Implement/Equipment List

Another question I’ll add to what others have already asked: how much time do you have available to work on the property? If you can work there as much as you want, smaller equipment might be ok. But if you intend to manage 15 acres of plots on a random weekend getaway, you are going to want as big as you can afford.
I plant 20 acres on one of my properties and it takes me one full day usually to get 10 acres planted. That’s assuming everything goes exactly perfectly and Mother Nature cooperates. I have a 75 hp tractor, 7’ no till drill, and 15’ sprayer.

Time is my limiting factor. If it’s yours and you are serious about planting plots, get a no till drill. You won’t be sorry.
 
1. Tractor with FEL (sized appropriately) - I got the hydraulic hookup for the grapple bucket, but never bought one and really haven’t needed it.

2. Rotary Cutter - after the FEL, this is my most used attachment.

3. Box blade - used to maintain roads and grade occasionally.

4. Solo spreader - none of my plots are huge so most of my planting gets done with this.

5. Heavy disc - this is what I’ve used to break up ground. It’s worked well and was cheap.

6. Cultipacker - picked one up cheap on Craigslist. Took several years to find one.

I have access to a 3pt spreader if needed, but rarely use it. I’ve got farmers around me that grow beans/corn/alfalfa so I’ve never planted any summer crops (except one tiny corn planting). My go to food plot is the LC cereal mix.

I would highly recommend hiring a dozer operator to do large clearing projects/road building. Best $700 I’ve spent without question. What he did in 10 hours would have taken me two dozen weekends on my tractor and I probably would have broken several things along the way :).
 
cutman said:
Another question I’ll add to what others have already asked: how much time do you have available to work on the property? If you can work there as much as you want, smaller equipment might be ok. But if you intend to manage 15 acres of plots on a random weekend getaway, you are going to want as big as you can afford.
I plant 20 acres on one of my properties and it takes me one full day usually to get 10 acres planted. That’s assuming everything goes exactly perfectly and Mother Nature cooperates. I have a 75 hp tractor, 7’ no till drill, and 15’ sprayer.

Time is my limiting factor. If it’s yours and you are serious about planting plots, get a no till drill. You won’t be sorry.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately, my time can be somewhat limited. Good points on having bigger equipment that would be more efficient.
 
Lots of great feedback guys. Thanks for taking the time to respond. I really like the idea of a compact seed drill. A few plots will be located back in the woods.
I'm looking forward to more posts once I get this place locked up. You guys have a great Thanksgiving
 
1 more discussion point-
I have a Ranger, ATV sprayer, and 4 ft cultipacker already. The soil is fairly soft and not extremely rocky. Do you guys think one of the ATV disc work at all on softer ground? Reason I'm asking- Would I be better off getting a an atv disc and maintain plots with those as well as an ATV mower? I could possibly get a skid steer for to help with the timber work. I heard both arguments and I'm sure it just comes down to personal preference. I have 2 friends that own skid steers, but they are about hours from the property or I'm sure I rent if needed closer by. Honestly, I like the idea of a tractor and implements, but have heard a few good points about having a skid ster as well. I would have to clear a # of trees and cedars to get the property how I'd like.
 
Do you have the option to rent a seed drill? We have a local office (County Extension Office) that rents them for $10 /acre or something close to that.

They have a compact drill and a larger drill available. I’ve never rented it, but for my purposes (less than 10 acres to plant) this seems like the best option.

I’ve been watching Dr. Grant Woods and his success with the buffalo system. If I start investing lots of time/money in plots, I’ll probably go that route.
 
bearcat said:
1 more discussion point-
I have a Ranger, ATV sprayer, and 4 ft cultipacker already. The soil is fairly soft and not extremely rocky. Do you guys think one of the ATV disc work at all on softer ground? Reason I'm asking- Would I be better off getting a an atv disc and maintain plots with those as well as an ATV mower? I could possibly get a skid steer for to help with the timber work. I heard both arguments and I'm sure it just comes down to personal preference. I have 2 friends that own skid steers, but they are about hours from the property or I'm sure I rent if needed closer by. Honestly, I like the idea of a tractor and implements, but have heard a few good points about having a skid ster as well. I would have to clear a # of trees and cedars to get the property how I'd like.
Click to expand...

