Tar River SAYA-507 No Till Drill
- Thread starter breddick
- Start date
S.T.Fanatic
5 year old buck +
- Location
- Driftless Area SE. MN USDA Zone 4b
If row spacing is 7.5" I would TRY to calibrate it to plant a SEED every 7.5" No closer than that anyway. You will get bigger "bulbs" the further apart you space them.
S.T.Fanatic
5 year old buck +
- Location
- Driftless Area SE. MN USDA Zone 4b
7.5x7.5=56.25 square inches
there are 6,272,640 square inches in an acre
If you want one plant growing per every 56.25" that would be 111,513.6 plants per acre
there are approx 220,000 PTT seeds in a pound
there are approx 20-25000 radish seeds per pound
I'm going to guess most will have a germination rate of 85% so you may want to up your per acre seed rate by 15%
there are 6,272,640 square inches in an acre
If you want one plant growing per every 56.25" that would be 111,513.6 plants per acre
there are approx 220,000 PTT seeds in a pound
there are approx 20-25000 radish seeds per pound
I'm going to guess most will have a germination rate of 85% so you may want to up your per acre seed rate by 15%
If I am understanding a couple of posts correctly, it seems as though some consideration is being given to combining urea in the small seed box to complement small turnip seeds. FWIW, I have read where that is a poor idea due to the fact that the urea will corrode any metal that it comes into contact with. While I have not tried this personally so as to validate that...having used urea many times I totally believe that it would be a bad idea to try to run it through a drill.
I would double check that idea a couple of times :) before I actually tried it, you could booger up your drill with corrosion.
I would double check that idea a couple of times :) before I actually tried it, you could booger up your drill with corrosion.
For sure the corrosion would be my biggest concern... Even IF I pressure washed the drill afterwards I could see it causing some degree of problems. I'm a busy guy and might not be super quick to clean it out. Wouldn't take long for urea to leave it's mark. I'm certainly leaning more towards lime... which doesn't come without it's own risks (residue hardening) but not as concerning as corrosion!
S.T.Fanatic
5 year old buck +
- Location
- Driftless Area SE. MN USDA Zone 4b
Lime is also going to be corrosive. Not saying urea isn't. How about copper BB's for a BB gun or something of the like?
While technically lime is corrosive it's going to be exponentially less corrosive than anything with urea in it. One of the plusses of this Tar River Drill is that the seed boxes are stainless steel so they'll be very resistant to corrosion. that being said, of course some of the internals (little bolts holding on the seed cups that are visible from within the box) are not stainless. They look galvanized.
Either way a good pressure wash and oiling will be in order after planting!
Either way a good pressure wash and oiling will be in order after planting!
SWIFFY
5 year old buck +
- Location
- Central Minnesota- Zone 4A
Its too bad you cant find some bad seed or old stuff that wont germinate. I have 30 pounds of sugar beet seed that wont grow for nothing! It would make great filler.
I think you need to have something though that is non-corrosive and similar in size! Even with Radish I still think youd get significant settling of your turnip seed in the bottom. That happens in a hand spreader in just minutes....
I think you need to have something though that is non-corrosive and similar in size! Even with Radish I still think youd get significant settling of your turnip seed in the bottom. That happens in a hand spreader in just minutes....
I know we're getting all technical here but it is a cool discussion! Yes, particle / seed size is one of the biggest factors in whether certain substrates will settle but it's not the only factor. The weight of the particles also plays a role , as does the surface / friction.
The pelletized lime particles are going to be larger than the PTT seed for sure. But they'll also be substantially heavier (likely 2-3x) / volume. This should really help to discourage settling.
Maybe I can do a scientific experiment... How about a bucket with some lime and PTT seed. Mix thoroughly. Strap on the back of my kids Ranger 150 and send them off for their daily trail ride. Assess.
The pelletized lime particles are going to be larger than the PTT seed for sure. But they'll also be substantially heavier (likely 2-3x) / volume. This should really help to discourage settling.
Maybe I can do a scientific experiment... How about a bucket with some lime and PTT seed. Mix thoroughly. Strap on the back of my kids Ranger 150 and send them off for their daily trail ride. Assess.
swat1018
5 year old buck +
- Location
- NE MO / Central IN
I've heard of some using cat litter as a buffer. My GP606 plants brassica just fine out of the small box.
Update:
Had a good couple days with the drill.
Planted 6 bags of Eagle Seed Buffalo Blend. I used the small seed box for this. From what I can tell it appears to be advantageous to use the small seed box anytime possible. Calibration is just going to be easier on the smaller gears.
Took just a couple passes to get it set to drop 60-65lbs / acre. I set the drill to plant at a shallow depth and did a great job at covering nearly seed and not getting too deep. Planting depth is easy to adjust on the drill but there’s no “setting”. I simply pull the drill a few feet and then get off and look at the depth. Adjust accordingly.
Another concern that was raised by someone was whether the roll cage on the back would terminate standing crops / soybeans. I had this concern too but figured I’d give it a go anyway. I was very surprised at how little damage was done to them. Well over half we’re still standing and a lot that were leaning were not broken.
after planting the bulk bags of Eagle Seed I opted to try a little of my own mixes.
50 lbs pelletized lime + 10 lbs cereal rye + 4 lbs PTT. Calibrated this mix to one acre (64 lbs / acre) and took off. Very happy with the results.
Had a good couple days with the drill.
