Duncan Drill modifications

[ploughman1963]

I have been modifying the drill in readiness for the new season - boutmarkers - a bit sticky for drilling but wanted to get the markers set up.



I have also added some wedges between the spring tine and its frame which has the effect of making the boot run flatter to the ground rather than the steep angle it runs as standard which means you have to drill quite deep in order to get a slot and for all tines to be in the ground when the ground is not table top flat.

 

[ploughman1963]

A bit sticky for drilling but you can see here how much better a slot the drill is now making - wider more positive slot than the very narrow slot and uneven drilling that I was getting previously.


I trod/walked on the slot in order to mimick following with a roller.


When closed, the seed would be sitting in a chamber 20mm deep. I think I can now get more reliable drilling at much shallower depths of around 15mm without half the tines merely scratching the surface and half at 40mm deep.

Just need some drier conditions to try it out in anger now

 

[tractorbob]

All looks very good. Do like the wedges - can see that working. We all need some warmth now!

 

[JD-Kid]

only thing i'd watch for it the heal of the boot is not rideing too flat or it will compress the base of the slot .. if yer recall i said about the duncan boots being too long from point to seed outlet so tend to pull back a bit .. i like these openers
http://www.reesegroup.co.nz/files/resources/Brochure/Grassfarmer.pdf
look at the seeder point in the pic alot shorter

 

[neilo]

Looks good. Have you worked out how to put tramlines in yet?

 

[JD-Kid]

some guy worked out how to do it on those drills they just use a amazone peg seeder system so there must be something out there ..

wonder what people did before tramlines ???

 

[ploughman1963]

JD, the boots are sitting slightly 'point-up' when on the ground but the resistance in the ground pulls them back and therefore slightly 'point down' - small depression in the centre of the slot indicating the point is the lowest point.

 

[JD-Kid]

yep PM thats about right were they were they would have been under cutting a lot just thinking tho if flat are the pushing the sides of the slot out more Vs it lifting and cracking the side wall more then letting it settle down .. ( even i can't understad what i'm getting that there ) think of a sub soiler Vs just a flat bar being pulled in the ground one lifts and cracks the other just sideways forses the soil

 

[ploughman1963]

yes, some truth in what you say - slot is now wider but difficult to draw a conclusion until the ground dries up enough to be suitable for drilling. However, the reason I did this was that the steep angle the boot operated at before meant that in order for the wider heel of the boot to get into the ground to work as you suggest, the point had to be 1.5" deep at least - and then if the ground undulated and the point depth shallowed, I ended up with just a thin slot cut by the tip. Also, at that depth, I was always afraid to roll the ground after for fear of burying the seed - now after rolling (tried it yesterday) the bottom of the slot is reliably just 15-20mm and I believe when conditions come right for drilling I will be able to reliably drill shallower than that. After rolling, its the slots that have been run on with a tractor wheel that are in danger of being sealed in too deep - the slots in between arent so much of a problem.
A friend who has had an aitchison farmer for many years reckoned the angle of the boot on his machine was too steep and the duncan is steeper. He warmed the spring tines and bent them to shallow the angle further - I didnt have the skill or the nerve to do that so tried the wedges.

Neil, when I add a couple of coulters to make the drill 3m working width and fit the accord hopper/metering (on the 'to-do' list) then, yes, tramlining will be part of the package.

 

[JD-Kid]

if the point was working 1.5 deep and the heal cleared the ground would not the whole boot be out of the ground now ?? be intresting to see how things go once it drys out a bit chuck some wheat in it and humm along at 8-10 kph and see how the seed falls

 

[ploughman1963]

?? originally too steep (as you say heel out of the ground) -now modified so that heel is down inside slot even at 15-20mm deep.

 

[le bon paysan]

My Grassland farmer drill came with 'wedges', 'factory fitted'. Think G.S. said it was one of the 1st if not the 1st one done. Keeps the boot 'more level'.

 

[JD-Kid]

what i kinda mean if it was working with the tip down 1-2 inchs to get the heel at 3/4 of an inch and on rolling ground at times only the tip made a line say 1/2 an inch deep a flatter boot will be out of the ground in those low spots .

thats a down side to the stiff coil tines the frist drill i had i think had 20mm tines on it they tended to pull back a lot the next 2 coil drills were both 25mm less pull back but less ground following (reson i sold mine on realy rough country) the teage i had not bad ground following newer one a bigger tine ment to be a bit stiffer .. now gone back to an enviro
http://www.duncanag.co.nz/products/seed-drills/enviro740
good points and bad points about them tho not so good in thick turf or wet ground

can't find a pic there was an old stump jump grubber like a drag bar on a seed drill with downward spring on the arms and a kick back spring on each leg fitted with a press wheel they would ground follow and have a safety kick out if hitting rock etc

 

[ploughman1963]

update - the wedges work! Significant difference in the drilling - good shallow slots and reliable, regular depth across the drill width even on undulating ground. Well pleased!

 

[tractorbob]

Well done PM. We should have had you on the design team!!

 

[ploughman1963]

I cannot take credit - a chap from North Wales who has a few years experience with an Aitchison grass farmer pointed me in the right direction

 

[JD-Kid]

flip side of the coin during building could they not just weld the box off square to do the same thing ?? duncan agri do listen or put a diffrent bend in the tine

 

[ploughman1963]

Yes JD, very easy to do - I am sure they have a reason for building as they do (and it might become apparent when I break all my tines?) - but done a couple of jobs now and really very pleased by the way the drill is now giving consistent depth control and following ground contours. I do need to cut away the back of the front seed pipe (like vaddy?) as because the seed pipe is now flatter, the soil can block more easily - just need to cut a bit away to allow it to flow through rather than blocking the pipe - IYSWIM

 

[JD-Kid]

begg drills used to block up years ago back of the tubes were cut to over come that prob ..not sure if it was the tube flicking forward makeing the outlet scoop up soil blocking the tubes

 

[ploughman1963]

update - have ground out an arch in the back of the coulter outlets as described above and virtually eliminated blocking now although the ground conditions have also significantly improved.
Cannot get over to you just how much £30 worth of wedges has totally transformed this machine! DD'd some spring barley into failed WW headlands yesterday and could have buried it out of site. Last autumn I was considering adding loads of weights to get it to drill stubble turnips into loose stubble at half an inch! Much more about the angle of the tine than the weight of the drill. I am now getting consistent drilling depths across the width of the machine - changes in ground conditions (hard/soft) make much less difference (except it now goes into the hard ground) and undulating ground is far less of an issue. Majority of this is done with the drill on the 3PL which I much prefer - have to use drawbar on Fendt as the arms are shorter and drill hits the wheels on 3PL.
Fields are also looking a lot neater now we have bout markers rather than guessing the driving width