Used low disturbance drill, reasonable price? Moore Unidrill, Ferranti?

Kingston · Jun 23, 2018

We've been Claydon for the last 10 seasons and found it to be a fantastic tool with great improvements in soil structure being seen. The Blackgrass burden has now become so great that we're looking at changing our whole system with more spring cropping, (trialing) cover crops, more grass lays and most probably lower disturbance drilling.

We've had a trial/demo of a weaving GD this season and the wheat looks well with comparatively less blackgrass than the neighboring claydon drilled part of the field. The price tag of a new GD or Sumo DD etc is rather hefty (although a 40% leader grant would somewhat help) so I'm looking for opinions on cheaper second hand drills.

It would be great if people could give me their thoughts on the Moore Unidrills. Are they as low disturbance as something like a 750A or a GD? And what sort of pulling power do the require? Heavy clay, some steep(ish) hills.

I have also come across a Ferranti direct disc drill for sale, does anyone know anything about them?!?! Can't find anything online.

Any other suggestions welcome!

Thanks in advance!

warksfarmer · Jun 24, 2018

Kingston said:
We've been Claydon for the last 10 seasons and found it to be a fantastic tool with great improvements in soil structure being seen. The Blackgrass burden has now become so great that we're looking at changing our whole system with more spring cropping, (trialing) cover crops, more grass lays and most probably lower disturbance drilling.

We've had a trial/demo of a weaving GD this season and the wheat looks well with comparatively less blackgrass than the neighboring claydon drilled part of the field. The price tag of a new GD or Sumo DD etc is rather hefty (although a 40% leader grant would somewhat help) so I'm looking for opinions on cheaper second hand drills.

It would be great if people could give me their thoughts on the Moore Unidrills. Are they as low disturbance as something like a 750A or a GD? And what sort of pulling power do the require? Heavy clay, some steep(ish) hills.

I have also come across a Ferranti direct disc drill for sale, does anyone know anything about them?!?! Can't find anything online.

Any other suggestions welcome!

Thanks in advance!

Interesting question but the drill isn’t your answer. This year has been good for controlling blackgrass in general so swapping system off the back of one demo isn’t wise. The answer is in the rotation which you’re changing anyway so why not stay as you are for a year or two with the same drill to see first and that’s coming from somebody who thinks Strip Till is about as pointless as Min Till.

We used a Weaving Big Disc and still saw lots of black grass in places. You could hardly see where it had been but we still got black grass late on from April onwards. It was especially bad in spring wheat come June and by then to late to control.

As for Moore drills, the new arable one is about £20k but does look like a nice little unit to be honest. Older ones hold their values well as you rarely see the 4m rigid ones for less than about £8k unless they are totally knackered but they didn’t close the slots properly, which will be your issue on clay soil and one of the reasons we’ve moved to a tine so a bit of loose soil settles behind the tine slot. A pass with the rolls generally sees it fully closed where as rolls after a disc drill on clay soil is just a waste of time.

The sideways slot of the GD is the answer but like you say they’ve pushed prices up a lot so now arnt as cheap as previously.

clbarclay · Jun 24, 2018

I guess this Ferranti is the green 4m on farm to farm, I don't know its history but it looks to be a Bettinson direct drill, converted to Accord hoppers and metering.

Unidrill are possibly slightly higher disturbance than a 750A, but still low desturbance compared to tine drills. Closing slots is one of their issues, but then depending on the conditions, I have found low disturbance tine drills direct into clay soils can just leave larger open slots that are difficult to fill back in without an additional pass harrowing across them.

Tractor tom7480 · Jun 25, 2018

Get yourself to Groundswell before making any wrong & costly decisions

Warnesworth · Jun 25, 2018

Kingston said:
We've been Claydon for the last 10 seasons and found it to be a fantastic tool with great improvements in soil structure being seen. The Blackgrass burden has now become so great that we're looking at changing our whole system with more spring cropping, (trialing) cover crops, more grass lays and most probably lower disturbance drilling.

I must have read that sentence three or four times on the forum in the past month. The Clayton seem to germinate more black grass (IMO) as it moved so much soil.

Personally I wouldn't start down the route of a disc drill, get yourself a Horsch CO/Sprinter and adapt it with Metcalfe points. Yes it moves more soil than a disc, but it's the narrowest time drill option out there (Dale and Seedhawk also) and when starting down this route a bit of tooth creation is what you need.

yellow belly · Jun 26, 2018

Gd will cost much less in disc or coulter wear 3 or 4 time less
In a dry hard soil this is most marked bearings have much less strain as the disc follows the lowest line of resistance in hard dry conditions I have had very warm discs and bearings with Moore and big disc
These are the best conditions for notill giving the best results compared to other drills

I have had a Moore drill big disc. And now on a gd

Warnesworth · Jun 26, 2018

Warnesworth said:
I must have read that sentence three or four times on the forum in the past month. The Clayton seem to germinate more black grass (IMO) as it moved so much soil.

