop seeds BEHIND the trench was my latest learning event with my current drill. Mine came to me with the seed tube delivering small box seeds into the seed trench. Also, I had converted my Tar River hoses to deliver seeds behind the trench....by relocating the drop tubes on the small seed box to a location behind the openers too. IMO....that would be an easy "fix" for the Tar River products.....along with a better "closing" wheel or packer wheel set up. Tar River seems to be listening these days.....so maybe they are working on some improvements.
I suppose I could be considered "over analytical" on the topic of drills. (grin) But these tools can be so useful to many of us food plotters.....yet represent a quite sizable investment to get started in no-till or regenerative ag. It's important stuff! The game is changing rapidly.....and better drill products that are easier to use will help us all.
I have little doubt that I would buy a new 3P600 if shopping today.....tho I've never used a Genesis product....and likely they are good product too....if you have enough tractor to pick them up (?). From what other credible folks have told me.....I see little value in no-till coulters unless your have concrete soils (tho I have only used a drill on my sandy soils). Many have removed their no-till coulters and have achieved better results without them.....so I have read.
If your considering a drill.....I hope you find this information of value. Good luck!
Last edited:
TreeDaddy
5 year old buck +
Would you clarify the small seed tube " behind the trench" issue?
Im not sure I understand this
bill
Wind Gypsy
5 year old buck +
Foggy47
5 year old buck +
Sure....when it comes to drills.....this is important stuff. On the GP/LP drills.....The contents of the small seed box are metered into those flexible drop hoses which connect to a small metal tube fastened to each row unit. The metal tube is bent slightly and can face in either of two directions.
#1. The metal tubes can be oriented so that the seeds drop between the double disks and into the seed trench created by those disk openers, or
#2. The metal tubes can be detached (two small screws) and rotated 180 degees so that the seeds drop about 9" further to the back......and behind the seed trench...... directly in front of the press wheels. The seed trench is generally collapsed a bit by the time the seeds fall into this area......and the seeds "scatter" somewhat as they fall out of the tube in front of these packing wheels.
In the second situation......the seed trench has generally closed somewhat by the time the seeds are dropped onto the disturbed top soil.....and the press wheel simply pushes the small seeds into the soil that was disturbed by the disk openers. Thus they are not buried as deep as in the first position. This situation can vary somewhat in different soil types such as sand vs clay soils and with the amount of moisture in the soil.
The owners manual suggests to orient the small seed box tubes to the second position above. My drill came with the tubes facing forward thus the small seeds were buried too deep for my liking. I changed them to orient to the rear.
When planting, I put winter rye and oats, peas, and other larger seeds in the front seed box. These seeds are deposited at the setting of the drill......generally 1" to 1.5" deep. The smaller seeds (clover and brassica) are put in the small seed box and are deposited onto the ground and pushed into the soil at a depth of perhaps 1/4".
Great Plains / Land Pride has a unique means to deliver the front seed box to very bottom of the seed trench. My old Tar River relied on gravity for the last few inches......as the seeds dropped between the double disks a few inches above the bottom of the seed trench. Same for the small seed box on the Tar River.
I'm not sure how the Genesis seed drop is configured for the large seed box.....but their small seed box simply drops seeds behind the trench....similar to the GP/LP.
