Teach me about combination sowing...

[Selectamatic]

My Current Set Up...

Followed by...

It works well, especially in spring, where the soil is dryer, the weather better, and generally a better job all round.

However, this year, like last, I've been caught out with the weather, done some ploughing, and waited for a little bit of drying that never came, rather, the weather turned wet, leaving me stuck.

A combination PH and Drill is the answer I think, I'm happy with what I've got in spring and when it's drier, but in winter, it will take away a round of wheelings, and hopefully I'll be able to get on with it sooner.

Top it off, i've found a pretty standard box drill, in good order, that, if I found a 3 point linkage to fit on the power harrow, i could mount on the back of my power harrow and go sowing with... so what's stopping me?!

Questions...

1) This Power Harrow, with a pretty standard, not overly heavy box drill mounted on the back of it with a 3PL arrangement if I drop on one, will my 2WD, 103hp David Brown 1690 be able to cope with it? Will it lift it? It will never hold 500kg of seed in one go, more like 200kg maximum...

2) Will it do what I want? Will a 2WD have the traction required to shift the lot of it?

3) Twin wheels are still a good option, I have a pair waiting to be fitted

4) How do you sow a field like this, I've never used a combi set up before, how do do the headlands? Start at a straight hedge, work up and down until you finish, but what about hadlands

5) Am I Mad?!

Any ideas, suggestions, comments, etc etc gratefully received.

 

[yellowbelly]

Just like Miss World, in reverse order......

5) No you're not mad.

4) Start on a straight hedge. Drill headlands (3 sides) last.

3) Dual wheels

2) Yes.

1) Dunno. Know nowt about Davy Broons.

 

[Lincs Lass]

Another idea.
Fix a drawbar to the power harrow and tow a lightweight 3 mtr drill .

 

[Drillman]

The 3m combi drill in what ever configuration takes your fancy is the saviour of the smaller farmer.

we were late starters with the combi but don’t think I would seriously look at any other system on our current acres.

 

[KennyO]

Didn't 'the gift' DB John have an amazone combi for his 1594?

Can you fit assistor rams to your tractor if it needs them.

Is there any way you can try it with a heavier implement before going to the expense of buying something?

 

[ARW]

Since your already mad and own many Davy broons I wouldn’t risk setting up a combo drill filling it with seed then being disappointed!
you need a front tank combi drill set up!

 

[steveR]

Another idea.
Fix a drawbar to the power harrow and tow a lightweight 3 mtr drill .

Got a hydraulic lift piggy back hitch here I don't use now, cross my palm with some silver and gold, and it can be yours!

Used it on ploughed and pressed land with a 60hp 2wd Zetor...

Main use was a front mounted dutch harrow and the PH and a Fiona 3pt drill on the remote hitch on an 85hp Zetor. Both tractors on duals.

 

[Drillman]

To be honest I would bang some dual wheels on that 2wd David disapointment 1690 as the extra traction they would give would be a help, and then hang some sort of light weight drill on the power Harrow and away you go.
it won’t be rocket ship fast but unless your drilling 1/2 the parish you be fine.

 

[Hooby Farmer]

Had a 3m combi on a 2wd 1494 for 14acres once. Well weighted, ground already worked, did the job ok. The brown was fair singing.

 

[J 1177]

You may need a few extra weights on the front but it should be ok.
If you can find a propper maschio up and over linkage you can lift the drill above the ph before you lift the whole outfit up bringing the weight closer to the tractor

 

[v8willy]

Generally when it's damp (which is all the time) plough field, drill field, then plough the headlands & drill them.

 

[kc6475]

If all your land is like in the pictures then you may be ok but if you have any clay areas then with the weight of the drill on it that crumbler roller will fill solid in wet conditions, been there done that had to change ours for a packer roller at the time, if that's a maschio Dc then it's a nice light power Harrow but you will need to get the drill mounted on it as close as you can to the tractor to be able to cope with your 2wd.

 

[mixed breed]

As said, a piggy back linkage

would mate your two together nicely, most of them bring the drill up and over the power harrow reducing the over hang and weight. Would need plenty of front weights and duals for a 2wd, but it will work.

The other option is a simple fixed piggy back like a fiona,

they're cheap and cheerful but will get the job done.

 

[Badshot]

If the drill has its own wheels to run on the crumbler will.be ok, but if the power Harrow has to support the drill it'll need a packer roll of some description instead of the crumbler.

 

[deere 6600]

Power Harrow half the field then hook off ,,, seeder on seed that half then repeat or just get a cheap??? Amazone one pass that's what we did works great have pulled it with 100 horsepower

 

[J 1177]

My brother in law has a rabe ph that he's now put a tidy krm combi box drill on. He runs it on an case 140 maxxum and it's surprisingly heavy. Before that he had a ransomes clb? Behind it. What he did is use a set of link arms off his old 685 nash, a long top link and some check chains. It woked well and he hanled it with his mxu115 xline that hasn't got the greatest lift in the world. Could you do that with a set of link arms pinched of one of your browns as a test run on your 1690?

 

[J 1177]

Power Harrow half the field then hook off ,,, seeder on seed that half then repeat or just get a cheap??? Amazone one pass that's what we did works great have pulled it with 100 horsepower

I find the first pass with the ph is ok but its the second set of wheelings from the drill tractor Make a mess if it's a bit sticky hence why we run a combi

 

[chaffcutter]

Used a piggy back linkage on a Kuhn ph with a Falcon drill for many years, problem is that the drill is a fair way back and as you lift it with seed in the box, you need a lot of front weight to keep the wheels on the ground !

Dialled up and some weights it will make a decent outfit.

 

[glasshouse]

My Current Set Up...

Followed by...

It works well, especially in spring, where the soil is dryer, the weather better, and generally a better job all round.

However, this year, like last, I've been caught out with the weather, done some ploughing, and waited for a little bit of drying that never came, rather, the weather turned wet, leaving me stuck.

A combination PH and Drill is the answer I think, I'm happy with what I've got in spring and when it's drier, but in winter, it will take away a round of wheelings, and hopefully I'll be able to get on with it sooner.

Top it off, i've found a pretty standard box drill, in good order, that, if I found a 3 point linkage to fit on the power harrow, i could mount on the back of my power harrow and go sowing with... so what's stopping me?!

Questions...

1) This Power Harrow, with a pretty standard, not overly heavy box drill mounted on the back of it with a 3PL arrangement if I drop on one, will my 2WD, 103hp David Brown 1690 be able to cope with it? Will it lift it? It will never hold 500kg of seed in one go, more like 200kg maximum...

2) Will it do what I want? Will a 2WD have the traction required to shift the lot of it?

3) Twin wheels are still a good option, I have a pair waiting to be fitted

4) How do you sow a field like this, I've never used a combi set up before, how do do the headlands? Start at a straight hedge, work up and down until you finish, but what about hadlands

5) Am I Mad?!

Any ideas, suggestions, comments, etc etc gratefully received.

Yes you are mad
A db 2wd will require a massive weight kit to handle a piggy back, thats of it will lift it at all.
Buy a 3m mf 30 drill and just tow it behind the p harrow
Did u get those duals?

 

[J 1177]

Used a piggy back linkage on a Kuhn ph with a Falcon drill for many years, problem is that the drill is a fair way back and as you lift it with seed in the box, you need a lot of front weight to keep the wheels on the ground !

Dialled up and some weights it will make a decent outfit.

I did it with my 5130 for years but it was a DM maschio with packer with the propper linkage on, plus ransomes drill behind, full it needed the loader and half a rack of weights on to keep the front end down.