Guttler greenmaster

Whats everyone’s thoughts on these compared to a direct drill?
Would they be better for stitching in clover?
Are they easy to take the roller off the back and use separately with the seeder or is it a pain so you wouldn’t bother?
How many passes do you actually need to get enough tilth in grassland?
Realistically what weight and hp tractor do you need in the hills to handle one with them being close on 2t?
I see they do an alpine model with smaller lighter roller, would this be ‘enough’ on grass into grass or should you just stick with the heavy roller?
 

Yale

Member
Livestock Farmer
Put this thread in the direct drilling general section as it will stay on the board a lot longer and maybe get a better response.

As to effectiveness they do have their place for overseeding however they are not a direct drill.

For clover seeds they would scuff the ground up to give some suitable conditions.(y)
 

Dave6170

Member
We have stitched in italian with 1 and it did the job fine. Contractor has a harrow on the front links aswell though.
He sowed our lawn with it too into bare soil and it came up good.
 
I haven’t got front links so that’s why I wondered about the weight and number of passes.

Sounds promising, I’m thinking of one for clover into new pp once the weeds are sorted and also for sowing the pp after a fodder crop??

Thanks for moving it, was going to ask how I did it(y)
 

mezz

Member
Location
Ireland
We've had contractors using a guttler quite a few times for sowing ryegrass and kale. Only ever used the one pass of the guttler. One contractor had a scarificer on the front links. That is a good job. The contractors usually have a 100-120hp tractor with 3m machine and very steep and rough hills here.

We normally try and leave it 4-6 weeks between spraying and sowing and graze it off as hard as possible after spraying. Leaving it a while means the grass and roots start to rot so the guttler can break it up much better than stuff only sprayed 5 days ago. We also always apply lime to counteract the decaying grass even if the soil test doesn't recommend it.

Although it often doesn't look much of a seed bed, compared to mintill with a power harrow, the establishment has always been as good. However we get a decent amount of rain usually. The wetter the ground the better the tilth with the guttler.
 
That’s good to hear regarding the one pass and the relatively low hp requirement.

They do a lighter roller version so I’m not too sure which model to go for as I’m wondering about the weight issue compared to the reduction in damage and press going by for a lighter machine.

Are they a pain to split in sections? I see they can be used as a Harrow or a roller separately so was wondering about going for the heavy version and splitting it if it didn’t suit..

I can see why they wouldn’t suit if ground conditions were too dry.
 

Peppa pig

Member
Location
Castle douglas
Had a look through pics and this is one that shows best how easy it would split.theres a stand at far side comes down either side of roller.2 pins and top link off it will be split.10 min job mybe at most.
20181026_130430.jpg
 
Sounds a simple enough job. Not something I really want to be doing but just not sure if my tractor will handle the weight with it being nearly 2t so still thinking of the lighter model.
What size hopper is on yours? Is it 410?
It’s either go for the heavy one with the possibility of splitting or just go for the lighter roller..
 

Peppa pig

Member
Location
Castle douglas
Not sure of litre size but holds roughly 100kg of grass seed.i dont know anything of the lighter roller but my opinion would be the roller is a fairly important part of seed-soil contact
 
Think that’s the 410 jobbie. They do a 200 to make it lighter but it’s too small.

That’s my primary concern, I think you’re right regarding the roller as being the main reason the machines successful so I’m hesitant to go lighter in case it doesn’t do the job as efficiently. Think there’s about 300kg difference in rollers so a fairly substantial saving on weight but could be to the detriment of the machines capabilities..
 

Joe

Member
Location
Carlow Ireland
Sorry for opening up an old trend, but few questions on the Guttler. Anyone using one to establish rape such as redstart into burnt ground or is it really just for grass stitching and sowing?
 
I’ll tell you in a months time, I’m just in the process of trying it myself. There are other threads where germination was better than drills but I reckon there has to be enough moisture about to get the best out of it.
 

mezz

Member
Location
Ireland
Sorry for opening up an old trend, but few questions on the Guttler. Anyone using one to establish rape such as redstart into burnt ground or is it really just for grass stitching and sowing?

Fine for establishing rape/redstart. However there is a small roller on the air seeder for feeding seed into the fan. The roller is a different size for rape/redstart versus grass seed. Just a small bit of plastic, but IIRC €3-400 to buy from manufacturer. If you're getting a contractor make sure he has the right one.
 
Last edited:
To further bounce on another period , how did this work out after ?

My personal findings since testing the guttler against my aitchinson...

Burnt off grass and in after 5 days I use my aitchinson because the guttler needs several passes.

If you can leave the sward to die and rot a bit you’ll have no problem but it does rip better with more moisture.

After a winter crop of turnips or Italian and forage rape etc the guttler was very good at creating a tilth for the perfect seedbed going back to grass. That was my main reason for buying it as the slots on a aitchinson seemed too wide for a complete grass reseed.

As for calling the guttler a glorified Harrow as some have...I’ve had tine harrows and they certainly won’t create the tilth a guttler does. The guttler needs to be set right to put the weight on the tines for digging and then more so on the roller for seeding as if it’s too aggressive it can drag trash with you.

You need several passes with a guttler to create the tilth where as the likes of an aitchinson is one pass.

However if the ground is uneven the aitchinson misses the hollows and goes deep on the tumps.

Each is far better than the other in certain circumstances. Each has its pros and cons and so does a disc drill. It seems to all depend on the situation, the ground conditions but most of all the weather and after seeding..
 
Think they look a good tool but should be either twice as wide or half the price. They are just seeder box grass harrows that you don’t need to roll behind that you will still roll behind anyway surely?

I haven’t actually flat rolled behind it. Thought several times it might help keep moisture in but then wondered if the ridges of the Cambridge type roller would hold rain better allowing it to penetrate more. After seeing the seed established I haven’t actually felt like a flat roll would have improved things.
Edit to add: as for being twice as wide we had to change a few gateways to get a 3m in here in places. I wouldn’t fancy having it wider and heavier to travel and work on our banks here but the best option is just the Harrow with ripper tines on a front linkage for less passes.
 
CC1822E5-71D4-4049-914F-678042AA426D.jpeg
CC1822E5-71D4-4049-914F-678042AA426D.jpeg
That’s the kind of finished tilth you get after turnips. It’s all stone here but not really one to pick so for Me and what I wanted it for it is spot on.
 

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