Woods type Roller seed drills

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Anybody has experience with these types of seed drills. Has a roller with metal spikes. 90% of my plotting is oats with clover. Ocassionally use rrye, turnips, or daikon raddish.

I plant in sandy loam mostly, but have a clay spot I do too. The loamy spots are either relatively rock free, but one area has some large rocks sticking out an inch or two. Rocky area I usually seed every 3 years, so I could drop seed and spring harrow that area. Area does have some residual vegetation and annual tree leaf debris, common weeds are sedge grass and golden rod.

Not looking for perfect rows, and rye n oats are relatively forgiving in seed depth. As long as the clover stay up top and the grains stay 1/2 to 1 inch in. Moisture is usually not a problem in this area.

The area is seeded annually. Not sure if i can use this alone in the area. A dressing pass or two with a spring harrow or set of discs can be done too.

I am mainly focused on the type that has the aggressive roller then the more mild cultivator on the 2nd roller.

Trying to build this myself. I already have john deere B series seed boxes. One small and one large seed.

 

[Bassattackr]

@SwampCat has one..

 

[SwampCat]

My Woods does a great job with clover, as the seed tubes expel it right in front of the cultipacker. The larger seed is dropped in front of the spiked roller. Most of my ground is free of rocks. I have one plot with a lot of softball sized rocks. I have noticed no damage to the spiked roller with the exception of a couple slightly bent spikes. I have quite a few trees in my plots with exposed roots. NRCS and G&F will not loan their grain drills to run in my plots. No problem at all with my Woods Seeder. My model also has a single disk gang in front of the spiked roller

 

[CarolinaDawg]

My Woods does a great job with clover, as the seed tubes expel it right in front of the cultipacker. The larger seed is dropped in front of the spiked roller. Most of my ground is free of rocks. I have one plot with a lot of softball sized rocks. I have noticed no damage to the spiked roller with the exception of a couple slightly bent spikes. I have quite a few trees in my plots with exposed roots. NRCS and G&F will not loan their grain drills to run in my plots. No problem at all with my Woods Seeder. My model also has a single disk gang in front of the spiked roller

I assume you have to plant into a prepared seedbed with this type of seeder. Correct?

 

[SwampCat]

I assume you have to plant into a prepared seedbed with this type of seeder. Correct?

No. I usually plant into something I sprayed a few weeks before hand. My Woods has a disk gang up front. I can run it aggressive if planting into thick vegetation or less aggressive if planting into something like existing clover where I dont want to damage what is already there. Aggressive for repairing hog root damage, less so if smoothing ruts in trails. I can run it where the disk gang doesnt even touch the ground if all I want to do is cultipack. That picture is one pass in standing dead johnson grass

 

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Think you could get me a close up pic of the spiked rollers? The big seeds drop inbetween the two rollers, or infront of the front roller? Rear small seed box drops infront or behind the rear roller?

 

[SwampCat]

Think you could get me a close up pic of the spiked rollers? The big seeds drop inbetween the two rollers, or infront of the front roller? Rear small seed box drops infront or behind the rear roller?

Maybe tomorrow

 

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Pics would be great! Anything you wish woods did differently on it? Not sure If I will use a drop spreader for the grains n fertilizer, or build a box myself. I could use my 12v spreader infront of my atv for the large seed n fertilizer too.

 

[SwampCat]

Top pic shows the green seed cups under large seed box. They drop seed that hits front side of spiked roller and fall to ground in front of roller, but behind disk gang. The faster you go, the more the falling seed covers all the ground. The slower, the more narrow the spread of seed. If you go 2.5/3 miles an hour, seed looks planted in 7.5 inch rows as in grain drill. Faster, it spreads the seed more, appearing more like seed that has been planted with a spreader. The tubing on the back drops small seed that falls between the spiked roller and the cultipacker wheels. It is basically pressed into the soil surface.

The things I wish were a little better involve the disk gang - the more agressive setting leaves the disk deploying deeper on the outsides and shallower towards the middle. It makes for a somewhat uneven planting bed.

