Working speed of no till drills

[yellowfrog]

all the yank drills seem to be always pulled at 5mph (8k) no matter what size they are

 

[Farmer Roy]

Normall planting speed would be around 9km / hr

A LOT depends on soil conditions. Hard. Soft. Wet. Dry. Rough. Smooth. Amount of stubble.

Basically, if the independent row units are running smoothly we go faster.
If they are bouncing or moving a lot, we go slower
If seed placement is compromised or not getting penetration, we slow down.
If seed placement is ideal & row units aren't bouncing, we speed up.
Fastest I've ever planted was 12km/hr, but that was ideal conditions
General rule of thumb 8 - 9 km / hr is ideal

I'd rather go slower with a wider machine than faster with a smaller one, to achieve the same work rate
Bearing in mind our fields are probably rougher, as we are long term zero till & don't roll or harrow or pee about with our soils

None of that probably helps you though

 

[Will7]

Another reason to look to America for your drill is they bush EVERY moving part which means drills could last forever. My experience is that European drills are not built with longevity in mind.....

 

[SilliamWhale]

I pretty much average 12k with mine. Sometimes 14k in long smooth field

 

[fred.950]

Satisfy my inner geek please folks!

Next year I plan to greatly reduce the use of my Claydon's leading tines & some kind of no till drill will be bought. I've had a demo of a Weaving GD which is what prompted me to ask this question. It seems to be best at less than 9 kph which would mean the difference between a 6m and an 8m here for my workload of around 3,000 acres/year including cover crops. That could influence the choice of tractor size to pull it too, though drill weight and coulter type will also have an effect. The whole disc vs tine thing is a separate debate but experiences of the power requirement for each on lightish stony land but steep slopes would be helpful. Assume a 6m machine with more than 1 hopper.

What is the fastest speed for these drills to work without compromising seed placement?

Horsch CO/Sprinter
JD 750A
Avatar
Sly Boss
Weaving GD 35+hp/m max 9 kph
Sky Easy Drill
Moore
Virkar
Sumo DD
Dale
Seedhawk
Any others

The Horsch machines seem to be the favourite so far.

9.5 kmh for our Avatar on some very flinty ground. We have replaced all the depth wheels with the spoked version because they are much stronger.

 

[Badshot]

I'm finding the gd in hard conditions wants low speed, currently doing 7 kmh drilling linseed into very hard conditions.
When drilling beans deep I was similar, wheat into moisture was up to 11 kmh, osr 9 kmh.

 

[Farmer Roy]

Another reason to look to America for your drill is they bush EVERY moving part which means drills could last forever. My experience is that European drills are not built with longevity in mind.....

All of the planting equipment you will see here is either domestic locally built, or imported North / South American.
Horsch are only just starting to make an appearance, Vaderstaad only since they bought out Seed Hawk, but can't think of any others . . .
Locally built is most common as they are generally the strongest, most durable & "customisable" for our particular requirements & conditions

 

[Will Blackburn]

Well, that fudges the work rate a lot!

I think it was Baker’s book that summarised those speeds, may well be exaggerating the benefits of disc (sic CS) over tines but it seems to ring true with what I’ve seen. You can go faster but some no-till benefits will be forgone.

 

[Vitu]

Virkar working speed 8-11 kmh direct depending on ground conditions.
10-15 kmh on cultivated seed beds.

Is a drill that has the ability to have interchangeable disc and tine sowing
Elements of interest. So in effect to drills for the of price of about 1.25 machines.
Taking approx 1/2 day to change over.
Just an idea we have.

 

[principal skinner]

Buy a set of discs for the Claydon in place of the leading time? Mix and match to suit conditions?

 

[Brisel]

Buy a set of discs for the Claydon in place of the leading time? Mix and match to suit conditions?

I've already got a set of discs with this in mind. The row spacing is pretty wide at 33cm so for band sowing I'd still need a wide A share behind it whch is still a lot of soil movement. I grow a lot of spring cereals and would prefer narrower rows.

 

[Will Blackburn]

Tritons can do 20kph.

 

[SilliamWhale]

Virkar working speed 8-11 kmh direct depending on ground conditions.
10-15 kmh on cultivated seed beds.

Is a drill that has the ability to have interchangeable disc and tine sowing
Elements of interest. So in effect to drills for the of price of about 1.25 machines.
Taking approx 1/2 day to change over.
Just an idea we have.

Its a nice idea to have interchangeable but 1/2 day sounds a total pain in the backside.

 

[warksfarmer]

Satisfy my inner geek please folks!

Next year I plan to greatly reduce the use of my Claydon's leading tines & some kind of no till drill will be bought. I've had a demo of a Weaving GD which is what prompted me to ask this question. It seems to be best at less than 9 kph which would mean the difference between a 6m and an 8m here for my workload of around 3,000 acres/year including cover crops. That could influence the choice of tractor size to pull it too, though drill weight and coulter type will also have an effect. The whole disc vs tine thing is a separate debate but experiences of the power requirement for each on lightish stony land but steep slopes would be helpful. Assume a 6m machine with more than 1 hopper.

What is the fastest speed for these drills to work without compromising seed placement?

Horsch CO/Sprinter
JD 750A
Avatar
Sly Boss
Weaving GD 35+hp/m max 9 kph
Sky Easy Drill
Moore
Virkar
Sumo DD
Dale
Seedhawk
Any others

The Horsch machines seem to be the favourite so far.

Weaving definitely is best at 8km/hr and you can’t see where it’s been.

Not sure a disc is right for late drilling though if your into that.

 

[Brisel]

Weaving definitely is best at 8km/hr and you can’t see where it’s been.

Not sure a disc is right for late drilling though if your into that.

No blackgrass to speak of here, so little late autumn drilling needed. The big area of spring crops is where I need output when it's wetter than ideal.

 

[Clive]

I've already got a set of discs with this in mind. The row spacing is pretty wide at 33cm so for band sowing I'd still need a wide A share behind it whch is still a lot of soil movement. I grow a lot of spring cereals and would prefer narrower rows.

if you are keeping the Claydon a 750a would be a perfect complement to it and cover all bases and keep rows narrow

 

[Brisel]

if you are keeping the Claydon a 750a would be a perfect complement to it and cover all bases and keep rows narrow

The only thing that really puts me off a 750A is the lack of fertiliser option & maintenance requirement, though the collective knowledge in here & inside the head of @Simon Chiles more than makes up for it. There are a few 6m 750As around. Farols have 3 for sale, 2 of which are second hand. It might be time for a second hand machine & some pimping...

I would like to keep the Hybrid as I have some soils on the farm that aren't ready for no till yet & it would keep my options open for taking on more land or a bit more contracting. Great for osr & beans too. I doubt I'd get much for it second hand anyway.

 

[tw15]

Recon next season there will be a few people looking at beans and you might pick up a fair bit of work .
Liquid kits are available and are a easy retro fit to any drill . Double hopper drills are coming back in fashion .
Ours can do solid fert / seed and has pipes on the coulters for liquid all we need is tank and pump and regulation control .
We are still behind the yanks I have seen multiple tank seed carts 3 / 4 main tanks plus liquid and seed and small seed buddy tanks.
Bloody big things mind

 

[chaffcutter]

You've got to look at ours then @Brisel , liquid fert and hopper extension already fitted and ready to go,Avadex or slug pellet applicator as well !

 

[Rihards]

I've already got a set of discs with this in mind. The row spacing is pretty wide at 33cm so for band sowing I'd still need a wide A share behind it whch is still a lot of soil movement. I grow a lot of spring cereals and would prefer narrower rows.

If You have Stones you will need a lot of seeding legs ...