Tree Spud
5 year old buck +
Came across this on Craig's list, looks real clean almost new so I thought I would post. I have no connection to so you would need to follow the link below.
Woods PSS84 Seeder
Woods PSS84 Seeder
Woods 3 PT PSS84 Seeder
- Thread starter Tree Spud
- Start date
Big Snow Man
5 year old buck +
Lot of those for sale not many good reviews
I have one and love it. No, it is not a no till drill. With lightly vegetated, semi clean ground - I can plant an acre in 20 minutes - and get a better germination rate than broadcasting. Works especially good for the small seeded clovers. Much more even seeding than broadcasting. I direct seed wheat and rye into standing clover and it does great. It basically saves me two passes over the ground compared to broadcasting seed. It cost more than a spreader, disk, and drag - but does a better job. Costs less than a no-till drill, but probably not as good in many cases. In rough, rocky ground, or tree roots, probably less prone to damage than a no till. Our NRCS rents no till drills. They said they would not rent one to me for use in many of my food plots for fear of damage by tree roots. Never had a problem with the Woods seeder. I have only planted soybeans, wheat/rye, and clover with mine. This year, I will add sunflowers and millet. I will admit, I could not head off across a fescue pasture with it and expect to get good results.
Dukslayr
5 year old buck +
Did you do sunflowers with your Woods unit this year? Just curious how they turned out. The guy that’s helping me with my plots this year just bought one to use on some of his plots and he swears it’ll work well to plant beans, milo and sunflowers based on what the previous owner told him. He’s not using it on my place but curious how your sunflowers turned out. For your beans are you burning down and then turning with a disc prior to planting with the Woods?
Yes, with beans, burn down and plant with a woods. I did plant sunflowers with the woods this year. First and only time I have tried to use it to row plant. I taped up all but three of the seed openings. I disked the fields a couple times to get them fairly clean. Did OK. Better than just broadcasting - not as good as using some kind of real corn planter. The seed row was fairly wide - like four or five inches - but ok to still work with a one row cultivator.
Dukslayr
5 year old buck +
Honestly can’t see how Firminator would be much, if any, better then the Woods. But you’re right, outside of all the YouTube videos by dealers it’s pretty far and few between for real world reviews...I assume for a reason. I have personally ever used either. I’m still biding my time to find a “reasonable” deal on a 606/706NT.
I looked at a firminator before I bought a used woods seeder. The woods seeder comes standard with two seed boxes - I am not sure you can buy a second seed box for a firminator. I plant a lot of wheat and clover at the same time - using both seed boxes. The woods seeder also has a large spiked roller between the disk gang and the Cultipacker. The larger seed drops in front of the spiked roller and is buried deeper from the dirt thrown up by the disk gang. Smaller seed, like clover, comes out of the rear seed box, and falls behind the spiked roller, but in front of the cultipacker. The spiked roller prepares a semi pressed soil bed for small seeds like clover - and then the cultipacker rolls over the seed - making unnecessary a pass with the cultipacker and then spreading clover, and then another pass with the cultipacker. This system allows me to plant wheat at 100 lbs per acre, covered by dirt and cultipacked, and at the same time plant clover at 5 lbs per acre on a firm seed bed and then cultipacked. The firminator has a fixed position for the top link pin and the woods has either a fixed position or a floating top link pin position. I generally use the floating position. The firminator comes with disk and cultipacker scapers, which can be very beneficial. Dont know for sure, but I would guess the woods weighs quite a bit more. I think a lot of people that buy either of these pieces of equipment think it is going to work as well as a great plains no-till drill for planting in unprepped soil. It will not. I think for many of us food plotters, who are planting around tree roots and rocks, these type seeders may be less prone to damage than a no-till drill. I have a number of trees in some of my food plots and the NRCS guy said they would not rent me a no-till for planting in my plots because of working around tree roots. I never have any issues with the woods in roots or rocks. Another thing I have noticed with the woods seeder, it does not tend to plant in really well defined rows, leaving 7” of bare ground between rows of wheat like a no-till drill will do. It is not a row planter, but a food plotter might think that aspect is ok for their needs. You just have to decide what you want to do and how much you want to spend - and dont expect it to work like a great plains drill. Another thing the woods seeder does very well is rework dirt paths and trails. I use mine to smooth ruts and level the trails without planting anything.
One of the guys that gives it a good review on their website is a forester I met at a CE course and has come to my place to give me some advice. He manages several large properties for deer and duck. I saw his name and called him. He said he got his when it was made in Indiana, if I recall. He loved it and got the guy in Georgia to get involved. That guy eventually bought the original owner out, so it's now made in Georgia. He said he can do 14 acres in either 1/2 or 1 full day, but says his soil is great because he has practiced no till for years. I believe him because he's the nicest and most straight forward guy I've met in awhile. Of course, it isn't a no til drill, so can't try to compare it. My property is 2 hours from my house, and I don't have tons of time. For me, it's about spending money to save time. I'm gonna be doing at least 5-6 acres, and more eventually, in plots. It's getting pretty time consuming and tiring, to lug a disc, cultipacker, and spreader all over the property, not to mention the time it takes to do these plots with the ATV. Got a tractor this winter, so now I need to use it! I looked at the Woods, but saw some unfavorable reviews awhile back. Good to know you've had a good experience with it!
I plant about 45 acres with my woods. It, too, was about time. A typical plot required I spray and or bush hog, spread fertilizer, disk, spread seed, and then lightly disk or drag. Some of my plots are an hour round trip there and back. Going back and forth to hook up different equipment was time consuming. Normally, I now still have to spray or bush hog. I still have to spread fertilizer. But, depending on the amount of vegetation on the plot, I can now disk, plant two different seeds, cover, and cultipack - in one pass. It takes about 20 minutes per acre with my 84” woods seeder. And it does a better job than my previous method especially on small seeds like clover. In general, it saves me two trips over the plot and the travel time back and forth and hooking up equipment. More if I am planting two different seeds like wheat and clover. I figure I save about 60 hrs - or more - per year with it. And, I get better stands of everything I plant. It also helps, with the quicker planting time, to hit the best weather windows.
I started out using an atv, then graduated to a 28hp JD as I developed more acreage, and now am running a 65 hp JD. I planted good food plots with all of them. As far as planting success goes, I really see improved clover stands with the woods compared to my previous planting methods. Not so much improvment in soybean or wheat plantings, but a savings in time.
Only you know if it is worth your investment. And be realistic in your expectations.
I started out using an atv, then graduated to a 28hp JD as I developed more acreage, and now am running a 65 hp JD. I planted good food plots with all of them. As far as planting success goes, I really see improved clover stands with the woods compared to my previous planting methods. Not so much improvment in soybean or wheat plantings, but a savings in time.
Only you know if it is worth your investment. And be realistic in your expectations.
Great information. Thanks. I cannot even start to imagine how much time you took with an ATV. Especially when you add in spreading lime and fertilizer, spraying, and cutting. Just carrying pallets of lime and fertilizer to the plots takes time. I think either of these machines will be big time savers for me, although I like how the Woods handles 2 seeds over the Firminator. Anyway, when I showed my wife your response, she said she was for anything that would allow me to spend more time at home:-) She actually helped me inoculate cowpeas last year, then used the ATV to disc, seed, and cultipack 2 plots for me. She got to see why I am so exhausted after a day in the sun! Thanks for sharing.
