Loading
3 point seeder/spreader
Food Plots
Messages posted to thread:
Schl44 16-Mar-19
t-roy 16-Mar-19
wildan 16-Mar-19
BullBuster 16-Mar-19
t-roy 16-Mar-19
craig@work 16-Mar-19
t-roy 16-Mar-19
drycreek 16-Mar-19
RIT 17-Mar-19
BullBuster 17-Mar-19
Schl44 18-Mar-19
RIT 19-Mar-19
RIT 19-Mar-19
BullBuster 19-Mar-19
RIT 19-Mar-19
Mad Trapper 20-Mar-19
drycreek 20-Mar-19
drycreek 20-Mar-19
RIT 20-Mar-19
drycreek 20-Mar-19
weekender21 21-Mar-19
DoRightBoy 21-Mar-19
Mark Watkins 21-Mar-19
drycreek 21-Mar-19
BullBuster 22-Mar-19
t-roy 22-Mar-19
drycreek 23-Mar-19


By: Schl44
Date:16-Mar-19

Looking at buying a 3 point seeder/spreader for lime and misc seeding. Im wondering about how much seed or lime i would loose getting in and out of my tractor cab opening and closing the hopper feed. Any recommendations on brands or style of seeder. I have M7060 Kubota. Thank you!!!

By: t-roy
Date:16-Mar-19

Agree with Pat. I have one very similar to the one in Pat’s top picture, except mine is a pull behind. (3 point would be a better option, IMO) It works great for fertilizer, pellitized lime and cereal grains (oats, rye, triticale, wheat). Like Pat stated, it’s hard to precisely control smaller seeds with it. You can mix small seeds together with some type of media (sand, kitty litter, pelletized lime, etc) to spread things more evenly, but a seeder like in his bottom pic works much better on smaller seeds.

To help a bit with not running excess seed/fertilizer out onto the ground, I take a couple of bungee cords and rig them up to the control latch, then run a couple of ropes up to the 4 wheeler, where I can trip it open or closed from my seat. You could do the same thing on your tractor. It takes a little time to get the tension just right on the bungee cords, but, overall, it works really well for me. My spreader is Tartar brand, and it is very well made. I would also suggest getting one with a poly/plastic hopper vs a metal one. It’s a little less work to maintain.

By: wildan
Date:16-Mar-19

With my ATV spreader;it doesn't drop much seed when not engaged+you have control of the size of the opening for dropping seeds.Not sure if the three point spreaders have this. works really well;I am on my second after trying to use the first one for salt on the drive.

Date:16-Mar-19

How do y'all spread Ag Lime if you do it yourself?

By: t-roy
Date:16-Mar-19

I have the Co-op apply it usually. On small plots that the co-op can’t get into, I spread pelletized lime with my spreader. It’s more expensive than regular ag lime, but it breaks down and assimilates into the soil more quickly than ag lime does.

Date:16-Mar-19

Just to be devils advocate a bit....I use a 3 pt spreader to seed and fertilize with no issues. Just cultipack after spreading. I set it it a little light for seed and just go over twice.

It’s definitely not as precise as a drill/planter but it will/does work. Depends on your budget. I bought my spreader for $200 and I’m happy.

Craig

By: t-roy
Date:16-Mar-19

That will definitely work as well, Craig.

Date:16-Mar-19

All these years and I've been doing it wrong ! :-) I put out out all grains, beans, peas and everything else, except clover, with a three point spreader. Lime, not pelletized, just needs low rpm and a little patience to keep from dusting yourself out. I can't afford a $10,000 drill (or I'd have one) so I make do and grow some kick-ass food plots with what I have.

BTW, I put out clover seed with a Solo hand seeder. Works like a charm. If you want to save some steps, put your "cranker" on the back of a UTV and drive up and down the plot while he cranks out the seed. We use a golf cart and that works really well also.

As to the original question, I just slipped a short piece of metal pipe over the cut-off lever so that I can reach it from the cab through the back window. I never lose any seed or fertilizer. Necessity is the mother of invention ! Or, if you prefer, improvise, adapt, and overcome.........

By: RIT
Date:17-Mar-19

I am with Drycreek. I use the very same spreader for seeds and have great plots. Winter rye, Radish, and even mix in clover. No issues using it. Spread buckwheat and Triticale through it last year also.

I don’t destroy my soil by turning it over or discing it either so by some standards that’s wrong also.

Date:17-Mar-19

Pat nice drone pic with the lime spreading.

By: Schl44
Date:18-Mar-19

RIT,im curious about this? I don’t destroy my soil by turning it over or discing it either so by some standards that’s wrong also. So do you just spread and then use a cultipacker? Thanks everyone for the information!

By: RIT
Date:19-Mar-19

A little disclaimer I had poor soil to begin with. Really light soils with low nutrients and very low organic matter. Plots would grow and produce but the input cost was very high and any stress from environmental conditions would result in a total plot failure. So something had to change.

No one here with any knowledge of soil health and soil biology will argue that soil disturbance whether tilling or discing etc has a negative impact on the soil.

So I do no discing or tilling. I also don’t use any fertilizer and have tried to implement a process using cover crops and nutrient recycling. I always want something growing in my soil and as much diversity as possible while providing good forage for deer.

