Please teach me about direct drills

[Andy004]

Hi Folks, earlier this yr i mentioned we plan to start some DD expts at Rothamsted (i was asking about suitable wheat varieties). We plan to buy a plot drill and i'm interested to learn about types of direct drill. I know of disc and tine drills - do they all fall into one of these two categories? Do all tine drills cause more disturbance than disc? We have a lot of flints - would this be an issue for a disc drill?
Many thanks
Andy

 

[Simon C]

You already have a Sim-tech direct drill at Harpenden, it's been doing DD trials for about 3 years now.

 

[Andy004]

Hi Simon, yes, and a jd, but we need a plot drill, and i'd appreciate some comments on tines v discs etc. We've used the simtech for our expt this autumn, but changing varieties is tedious! Previous expts just used one variety in a rotation expt, what we're doing is different.
Cheers
Andy

 

[SilliamWhale]

You'll never find a plot no till drill will you?

 

[steveR]

You'll never find a plot no till drill will you?

Aitchison do a "vineyard" drill, that is essentially a plot drill in all but name. But possibly not going to be heavy enough on disc/tine loading?

http://d3lp4xedbqa8a5.cloudfront.net/imagegen/p/1200/630/assets/traderspecs/2013/09/23/misc/aitchison_vo8d_2.jpg

 

[Adeptandy]

Worth a chat with Weavings ?
They do both

 

[YELROM]

Seed Collector Sheet / Seed Sock - For Fast Seed and Fertiliser Hopper Emptying - Agri-Linc

<p>Seed Collector Sheet / 'Seed Sock'</p> <ul> <li><span>2.5 x 2.5 mtr seed collector sheet with 4 loop holes for safe handling.</span></li> <li>Approx 3.5 mtr corner to corner.</li> <li><span>Save time, labour and money with our practical seed sheet.

www.agri-linc.com

This would be cheaper than buying a new drill

 

[Andy004]

Hi folks,
Thanks for the replies. Plan is we will get a plot drill and specify what seeding units we want, within reason, the drill will be strengthened to cope. I watched the simtech working last week and was surprised how much soil disturbance there was. However other folks think we are better off with a tine, due to the stones. Can we get a tine that is accepted as zero till?
Cheers
Andy

 

[Andy004]

Hi Steve R, thanks for the link, that looks interesting, however sometimes we only have less than 500g seed available, so we really need a plot drill mechanism to distribute the seed.
Cheers

 

[Al R]

Weaving have made a vineyard drill for a friend of mine - he’s in Kent and travels nationwide - PM if you want a contact number for him

 

[Farmer Roy]

You'll never find a plot no till drill will you?

EVERYTHING in this part of the world is zero till. Including trial plots & university / department of Ag / seed company research stations . . .

 

[Farmer Roy]

So - sorry if I’m being rude to the OP

but you are planning on undertaking research on varieties or seeding methods or something, but you aren’t familiar with current farm scale planting technology OR what plot planters are out there ?

have you ever done any trial work before ?

tbh, if you don’t even know about planting equipment, I personally wouldn’t have a lot of faith in your trial results . . .

once again, I don’t mean to be rude, just a bit incredulous really

 

[Farmer Roy]

Weaving have made a vineyard drill for a friend of mine - he’s in Kent and travels nationwide - PM if you want a contact number for him
View attachment 1069607

thats a cool looking little rig

 

[Farmer Fin]

So - sorry if I’m being rude to the OP

but you are planning on undertaking research on varieties or seeding methods or something, but you aren’t familiar with current farm scale planting technology OR what plot planters are out there ?

have you ever done any trial work before ?

tbh, if you don’t even know about planting equipment, I personally wouldn’t have a lot of faith in your trial results . . .

once again, I don’t mean to be rude, just a bit incredulous really

Or the OP is a researcher currently doing some research?

 

[Farmer Roy]

Hi Steve R, thanks for the link, that looks interesting, however sometimes we only have less than 500g seed available, so we really need a plot drill mechanism to distribute the seed.
Cheers

there is an absolute shît load of trial planting work done here by government departments, universities & seed companies on VERY small scale plots ( a few metres wide by say 50 m long), and with crops like cotton which require VERY accurate plant spacing, with a LOT less than 500gm seed for that area, so - there is certainly NO shortage of planters & seed metering units that are capable of what you want. They’ve been doing it here ( zero till ) for 40 or more years . . .

 

[Farmer Roy]

Or the OP is a researcher currently doing some research?

most research is done by people with some knowledge or experience in that field, I usually find . . .

or they hook up with other researchers in that field, rather than wasting time trying to reinvent the wheel

 

[Andy26]

You'll never find a plot no till drill will you?

Claydon made a plot drill, had the pleasure of using it about 15 years ago, unfortunately it was the V drill configuration and was more of a straw rake than drill.

 

[Andy004]

Hi Folks,
Thanks for the replies. Roy - some good points. To be clearer, at Rothamsted the farm team maintain a good set of equipment, and carry out all the machinery operations required for the trials work, as well as equipment to farm the commercial fields - and as mentioned above, we already have 2 commercial dd, plus another at one of the other farms. However, in our wheat pre-breeding, which is where i'm involved, it seems sensible to start using a dd rather than the conventional we usually use. As this is a specific requirement, one will need purchasing, which the farm folk are perfectly capable of doing - but, for me, i'd like to be better informed, so when there's discussion i can at least understand and hopefully contribute. Does that make sense? As you say, plot dd's are available - Haldrup and Wintersteiger both list them, but, i'd like to think a bit wider. If we do purchase a drill, i'd like to get it right, hence why i'm asking around. Another research institute in the UK, Letcombe, now closed, did a lot of dd research in the 80s - sadly long since stopped.

Al R - many thanks for the photo and offer of a contact, but we really need a plot drill machanism at the top to cope with small amounts of seed.
Andy26 - thanks, yes, i think i'd heard of the Claydon, i think it was aimed at OSR establishment? I think i saw it at NIAB about 8yrs ago?

 

[steveR]

Hi Steve R, thanks for the link, that looks interesting, however sometimes we only have less than 500g seed available, so we really need a plot drill mechanism to distribute the seed.
Cheers

I find the Aitchison OK for small quantities actually, as there is a "mini hopper" in the base of the box hopper. above each outlet, so it is possible to measure out smaller quantities, but I take your point

 

[steveR]

Hi folks,
Thanks for the replies. Plan is we will get a plot drill and specify what seeding units we want, within reason, the drill will be strengthened to cope. I watched the simtech working last week and was surprised how much soil disturbance there was. However other folks think we are better off with a tine, due to the stones. Can we get a tine that is accepted as zero till?
Cheers
Andy

The Simtech and Aitchison use the same sytem essentially for getting the seed into the ground. I was told by a Simtech user, that if I want to reduce disturbance with my Aitchison, go slower... In seeding into grassland, slow and steady is the mantra I follow.

I can travel at 12-14kph for sure, but much prefer 6-8kph and cut the soil movement down. I used disc drill here years ago and never got on with it, but I am very aware that they have improved hugely in the past 10 -15 years.