It will not plant in thick vegetation or sod as well as a drill. It does not place the seed as consistently at the same depth as a drill. This is more evident with seed from the large seed box. I seed at heavier rates with large seeds than I probably wood with a drill

It handles mixes great and all sizes of seeds. It will plant rougher ground than a drill. It is less complicated than a drill. I have hogs at my place - and it does a great job of smoothing hog root and erosion before planting - which a drill will not do. I also use mine to smooth ruts in trails - which a drill will not do. You can adjust the top link and keep the disk out of the ground - and use just the spiked roller and cultipacker wheels - as strictly a cultipacker.

I wouldnt say it is perfect for everyone - but it is perfect for me.

 

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Thnks for the pics. You might be able to tune the disc by putting solid discs in the middle 2 rows. You could also shim the U-bolt mounting to make the outside a bit more agressive too.

Those spikes what you think the diameter and depth of them? I see the large seed tubes have that shield over the front spike roller. Does that direct dirt flow. If that can be adjusted, it might decrease the hilling your getting.

I actually might like the large seed and fertilizer to not be uniform. Almost like making 8 inch spaced rows of larger seed, and then putting the clover in between.

What do you grow with it? Let's say you have a spot that has been harrowed well down to 3 or 4 inches, rocks n roots picked, the there dead rye about 18 inches tall with clover in there too. The rye isnt too thick. maybe the rye plants are 4-6 inches part. Would you mow 1st. The main areas I can mow down to 3 inches no problems. I use a finish mower, so it'll be chopped up to 3 inch pieces or smaller.

How does it perform in different soil moistures.

 

[SwampCat]

Yes, I think I could probably employ some spacers to level the disk gang when adjusting to aggressiveness. I have planted in all types of soil moisture. I have extremely sticky calcareous soil - when wet, it will ball up on the roller and cultipacker. Extremely dry soil is not great either. I have seen times a drill wouldnt plant the soil was so hard and dry. Those are not really good conditions for this planter, either. I wouldnt give a second thought to planting in standing rye with only a plant every few inches. When planting in live clover, I set the disk gang straight or only semi agressive. The guard in front of the spiked roller help to keep dirt from getting back up in seed cup openings. Typically, if I am planting in fairly thick vegetation, I would rather bush hog after planting if need be. The disks will cut through standing vegetation easier than cut thatch laying on the ground. I can plant fifteen acres in a day pretty easily. I do not use fertilizer anymore - just planting wheat and clover - but when I did, I used a three pt tractor mounted spreader for fert application. I would guess the spikes to be 3/8” by 2 1/2”

 

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Think it would still be an ok implement if it didn't have the discs?

I am thinking of making (2) 6 inch spiked rollers followed by a 4 inch flat roller in the back. Thinking 2.5ft wide is all I can do with an ATV. Which will go reat fast considering it does it all in 1 pass.

Im noticing the compact tractor models have 2 spiked rollers instead of a disc up front. Might take less hp to pull.

 

[SwampCat]

I cant see it doing much without the disk. I often run the disk blades straight - just to cut a seed groove - but without the disk gang, it seems to me to be a seeder/cultipacker

 

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I'm going to take your advice and add a set of discs to the front. I have a set of virtually brand new sears brinly styled 12 inch smooth discs. (2) 20" ones. I was going to stager them so they're 2ft wide, and can adjust the angle to straight or slightly agressive. The spiked roller I will keep it 2.5ft wide.

Are the discs level with the spikes, or do they dip a bit lower. Asuming you set your top link so it's level.

 

[SwampCat]

I would say they are slightly below spiked roller. I can raise the 3 pt lift arms and lift disk gang out of dirt and spiked roller still be in contact with the ground

 

[Troubles Trees]

I just want to say that I am totally jealous of yall's tractors and implements, I just wiped a bit of drool off my chin as I looked at the pics

 

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I just want to say that I am totally jealous of yall's tractors and implements, I just wiped a bit of drool off my chin as I looked at the pics

Dont have to be jealous. Seen this type of seeder used for 1500 before. Brillion cultipacker styled seeder cheaper than buying a used cultipacker by itself.

I have about $200 invested in my project. Probably thow another 2 in. I'll be able to scratch a seedbed, put fertilizer and grains in about an inch, then roll it in and top it with clover in one pass. One trip to the woods with one implement and done..... New plots will need more prep than that. Where I want to do this is mostly established.