Sometimes I broadcast into standing vegetation, others I cultipack, and sometimes I mow standing vegetation down over top of the seed. It has served me well. My plots are now mostly immune to drought conditions because the covered soil retains moisture.

I have been trying to limit spraying also unless I get a real weed problem like thistle. I don’t worry about things like ragweed because the deer readily browse it. The more root profiles in the ground the better off the soil. There are farmers using 20 way cover crops with great success.

By: RIT
Date:19-Mar-19

RIT's embedded Photo

Date:19-Mar-19

Rit, do u use a no till drill?

By: RIT
Date:19-Mar-19

No sir. I only plant about 2.5 acres each year. I’ve been on the lookout for a good used one but those are pretty tough to come by. I broadcast everything.

Date:20-Mar-19

Very nice RIT!

Date:20-Mar-19

Nice plots RIT, but..... (there's always a but), I can't plant like you do. The major difference between my plots and yours is not weather or soil related, it's hogs. Anything that a hog can pick up will be eaten the night you plant it. On one place I hunt, they ate soybean seeds out of the ground after they were covered. Out of a 3/4 acre plot I had 12/15 beans actually sprout. When I plant IC peas they try to eat them, and I haven't figured out how they can grub bean seed out and not peas, but it's true.

Throw and mow is OUT ! The only seed I can leave on top is clover seed, and they would eat that if they could. I hate the bastards ! I'll be glad when someone figures out how to poison them and have no repercussions on other animals.

Date:20-Mar-19

Pat, yes it does to an extent. We killed thirty last year on the place I just sold. At least half of them, probably more, were killed at night over a little sprinkled corn. On two occasions I even managed one standing and one running with my AR in 6.8 SPC. What they do though after you bust a few of them is start showing later and later. Two to four in the morning just ain't in the cards for me at my age.

The thing is, we didn't even make a dent in them.........

By: RIT
Date:20-Mar-19

Drycreek,

I don’t have any experience with hogs. So if you were to broadcast and mow vegetation over the seed they wood root around and find all the seed? That’s rough. So do you drill everything? I’d love to drill all my stuff but I just don’t plant enough. I almost bought a used Great Plants 6’ no till but the acre meter was broke and needed two rows rebuilt. At some point I’ll find one that fits my needs.

Date:20-Mar-19

RIT, I don't own a drill, I wish I did. It's not quite honest to say I can't afford one, but brutally honest to say I can't justify one. A drill would make my plotting much easier and faster, and be better for my soils, but only planting 5/6 acres a year I just can't do it. Maybe if I were younger as I'm a big believer in justifying cost measured in years of expected useage.

I tried throw and mow last fall. I planted wheat into my IC peas that were almost eaten up and looked at the plot a few days later only to see the pea vines all rooted around and shoved up in little piles. Two plots were like that. I walked around and couldn't find a single pea laying on the ground. I had to go ahead and disc and broadcast as usual. It seems that the hogs won't root up peas only buried 1/2" to 1" deep but they'll damn sure eat them if they're laying on top. As I stated before, I have had them eat soybeans after they were covered though on another place where there are more hogs.

I actually don't mind the work of discing, broadcasting and dragging too much, but I plot on three different places and all of them need to go into the ground at the same time between rains, plus a drill would be better for the soil. If I ever find a used three point that's a bargain I'll probably jump on it. Not likely though, because this is not ag country.

Date:21-Mar-19

I'm on the broadcast/throw/mow train too. I add as much pellet lime as possible then broadcast and walk away. Too many negative impacts to discing. I'd own a drill if money was no option but I only plant 2.5 acres and those acres are in steep terrain. My neighbor was kind enough to spread lime for me this year with his tractor and 3 pt. spreader, sure beats spreading by hand.

Date:21-Mar-19

DoRightBoy's MOBILE embedded Photo

Drycreek,

I have the same issue w the pigs. I also have cows to deal w as well. I started fencing my plots w hog wire. It’s the only way to keep the rascals out. Once again there is time and money involved but in the long run I’m not worried about them turning my plots upside down over night.

Being from TX and dealing w the scorching heat, pigs, and cows, I figured I could eliminate 2 of my 3 issues. The fence did the job. I placed one strand of barbed wire across the top to keep the cows honest.

The AR-15 is always by my side when the pigs make a mistake.

I also purchased a three pt. speader last year and love it to put out my seed.

Now my issue is trying to keep the deer out to give my peas, sunflowers and Lab Lab a chance to grow.

Ha, always something!

Date:21-Mar-19

Same experience as Pat and T-Roy indicated above.

Nice job RIT! Keep the pics and advice coming!

I see no till in my future!

Mark

Date:21-Mar-19

drycreek's embedded Photo

DoRight, believe it or not, my son and I were discussing doing just that on our main plot here at home. They don't root my plots much, but they eat as much wheat as the deer do.

Date:22-Mar-19

Thermal scope

By: t-roy
Date:22-Mar-19

Looks like you’ve got a little bit Of Poland-China lineage in your hogs, drycreek.

Date:23-Mar-19

Troy, unlike Call and Gus, I WILL GLADLY rent pigs ! How many do you want ???


Bowsite.com DeerBuilder on FacebookYouTube Channel Contact DeerBuilder
Registration
Facebook Page
YouTube Channel
Advertise
Bowsite.com
Copyright © 2012 Bowsite.com. No duplication without prior consent.