Personally I wouldn't start down the route of a disc drill, get yourself a Horsch CO/Sprinter and adapt it with Metcalfe points. Yes it moves more soil than a disc, but it's the narrowest time drill option out there (Dale and Seedhawk also) and when starting down this route a bit of tooth creation is what you need.

or maybe tilth, not tooth

Brisel · Jun 29, 2018

Edwin Thompson, chairman of BASE UK, runs a Moore Unidrill for no till. Is he a TFF member? He gets on well with it & IMO it would be worth a look for a decent second hand one. I've used them for game covers in a variety of soils including no till but mostly in cultivated seedbeds or slot reseeding grassland.

The drill is not the answer to blackgrass. Your rotation and cultural controls will deal with that problem.

Warnesworth · Jun 29, 2018

I think you mean Edwin Taylor....

Brisel · Jun 29, 2018

Warnesworth said:
I think you mean Edwin Taylor....

That's the man.

Do you have any views on disc drills? I've always liked the Unidrill. Heavy and slot closure isn't the best but good value for money.

Warnesworth · Jun 29, 2018

A good disc drill. In my experience the complaints about poor slot closure are over stated. If you are worried roll behind the drill.

Tractor tom7480 · Aug 14, 2018

Interested in checking out one off these ?
Go to DuncanAg.com or FB Duncan AG IRELAND or pm me here !

Kingston · Aug 16, 2018

Thanks for all of our your replies!

@clbarclay You're quite right, it was the drill in farmtofarm and it is a modified bettinson with accord hoppers and press wheels added. We bought it. Have subsequently drilled some OSR with it and very pleased with how it went in (near perfect soil conditions) and how little soil it moved. Drilling winter cereals in October could be a different story so @warksfarmer we may continue to use Claydon here. Shall play by ear depending on season. I suppose that it could be a trade off between delaying drilling and using claydon or going earlier but with lower disturbance. Hoping to use it (with patience) in spring into drying soils.

Brisel said:
The drill is not the answer to blackgrass. Your rotation and cultural controls will deal with that problem.

@Brisel Hoping that +-30% spring cropping, more grass leys, managed fallows (in worst fields) & introducing Avadex will get on top of it!

Tractor tom7480 said:
Get yourself to Groundswell before making any wrong & costly decisions

Hopefully next year!

Goldilocks · Aug 16, 2018

Brisel said:
Edwin Thompson, chairman of BASE UK, runs a Moore Unidrill for no till. Is he a TFF member? He gets on well with it & IMO it would be worth a look for a decent second hand one. I've used them for game covers in a variety of soils including no till but mostly in cultivated seedbeds or slot reseeding grassland.

The drill is not the answer to blackgrass. Your rotation and cultural controls will deal with that problem.

Edwins Moore Drill now in my machinery shed! Worked well so far sowing spring barley this year.

Deutzdx3 · Aug 16, 2018

@Clive I think different drills for different conditions. Finding people that have gone notill seem to like drills like the jd750a and then an alrternative like a horsch tine drill. 750a is good in the right conditions but then the horsch comes into its own when it’s wetter. Interesting thread.

Clive · Aug 16, 2018

Deutzdx3 said:
@Clive I think different drills for different conditions. Finding people that have gone notill seem to like drills like the jd750a and then an alrternative like a horsch tine drill. 750a is good in the right conditions but then the horsch comes into its own when it’s wetter. Interesting thread.

Option of the Horsch tine and 750a disc gives a best of both worlds option not just wet / dry but also agronomicaly

Kingston · Aug 17, 2018

Clive said:
Option of the Horsch tine and 750a disc gives a best of both worlds option not just wet / dry but also agronomicaly

My thoughts exactly with Claydon SR & Bettinson

Kingston · Aug 17, 2018

& combi still sat in back of shed as back up!

Clive · Aug 17, 2018

Kingston said:
& combi still sat in back of shed as back up!

good call on the first 2 but I would sell the combi ! if its that wet you shouldn't be drilling

Kingston · Aug 17, 2018

Clive said:
good call on the first 2 but I would sell the combi ! if its that wet you shouldn't be drilling

Not drilled combinables with it for a long time but has been handy to put in grass!

Used low disturbance drill, reasonable price? Moore Unidrill, Ferranti?

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