I would try throw and mow before I bought a disc for an ATV.

You won’t regret getting a tractor especially if you have 200 acres to take care of. I haven’t done cost comparisons between used tractors and skid steers recently, but would assume a used tractor would be quite a bit cheaper.

Again, for the tree clearing/getting the property in shape I would highly recommend paying a skilled operator.
 
HB_Hunter said:
Do you have the option to rent a seed drill? We have a local office (County Extension Office) that rents them for $10 /acre or something close to that.

They have a compact drill and a larger drill available. I’ve never rented it, but for my purposes (less than 10 acres to plant) this seems like the best option.

I’ve been watching Dr. Grant Woods and his success with the buffalo system. If I start investing lots of time/money in plots, I’ll probably go that route.
Click to expand...


I'll give the FSA office a call after the holidays and see what they've got available
 
You asked what we can’t do without. That be my Solo spreader,atv, and pull behind spreader. Having gone no till and not micromanaging foodplots makes a shorter list.
Now things I have and do use are tractor w bucket and bushhog, sprayer , chainsaw. But they do reside more than ever in the barn.
The things collecting dust I once used is a great Woods rototiller and a cultipacker.
More and more I’m finding less is more. Less time money and sweat. And the deer have not marched against me. My perfect life. Good luck.


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HB_Hunter said:
Again, for the tree clearing/getting the property in shape I would highly recommend paying a skilled operator.
Click to expand...

I heartily agree with this. I’ve been either a dozer operator, a foreman, or a construction company owner all my adult life and a good operator can do more in a day than you can in a week with a skid steer or tractor. Get references from someone who’s used them before, look at their work, or both. All operators are not created equally. Have your game plan in place so that you can make the most of your time and his. I’m speaking from experience here, not all of it good !o_O
 
quality of native plant forage species important to ... - Noble Research Institute

I'm having a hell of a time posting the link, so maybe search the above words and you will come up with the pdf. It's a great resource for plants in Oklahoma, their protein and nutritional values for each month of the yr, and a breakdown of a deers nutritional needs. I find it very easy to read and gives you a working knowledge of the natives in Central Oklahoma. Not part of your topic but it's worth while info in setting up a place.

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catscratch said:
quality of native plant forage species important to ... - Noble Research Institute

I'm having a hell of a time posting the link, so maybe search the above words and you will come up with the pdf. It's a great resource for plants in Oklahoma, their protein and nutritional values for each month of the yr, and a breakdown of a deers nutritional needs. I find it very easy to read and gives you a working knowledge of the natives in Central Oklahoma. Not part of your topic but it's worth while info in setting up a place.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Found the article. Thanks!
 
bearcat said:
1 more discussion point-
I have a Ranger, ATV sprayer, and 4 ft cultipacker already. The soil is fairly soft and not extremely rocky. Do you guys think one of the ATV disc work at all on softer ground? Reason I'm asking- Would I be better off getting a an atv disc and maintain plots with those as well as an ATV mower? I could possibly get a skid steer for to help with the timber work. I heard both arguments and I'm sure it just comes down to personal preference. I have 2 friends that own skid steers, but they are about hours from the property or I'm sure I rent if needed closer by. Honestly, I like the idea of a tractor and implements, but have heard a few good points about having a skid ster as well. I would have to clear a # of trees and cedars to get the property how I'd like.
Click to expand...
I have a Kolpin disc. It will work but will work you and your ATV overtime. Kind of like using an egg beater for a boat motor.
 
