Direct drill build

[Jsmith2211]

Looking into using an accord type drill as a starting point, building a frame to sit underneath it, removing all the coulters and then mounting direct tines to the new heavier frame underneath. Looking at tines, looks like you can go with the weaving sabre tine, or the metcalfe tines which seem to have the ability to do down the spout fertiliser which I imagine could be used for intercropping also? With this in mind, are there any accord drills with a split hopper? Or would I need to have two of them and frankenstein them together?

 

[BIG PACK]

Front tank maybe for the Fert

 

[barr11]

I’ve potentially got a 3.8m wide flatlift frame if that’s any use to you rather than building a frame? No legs just the complete frame and crumbler roller if required? Good strong heavy frame, could potentially be cut down if too wide .

 

[Kevtherev]

Looking into using an accord type drill as a starting point, building a frame to sit underneath it, removing all the coulters and then mounting direct tines to the new heavier frame underneath. Looking at tines, looks like you can go with the weaving sabre tine, or the metcalfe tines which seem to have the ability to do down the spout fertiliser which I imagine could be used for intercropping also? With this in mind, are there any accord drills with a split hopper? Or would I need to have two of them and frankenstein them together?

6m accord had twin hoppers from memory

 

[KennyO]

Df2 hopper were split with two metering units. They were commonly used as front tanks for grain and fert drills up here.

 

[4755dave]

Lincsbob is the man to talk to

 

[KennyO]

@Bob lincs

 

[grainboy]

Have this available if any use, 4m

 

[Jsmith2211]

Have this available if any use, 4m View attachment 1097536View attachment 1097537View attachment 1097538View attachment 1097540View attachment 1097541View attachment 1097542View attachment 1097543

If you can drive that through the villiage and down the lanes into my yard I’ll be very very surprised.. could perhaps be adapted to make it fold? Do the tines have any kind of a ducks foot option or are they only straight?

 

[grainboy]

The legs are Claydon, or so I’m told,

 

[Jsmith2211]

Following some discussion and thinking, I reckon the easiest thing to do is to just make a single metering system machine, single hopper and metcalfe tines (as im told these are more cost effective in the long run to maintain) all mounted on a frame on the rear linkage. Then to do intercrops, just do two passes. Will also allow beans to go deeper than oats for example. Should be able to get round twice the acres in a day compared to ploughing anyway so shouldnt be an issue. Do people recomend the single tine approach, or the band coulters? And what sort of spacings are people using, both between tines but also between rows of tines?

My initial idea was to use an accord drill as a starting point and build the frame underneath it, but I am also now thinking perhaps about including the artemis (or similar) system onto it, for variable rate capability (though I have yet to ask about prices on that...) And I do recall that there were a few companies making new hoppers and the like, that you could buy for a self built drill? Does anyone know the names of these companies, and do they do the hopper fan and distribution head or just the hopper? I do quite like the accord way of having everything within the hopper, but on my build I am thinking perhaps i could have a longer thinner hopper, more of a horsch or vaderstedt trailed type of thing, and then allow for a 3M (or perhaps even slightly wider) drill that folds up to 2.5M to allow access down the narrower PITA roads and gateways (which round here there are a hell of a lot of!). I'm trying to design a drill that will last me decades and will allow me to do contracting with it too in the future, so having something that is 3M+ on the road is a bit of a hindrance really, but I dont want to build something tiny that wont keep up with an increase in acrage, hence looking into folding.

There is also the issue of the grant. So far as i can see it is only if you buy a brand new drill. However, If i were to build the drill from new parts, then sell the drill to the farm as a brand new drill (I myself am self employed separate to the farm) would the subsidy be claimable? If so it would give me a lot more scope to add fancy toys like variable rate. Plus if it does all work out well and it is a success there could potentially be a market for a small narrow on the road direct drill, I wouldn't mind making a few to sell.

Many thanks and sorry for the essay...

 

[Farmersboy]

Grainboys tines are Bourgoult knock-on. Their catalogue is like a phone book. Bound to find the right combination for your system. @Clive likes them too

 

[Alistair Nelson]

From a cost point of view and simplicity particularly if you are looking at buying an artemis electric drive system an accord DL is your easiest drill to buy and package as it comes with a pto input and support bearings for the big pulley. just cut the coulterbar mounts off and pull the wheels out and your up and running. A DA because it is a power harrow mounted drill lacks the pto support bearing for the big pulley as it relies on the powerharrow for that. The only time I would buy a DA is if you found one with a hyd fan which removes the problem of pto shaft angles etc. The electric drive removes any problems with mounting spider wheels and routing drive shafts which isn't straight forward on folding machines. Personally I wouldn't look to have a hopper made etc it will end up being uneconomic and it is possible to fold a cultivator round one of those hoppers. A good source of a Hopper would be Andy Guest as he could supply parts or even a full hopper assembly.

an example of a DL https://amtec-group.com/farm-agricultural-machinery/drills/accord-dl-4m-11017262 this shows the pto etc

From a tine point of view Metcalfe's or Weaving can supply full assemblies which will bolt onto a box section frame as it stands at the moment from my research Bourgault don't do a mount onto a box section frame.