Planted 6 bags of Eagle Seed Buffalo Blend. I used the small seed box for this. From what I can tell it appears to be advantageous to use the small seed box anytime possible. Calibration is just going to be easier on the smaller gears.
Took just a couple passes to get it set to drop 60-65lbs / acre. I set the drill to plant at a shallow depth and did a great job at covering nearly seed and not getting too deep. Planting depth is easy to adjust on the drill but there’s no “setting”. I simply pull the drill a few feet and then get off and look at the depth. Adjust accordingly.
Another concern that was raised by someone was whether the roll cage on the back would terminate standing crops / soybeans. I had this concern too but figured I’d give it a go anyway. I was very surprised at how little damage was done to them. Well over half we’re still standing and a lot that were leaning were not broken.
after planting the bulk bags of Eagle Seed I opted to try a little of my own mixes.
50 lbs pelletized lime + 10 lbs cereal rye + 4 lbs PTT. Calibrated this mix to one acre (64 lbs / acre) and took off. Very happy with the results.
Plothunter
Buck Fawn
I just bought a 507 and will be planting a similar blend you did this weekend. Any tips? Thanks
congrats on the purchase! I think you’ll like it!
tips:
1- make sure the top link has plenty of slack when you’re pulling it so that plenty of weight is sitting on the back roller. If top link is too short the front coulters will dig in deep and the drill will tilt forward and depth will be uneven. You want it balanced.
2- calibration. Use ziplock bags over some of the seed cups. Do as many as you like. Just changes the math. You’re simply determining the amount of seed over a given area.
3- I ditched the rubber seed tubes on the large seed box and replaced with plastic tubes like the small box has. The folds in the rubber tube caught too much seed for my liking since they weren’t vertical enough.
4- add some weight. I’ve got roughly 150 lbs on each shelf (300 total). It does make a difference.
5- this should have been number 1. Spend a good amount of time studying the drill before use. If you’re like me you’re new so there’s a learning curve. Make sure all the front coulters are spaced evenly and all the openers are likewise. My spacing was off on a few rows where the coulter was 1” to the side and the opener wasn’t even following correctly. Easy adjustments. Just check it.
I am finding the drill to work extremely well but like everything else it takes a little learning. Before buying this drill I spent many many hours disking, tilling, dragging, cultipacking, planting, cultipacking... to get in a few acres at most. This fall I intend to plant 15+ acres in substantially less time and preserve my soil all at the same time.
Plothunter
Buck Fawn
Thanks! What tuning did you replace it with? What’s are your settings for seeding rate? I’ll be planting about 20 acres this weekend myself.
I replaced the tubes with the same plastic tubes found on the small box. The tubes are pretty universal / cheap and can be found at any farm supply store.
The needle gauge is attached to the long rod in a somewhat arbitrary position. I also found that some subtle changes to seed type can make a big difference in the rate it's dropped).
For the Eagle Seed Buffalo Blend in the small box my setting was 4 to drop right at 60-65lbs / acre.
I have found the easiest thing to do for calibration is to set it on a number (best guess based on previous seed type / volume) and do a manual calibration with the bags. It's not hard and with a little experience you can get it set really well in less than 15 minutes of trial and error. Take specific notes for next time!!!
Depends on what you mean by "major detriment"? To call the roll cage on that back a solid cultipacker would be incorrect. The "cage" on the back is actually not that heavy. Because it's a cage rather than a solid heavy cultipacker it actually doesn't damage the standing vegetation much at all (see my post above). I would say the drag plates on the rear (intended to cover the rows) would be more harmful to the existing crop... but they can easily be rotated up and off the ground. Yes that would reduce the row covering, but if you're planting into standing heavy vegetation that's not likely a big concern.
Now, take my testimony with a grain of salt! Of course it's going to be a little bias. I own the Tar River! Let's keep it real. If a Genesis 5 and a Great plain 3pt NT drill and a Tar River NT Drill were all the same dollar... The Tar River drill would come in 3rd place all day long no doubt. That, however, doesn't mean it can't get the job done.
Given the substantial price difference (double the $ or more for Genesis / Great Plains) if given the opportunity to do it all over again I would buy the Tar River, given my experience so far.
Bassattackr
5 year old buck +
- Location
- MO - Zone 6a
IMO this is the biggest upside to a no till drill. Anyone can disc/broadcast and have a successful fall plot. The problem becomes when you try to do a summer plot with beans. Discing in the spring erupts an insane amount of annual weeds to battle.
If you can no-till beans in the standing cereal grains and therefore not disturb the soil, it becomes well worth it. To me, THAT is the value of no tilling.
Obviously with this specific drill, if you can do the same in the fall, that's a huge plus. Much better germination than broadcasting.
Good point above. Being the first year with the drill I have sprayed more glyphosate than I care to imagine. Just glad I found it at TSC on sale in the spring and stocked up! It took multiple sprays over the summer as the new weeds / grasses kept popping up. I now have pretty clean fields with a lot new tonnage just now coming up as my fall crop. Depending on how well my fall crops do I may still have to terminate with some glyphosate in the spring if some weeds / grasses come through. My eventual goal is to keep the ground covered with green almost year round and almost eliminate the need for chemicals. This is something that can be accomplished with a NT drill that other methods can't handle.
I used to admire a beautiful new smooth freshly tilled piece of land... but have been educated.
I used to admire a beautiful new smooth freshly tilled piece of land... but have been educated.