For that acreage - I would not depend on an ATV except for light spraying and maybe some seeding jobs. Of course, it all depends on your finances. My personal opinion is you are better off with a tractor and pay someone to come in with a dozer for clearing and road work - skid steer if mulching. I have two tractors and a lot of implements. What I use the most for food plot and trail work is a 65 hp 4wd tractor, 7 ft bush hog, 84” woods seeder, and a 3 pt sprayer. The Woods seeder is way cheaper than a drill and will plant two different sized seeds at different depths at the same time. It cant plant in some of the vegetated ground like a drill - but in some cases - has some advantages over a drill. I plant about 35 acres for deer. With the woods - I plant an acre per 20 minutes. Depending on your ground - a box blade or rear blade could be very useful for road/trail maint
 
A flail mower has been fantastic for me when clearing a new area of brush or taller grasses and after i have carved out new plots i use it to mow the 'fields' a few times a year for the clover/alfalfa/chicory plots. A heavy built disc(3 point) was very important to make new plots and gets used maybe two days a year after that. I use a broadcast seeder(herd) and that beats the hell out of throwing seed by hand.
 
I am not a good one to give advice on this matter but Ill throw in my 2 cents. Look at time you have to be doing the required work and base your needs from that. Remember your doing this for fun so dont go cheap thinking you can "just get by with this". Ive learned "Buy once cry once" but everyone including myself never learns that without spending some $ first. You can get by with a weed eater, mower, pack back sprayer and hand seeder and get the job done, but 15 acres in Texas heat I wouldnt call that too much fun. If your just planting plots a nice tractor and a no-till would be my go to. If your creating plots a tracked CTL is awesome. I will also warn you that your looking down a slippery slope. One piece of equipment will lead to lots then youll me saying you need a machine shed....
 
All boils down to budget, if you are doing something greater than 3 acres Id recommend a tractor with implements. Seperately, consider your terrain on decision on size and weight of tractor.

Personally, I have a 4X4 (~50hp), FEL, cultipacker, rotary cutter, box blade, bottom plow, rototiller and hand spreader. If you have 1-3 acres in food plots you can do a lot with just throw and grow as long as you have something to pack it down. My hunting grounds I have around 7 acres in plots amongst 300 acres so you can see the relationship to tractor workload and choice of equipment. I made a packer 3 years ago for $80 and a hand seeder can cost $10-40. You talked about much bigger acreage in food plots potentially so I would say minimally Id look on the bigger side of things the M6040 is a hell of a machine (used $20-$30K) as an example. I would ensure I had enough 3 pt lift to upgrade to heavy implements like a no-till depending on budget.

One mistake I made originally was buying a 2wd tractor for my terrain, and I didn't have a FEL because I never felt I needed one. Big mistake based on my terrain and need. Really, map out what you want to do and how to do it.. I have a tendency to want to "cheap out" and not get exactly what I need - but Im learning :).

As a completely separate option consider renting.. it may be way less convenient but it beats the hell out of spending $40K on equipment.
 
bearcat said:
1 more discussion point-
I have a Ranger, ATV sprayer, and 4 ft cultipacker already. The soil is fairly soft and not extremely rocky. Do you guys think one of the ATV disc work at all on softer ground? Reason I'm asking- Would I be better off getting a an atv disc and maintain plots with those as well as an ATV mower? I could possibly get a skid steer for to help with the timber work. I heard both arguments and I'm sure it just comes down to personal preference. I have 2 friends that own skid steers, but they are about hours from the property or I'm sure I rent if needed closer by. Honestly, I like the idea of a tractor and implements, but have heard a few good points about having a skid ster as well. I would have to clear a # of trees and cedars to get the property how I'd like.
Click to expand...
If your budget doesn't cover both, rent the skidloader and buy the tractor. Or sometimes it makes more sense to hire a dozer and operator to clear the roads and plots, get it done fast and right, and then you can concentrate on growing stuff.
 
I will end up having someone clear the roads for me. I’ll more than likely get by with borrowing a tractor from a buddy for the first year when needed and try throw and mow plots.


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