 

[BuskhillFarm]

I think you have to sit down and count a budget. You could have a drill for £5k or one for £20k.

If you start pouring too much in it could be cheaper to stick with combi.

Metcalffe and weaving tines roughly the same price.
Make a frame like wombats. Then you can either through a tank on top or if your set for investing a bit more buy/make a front hopper, so if it doesn’t work you’ve something to use as other options. Df2 would cover seed and fert and an artimis would be nice but £2500 approx maybe more for simple one

 

[Clive]

If i was starting form scratch I would buy a really good front hopper that's split so can do 2 products then I would build x 2 rear tool bars a tine and a dics one

the tine tool bar would be like my CO conversion and the disc one would be a simple bar of avatar coulters. - both would have a 3rd and maybe even 4th small seed hopper feeding the distribution head(s)

up to 6m I would make it all mounted, 8,10 or 12m I would trail

 

[BTT UK Ltd]

From a cost point of view and simplicity particularly if you are looking at buying an artemis electric drive system an accord DL is your easiest drill to buy and package as it comes with a pto input and support bearings for the big pulley. just cut the coulterbar mounts off and pull the wheels out and your up and running. A DA because it is a power harrow mounted drill lacks the pto support bearing for the big pulley as it relies on the powerharrow for that. The only time I would buy a DA is if you found one with a hyd fan which removes the problem of pto shaft angles etc. The electric drive removes any problems with mounting spider wheels and routing drive shafts which isn't straight forward on folding machines. Personally I wouldn't look to have a hopper made etc it will end up being uneconomic and it is possible to fold a cultivator round one of those hoppers. A good source of a Hopper would be Andy Guest as he could supply parts or even a full hopper assembly.

an example of a DL https://amtec-group.com/farm-agricultural-machinery/drills/accord-dl-4m-11017262 this shows the pto etc

From a tine point of view Metcalfe's or Weaving can supply full assemblies which will bolt onto a box section frame as it stands at the moment from my research Bourgault don't do a mount onto a box section frame.

Ref the time point of view - We don't make a tine as there are so many on the market, however we can supply the Metcalfe tine which the Bourgault VOS system will bolt onto OR the farmer can buy the tine from Matcalfe and the seeding tip from Bourgault.

 

[BTT UK Ltd]

Grainboys tines are Bourgoult knock-on. Their catalogue is like a phone book. Bound to find the right combination for your system. @Clive likes them too

Give Stuart a call (Tech Manager at Bourgault UK). He will be very happy to discuss our offerings to see if anything suits. ) 01733 - 971971

 

[Alistair Nelson]

If i was starting form scratch I would buy a really good front hopper that's split so can do 2 products then I would build x 2 rear tool bars a tine and a dics one

the tine tool bar would be like my CO conversion and the disc one would be a simple bar of avatar coulters. - both would have a 3rd and maybe even 4th small seed hopper feeding the distribution head(s)

up to 6m I would make it all mounted, 8,10 or 12m I would trail

Yes if you have a front linkage definitely a front hopper is the way to go on all levels an Accord DF 2 will do 2 different products down separate pipes and stacks etc allow grain and fert or intercropping and these can be bought secondhand although they are getting harder to find nice ones. You can add electric drive easily to them but it gets more costly as you need 2 motors etc really to do it properly 1 for each metering device it is possible to do it with one motor but it gets abit taxing on the brain calibrating one metering device relative to another as opposed to independently.

The other thing that is made easier is you don't need to worry about folding round the hopper as it is out the way all you have is the upstacks and the coulter hoses to worry about which is more than enough.

Like Clive says this then allows you to run different back ends tines, discs etc with the same set of electrics and hopper creating options whilst keeping costs down.

This is the route we have gone down with a Horsch 2 outlet hopper with either a Weaving GD toolbar or a old Tine Toolbar that is about to be updated.

 

[Alistair Nelson]

Ref the time point of view - We don't make a tine as there are so many on the market, however we can supply the Metcalfe tine which the Bourgault VOS system will bolt onto OR the farmer can buy the tine from Matcalfe and the seeding tip from Bourgault.

So your leg will bolt onto the metcalfe clamp that wraps round 50, 80, 100mm box with the 4 rubber blocks? or do you buy the leg as well from metcalfe's and your tip goes onto the leg? sorry not clear as when I spoke to you last year this wasn't possible. Please can you clarify as we are developing our thoughts on our next tine coulterbar as referenced above. Thank you

 

[Clive]

So your leg will bolt onto the metcalfe clamp that wraps round 50, 80, 100mm box with the 4 rubber blocks? or do you buy the leg as well from metcalfe's and your tip goes onto the leg? sorry not clear as when I spoke to you last year this wasn't possible. Please can you clarify as we are developing our thoughts on our next tine coulterbar as referenced above. Thank you

Bourgault do a really good leg with stone release spring that bolts to square box i would use if i didn’t have the CO ones that are easy to convert