Weaving GD user thread

Olivera35

Member
BASE UK Member
Hi just a quick one 😁 we have recently purchased a 4.8 GD mounted which we used for the 1st time this spring and found with a full hopper 1 ton the seed was down at a good even depth across the field but with half a ton or less we found it didn't have enough weight to sink in enough on the harder bits. Has anyone added weight to a 4.8 m. If so how have you done it. Pictures would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
 

Two Tone

Member
Mixed Farmer
Changing the scolloped discs. I found it best to put the hexagonal key in a vice:
41752ECF-F7E2-4221-92E0-B4D12BEB9E78.jpeg
2517B254-CAAA-41A4-8303-AC828463DB46.jpeg


All coulter work finished and rear wheels back on:
D6FFA576-0729-41A3-866C-422801FCF848.jpeg


Then lift it it off the trailer:
09AC04B0-83FA-4692-8066-E5ED5CF8B34E.jpeg
 

jack6480

Member
Location
Staffs
Hi just a quick one 😁 we have recently purchased a 4.8 GD mounted which we used for the 1st time this spring and found with a full hopper 1 ton the seed was down at a good even depth across the field but with half a ton or less we found it didn't have enough weight to sink in enough on the harder bits. Has anyone added weight to a 4.8 m. If so how have you done it. Pictures would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

You could a deck of weights some how on the back steps with a bit of a frame. But it’ll make it even heavier 🙂 especially for lifting when you have a full tank of seed
 

kiwi

Member
Have been holding off asking this question on this forum and have asked on the weaving gd WhatsApp.
i have noticed when drilling in the middle middle hole for cereals that seed placement varies from halfway to the bottom of the slot with the very odd seed on top. So I have drilled with one hole shallower but end up with to many seeds on top. It is very frustrating as some seeds have trouble coming up from depth of the middle middle hole and it seems many just up the seeding rate to compensate for this.
I drill at about 8km and have the scrapers and also the weaving rubber flap which helps but still not acceptable in my view. Carefully watching it seems like there is considerable seed bounce and so have tried lower fan speed but no help really.
So how do others over come this and is there a company in the u.k that makes something similar to the Keeton seed firmer used on JD drills for the weaving?
Another issue is hairpinning in peas straw and reddish straw as ground is softer.
 

kiwi

Member
Simon sent me some photos of a French farmers modification to support the rubber flap lower down by welding in a piece to the rear slot of the down tube. Normally , as in my case flap is just attached at top.
 

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clbarclay

Member
Location
Worcestershire
I think it was one of the antipodeans who said rather than working off fan rpm, the norm there was to measure the air pressure (just after the fan?) and just set the fan speed to suit the desired pressure.
 

Two Tone

Member
Mixed Farmer
What are everybody's views on the importance of rolling behind a GD?
I'm chuffed to bits on how much time and how many operations I save using the GD (Ploughing, power-harrowing, Combi drilling) but am unsure about the benefit of rolling, come what may on every occasion.

Having done his demonstration in early April on a deliberately chosen field with very variable soil-types, Simon recommended that we roll it soon after. Trying to roll the day after had absolutely no effect whatsoever. I could not see it helping, let alone see where I had been!
IMG_0962.JPG


My preference for choosing the GD is massively based upon the fact of absolute minimum soil disturbance in my battle against Blackgrass.
It seems to me that the rear wheel rollers on the drill are all that is necessary to firm the seed enough.
If Rolling is having no effect on enhancing germination, why risk disturbing the soil between the slots which might cause a flush of Blackgrass or any other weeds?

What are your thoughts?
 
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jack6480

Member
Location
Staffs
What are everybody's views on the importance of rolling behind a GD?
I'm chuffed to bits on how much time and how many operations I save using the GD (Ploughing, power-harrowing, Combi drilling) but am unsure about the benefit of rolling, come what may on every occasion.

Having done his demonstration in early April on a deliberately chosen field with very variable soil-types, Simon recommended that we roll it soon after. Trying to roll the day after had absolutely no effect whatsoever. I could not see it helping, let alone see where I had been!
View attachment 897869

My preference for choosing the GD is massively based upon the fact of absolute minimum soil disturbance in my battle against Blackgrass.
It seems to me that the rear wheel rollers on the drill are all that is necessary to firm the seed enough.
If Rolling is having no effect on enhancing germination, why risk disturbing the soil between the slots which might cause a flush of Blackgrass or any other weeds.

What are your thoughts?

I find only rolling on an angle sometimes helps but not always. Drilling at good depth with seed buried seems to be the main thing to watch. Hopefully over a few years soils will improve to be a bit more friable which will mean slot closing Will be easy
 
this spring we rolled most crops as it was so dry and the forecast was dry
we got behind with some fields
the day after drilling was too late
if it is likely to rain then I will not roll as on heavy land
bare open ground ,no straw or cover crop ,sprayed off early dry for weeks
cover crop sprayed off early chopped straw over winter less need in a dry spring

autumn cropping much less need of rolling

the first 3 years of notill slug pressure May be reduced by rolling
once notill is well established slugs less of a problem and rolling less needed 5 years or more

if cultivated then rolling is much more benificial for slug control
 

Badshot

Member
Location
Kent
I rolled my beans this spring, actually paddle rolled, due to the slot opening up in the week after drilling.
Made a massive difference.
Haven't rolled anything else though to date.
 

clbarclay

Member
Location
Worcestershire
If you are buying new then the width dictates mounted or trailed. 3m = mounted, 4m and over = trailed.
Bear in mind that these are not high speed drills compared to some disc drills. 8km/h is about the average drilling speed for a GD compared to the other makes of disc drills which tend to be run 10 to 14 km/h going by operator comments on here.

The GD needs plenty of weight per disc, which comes a seriously heavy lump when mounted, which I guess is why then no longer list wider mounted versions. @Badshot has a neat looking setup for his 3m mounted, using a weighted press wheels on the front linkage to keep the tractor balanced when the drill is raised and lowered. I have a caddy, which is not an ideal design for the weight and can bear down very heavy on the back of the tractor with a full hopper and maximum weight on the discs. The current trailed drills look about the best balanced of them all.

I was put off a 3m mounted GD when we demoed one because the penetration seemed to be no better than the old style trailed unidill we were using at the time (which far too often was insufficient). I have a 4.8m caddy GD now, which refurbished cost not much more than a new 3m would have. Weaving were also refurbishing old mini caddys into trailed 3m GD drills, but I was glad of the extra width for the work rate when drilling the whole farm this spring.
 

JoeHodgey

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
Thanks for the replies, yeah that’s what I’m worried about getting the down pressure, say drilling cover crops into hard ground. How much weight have you added?
 

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