Beet Drilling...

[John 1594]

Due to a change of circumstances ive just added a reasonable amount of contract beet drilling to our spring workload next year. Looking for a nice compact 6 row drill, needs to be able to do 20" rows, have hyd markers

Anything to avoid, or specifically look out for with various makes, have only ever used stanhay myself, just wondered what others opinions were

Also, rate per acre, looked on NAAC website, saying about £20/acre????

 

[YELROM]

@Ray should be able to give some advice

 

[Rainmaker]

Are you going to put fert on at planting?

 

[John 1594]

Are you going to put fert on at planting?

No, customer will broadcast it on between first and second cultivations, im just doing the drilling, no need for fert or nematicide applicators on the drill

 

[Banana Bar]

I've got a very tidy Monosen Mecca 3 12 row folding for sale

 

[John 1594]

I've got a very tidy Monosen Mecca 3 12 row folding for sale

I dont think the 2wd 1494 will quite handle that???

6 rows will be plenty for what ive got in mind, will be a bit of a faff as customer is on 60" tramlines, so need to have the drill on an offset. Suits me as we also run 60" wheelings, so tractor wheels are all set to go, and with 20" rows il get away with staying on 13.6/38s

 

[A Trebor]

I dont think the 2wd 1494 will quite handle that???

6 rows will be plenty for what ive got in mind, will be a bit of a faff as customer is on 60" tramlines, so need to have the drill on an offset. Suits me as we also run 60" wheelings, so tractor wheels are all set to go, and with 20" rows il get away with staying on 13.6/38s

Got a 6 row web ,not used for several years as stopped growing beet.Set up for 20 inch rows but manual markers which am sure you can adapt.Will take photos if interested.

 

[Adeptandy]

You shouldn't need hydraulic markers, as they just run down the middle of the gap between rows, unless you are on centre marking of course

 

[Adeptandy]

........and go for the 12 row, I didn't regret changing from 6 row, takes no pulling and no real weight to them

 

[Chae1]

You shouldn't need hydraulic markers, as they just run down the middle of the gap between rows, unless you are on centre marking of course

Sure John will be on autosteer anyway.

 

[Adeptandy]

Sure John will be on autosteer anyway.

bit more for the scrap bin then

 

[John 1594]

You shouldn't need hydraulic markers, as they just run down the middle of the gap between rows, unless you are on centre marking of course

I cant be asked to get out to lift them up on the first breed of the headland, or when going round poles etc

12 row will be overkill for what i need, its lots of small niggling fields too

 

[B'o'B]

Would this fit the bill?
PM me if you're interested, I'm about 45mins away from you.

Edit: it is set up on 20 inch rows

 

[Rainmaker]

I cant be asked to get out to lift them up on the first breed of the headland, or when going round poles etc

12 row will be overkill for what i need, its lots of small niggling fields too

Off topic a bit, but your talk of drilling pokey wee paddocks with a 6 row planter got me thinking back to 15 years ago here when the processing company near us came out and said they will not vine peas in paddocks under 4ac any longer as there viners are to costly to run in small areas. Is contract beet planting and lifting on small paddocks charged at a higher rate than say a dead flat square of 200ac in the UK to reflect the poor work rates from always being on the headland?
The contractor used on this farm has a 12 row stanhey and is about 78pound/ha (drilling beet/fert)

 

[John 1594]

Off topic a bit, but your talk of drilling pokey wee paddocks with a 6 row planter got me thinking back to 15 years ago here when the processing company near us came out and said they will not vine peas in paddocks under 4ac any longer as there viners are to costly to run in small areas. Is contract beet planting and lifting on small paddocks charged at a higher rate than say a dead flat square of 200ac in the UK to reflect the poor work rates from always being on the headland?
The contractor used on this farm has a 12 row stanhey and is about 78pound/ha (drilling beet/fert)

Cut throat nature of UK contracting means there is always someone willing to do it for less, however awkward it may be. This farm has fields ranging from 2ac to 20ac

 

[Kevtherev]

Swede drilling with a precision is around £18-20 an acre around here john.

 

[John 1594]

Swede drilling with a precision is around £18-20 an acre around here john.

Thats about what i was thinking of charging...18/hr on cutomers fuel

 

[Kevtherev]

Thats about what i was thinking of charging...18/hr on cutomers fuel

Yes that would be ok I'd have thought.
Won't be hard on fuel either nice steady job ideal for a 2wd tractor

 

[Robt]

Will you be using auto section control on drill and thus a saving 5-10% in seed prices??? He he

 

[John 1594]

Will you be using auto section control on drill and thus a saving 5-10% in seed prices??? He he

If it was i can assure you that you and your company would not be on the list of who to get quotes from...

Its not my seed, and im not the sort who would charge a customer an extra £5 an acre for having a pretty little screen with lots of buttons in his tractor