Idiots guide to sowing with a one pass

[Farmer Fin]

Have bought a 4m one pass with tank on front. First time doing our own. What do I need to know / would be usefull hints?

One of my first questions is how many headland runs to do? We are on 28 m tramlines and have had some contractors do 5 and some do 6 dependent on the field. Are people just flexible?

Also on gps where do folks set the headland boundary for lifting and lowering?

TIA

 

[McD]

It'll take a bit of trial and error to find out but generally I treat the front box as the drill. When your moving, where the front box hits the ground is roughly where the seed goes by the time it goes up the side pipes and through the distribution. Same with when you lift, by the time the pipes empty the coulters will be roughly where the box was shen you lifted but you will have to work that out for your drill and forward speed. I do 4 widths round the endrigs. Any more than that and I have to mark them as I find it hard to judge when to lift and lower. For 4 16m I lift the front box when it looks like the fence is sitting on the front hopper cover. Maybe for your first time you should level your ends all the way round the correct width before you start. That way you'll have a nice mark to start and stop.

 

[KB6930]

How do you plough your endrigs ?

I plough mine as narrow as possible so I use that to judge where to lift and lower the drill

 

[GrantMo]

For odd shaped parks I map out the headland with gps then with the metering wheel folded up I do a run round the endrig nearest the middle before I start sowing the ups and downs if that makes sense. Can’t go wrong then! Usually do 6 endrigs runs with the 3m, gives plenty room for turning

 

[Farmer Fin]

How do you plough your endrigs ?

I plough mine as narrow as possible so I use that to judge where to lift and lower the drill

Normally use field side tramline to make a scratch off so that endrig tramline is running the same way as the ploughing. Tend to find it’s smoother with the sprayer that way.

 

[KB6930]

Normally use field side tramline to make a scratch off so that endrig tramline is running the same way as the ploughing. Tend to find it’s smoother with the sprayer that way.

I go the other way so my ins and outs are outside the headland tramline so there's no bump to go through.

But you'll get my meaning you know where you're tramline should be compared to your ploughing so that'll tell you where you need to lift and drop .
On 28m I'd probably only do 4 runs that's what we do for 24m and use the join of the 3rd and 4th as the mark to follow with spreader and sprayer

 

[Superted820]

Normally use field side tramline to make a scratch off so that endrig tramline is running the same way as the ploughing. Tend to find it’s smoother with the sprayer that way.

Amen and ditto to that.

 

[quattro]

I use 28m if the whole field is ready to drill I drill twice round
and then turn using what would b 3 widths of drill. I’ve a front press
though
also it isn’t paddling so much near edge of field turning with plough then turning with drill
hope this makes sense
i allways put scratch mark on inside of headland tramline so not bouncy spraying etc

 

[GrantMo]

I go the other way so my ins and outs are outside the headland tramline so there's no bump to go through.

But you'll get my meaning you know where you're tramline should be compared to your ploughing so that'll tell you where you need to lift and drop .
On 28m I'd probably only do 4 runs that's what we do for 24m and use the join of the 3rd and 4th as the mark to follow with spreader and sprayer

Good idea. Do you run wide on the 4th round to give a visible centre mark to follow? Could probably just nudge gps over by 50mm or so?

 

[KB6930]

Good idea. Do you run wide on the 4th round to give a visible centre mark to follow? Could probably just nudge gps over by 50mm or so?

Most are just drilled by eye so there's usually an overlap to see . It just save a half width round everything

 

[Farmer Fin]

I use 28m if the whole field is ready to drill I drill twice round
and then turn using what would b 3 widths of drill. I’ve a front press
though
also it isn’t paddling so much near edge of field turning with plough then turning with drill
hope this makes sense
i allways put scratch mark on inside of headland tramline so not bouncy spraying etc

Thanks for the info. Only query is do you not tramp your outside 2 widths when you are filling the drill? I have in the past always ripped up the endrigs just before they were sown.

 

[quattro]

Thanks for the info. Only query is do you not tramp your outside 2 widths when you are filling the drill? I have in the past always ripped up the endrigs just before they were sown.

Depends how dry it is either run down with loader or go back to gate with drill allways running where I’ve turned anyway
i always subsoil 5leg 10in deep where I’ve been turning with drill

 

[2wheels]

How do you plough your endrigs ?

I plough mine as narrow as possible so I use that to judge where to lift and lower the drill

ok as long as the ploughing is the same direction as the endrig tramline. edit, sorry someone has already made that point.

 

[KB6930]

ok as long as the ploughing is the same direction as the endrig tramline. edit, sorry someone has already made that point.

Its not but we don't have rough endrigs. No one can stand rough fields here

 

[2wheels]

Its not but we don't have rough endrigs. No one can stand rough fields here

i have sprayed fields that were sown at an angle to the ploughing and certainly felt the furrows. it was ploughed well.

 

[KB6930]

i have sprayed fields that were sown at an angle to the ploughing and certainly felt the furrows. it was ploughed well.

Well something wasn't being done properly. I often plough at 90 degrees to the drilling and either me or the boss drill it and it all ends up pretty good for travelling on .

 

[2wheels]

Well something wasn't being done properly. I often plough at 90 degrees to the drilling and either me or the boss drill it and it all ends up pretty good for travelling on .

maybe cultivating deeper? lighter land?

 

[KB6930]

maybe cultivating deeper? lighter land?

Every frim tile clay to black peat here . Plenty power on the combi so tend to run a but deeper and just do what I can with the plough

 

[milton-95]

I go the other way so my ins and outs are outside the headland tramline so there's no bump to go through.

But you'll get my meaning you know where you're tramline should be compared to your ploughing so that'll tell you where you need to lift and drop .
On 28m I'd probably only do 4 runs that's what we do for 24m and use the join of the 3rd and 4th as the mark to follow with spreader and sprayer

4 widths on 28 metres would be alright if he's not putting in an endrig tramline with the drill and putting it in with the sprayer instead, if he is tramlining his endrig with the drill then 5 would be better or the drill will likely be dropping in and sowing where the inside tramline would be.

 

[Hesstondriver]

silly question alert

Combi drilling - headlands first or last ?