Matching Tractor to No Till Drill

BoneCrusher20

BoneCrusher20

Active Member
Been on my to do for the farm to ditch the disk and start on path of using No till drill of some sort for field plots and some of smaller food plots. However, i can't believe how difficult it is to find a drill that meets my tractors specs...i have kubota 47hp and it floors me that all 3 points mounts i'm undersized. I realize the drills are heavy, but most like GP 606NT and LP minimum hp required 60. I only like the 3 point option for smaller food plots as i see there are pull behind versions of 606, but trying to back that thing up on a 1/2 or 1/4 acre food plot would be a treat.

Any thoughts, are those minimum specs not as true to reality...obviously would need some counter weight, but it is a Cat II hitch on there

Also, should mention i got nothing against like RTP drills as they would work, but i'm not convinced that these are long-term investment quite yet. little unproven, not sure on quality like you get w/ GP
 
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The Land Pride 606nt pull type is rated for 40 hp, this unit would be my first choice by a mile for multiple reasons for a small tractor. It's a real farmer type no-till drill with 10-06 openers, just in a smaller size, not an overpriced hybrid made for wildlife food plots only. I have a GP exactly like this and my 75 hp tractor easily handles it, divide 75 by 10' and multily times 6=45 hp. 4wd is helpful when going upgrade, but they don't pull hard in normal soil conditions.
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Mennoniteman said:
The Land Pride 606nt pull type is rated for 40 hp, this unit would be my first choice by a mile for multiple reasons for a small tractor.
28de8b5ac929b050c5839e76abb8f05e.jpg


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certainly an option i've considered. in the end this may be what i settle with, but doing some of irregular shaped smaller plots will probably still require me to disk and broadcast spread as trying back this thing up in short space or maneuver it through some of the woods i can see being an issue.

obvious answer is get bigger tractor ...right.
 
I've used pull type and 3 point, pull type is way faster to hook up, tractor isn't hopping like a jack rabbit all the time, it plants more consistent depths, and with a bit of practice is easy to maneuver in the field. IMO three point is for people who never learned how to back a rig around and is over rated.
 
BoneCrusher20 said:
certainly an option i've considered. in the end this may be what i settle with, but doing some of irregular shaped smaller plots will probably still require me to disk and broadcast spread as trying back this thing up in short space or maneuver it through some of the woods i can see being an issue.

obvious answer is get bigger tractor ...right.
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Not boasting, but in practicality I can plant anywhere with my pull type that I could with a three point. I like wide access roads to begin with, pull type is wider by the width of the wheels. If you gave any farmer the option they'd pick pull type hands down. Real farmers stay away from three point as much as possible. Too time consuming to hook up, and tight to work between equipment and tractor, and not enough of flexibility over uneven ground.
 
aka i may be overreacting worrying about maneuvering the pull type around....i certainly can see your point to these.....and maybe being that i have mostly big plots or small fields that pull type may be the ticket.

it is sure hard to find these things used though. seems like guys who have them hold onto them forever. but maybe my kids will still be using this 40 years from now and investment to buy new.
 
I went through the same thought process, thinking I wanted a 3P drill. My tractor is a JD 4066 (66 hp). The hp rating was high enough for the 3P but the tractor and 3p lift capacity was too light, so I bought exact machine shown above, only in the Great Plains version. After using it for the first time last weekend, including some small plots, I am very happy with the pull type. As Mennoniteman mentioned above the pull type gives you plenty of room around the machine to make adjustments, calibrate, etc. and the tractor pulls it with ease. I can only imagine that even if my tractor could lift the 3P it would make the tractor very squirrelly to handle... the drill is a heavy, well built piece of equipment.

The only downside that I can see is the drill width being a little wider than the tractor, requiring wider trails... I'm able to get everywhere I need to but I could see it being an issue if you have a lot of narrow 2 track trails.

I'm excited to see how my plots do, I know I cut my planting time down to less than 25% of what it had been taking me with discing multiple times, broadcasting, and cultipacking. I'm also excited to see how my soil is benefitted over time.
 
What about moving between properties ? Seems to me that any tag-along implement is gonna be a bear to move. Not saying y’all would have this trouble, but I would. I plot on three different properties and move my tractor on a 20’ double axle trailer. Tractor and disc, (or shredder, cultipacker) fit just fine, but the pull type would not.
 
Drycreek said:
What about moving between properties ? Seems to me that any tag-along implement is gonna be a bear to move. Not saying y’all would have this trouble, but I would. I plot on three different properties and move my tractor on a 20’ double axle trailer. Tractor and disc, (or shredder, cultipacker) fit just fine, but the pull type would not.
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That is a valid concern.... All of my work is on one property. the pull-type drill can be towed by a pick-up by disengaging the drive system on the hub of the left wheel. The manual limits the speed to 20 or 20 mph. My drill was delivered to me behind a pickup... faster than 20-25, and I believe, where these drills are available for rent, they are not hauled on a trailer, but towed.
 
Drycreek said:
What about moving between properties ? Seems to me that any tag-along implement is gonna be a bear to move. Not saying y’all would have this trouble, but I would. I plot on three different properties and move my tractor on a 20’ double axle trailer. Tractor and disc, (or shredder, cultipacker) fit just fine, but the pull type would not.
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Conservation districts in many counties rent GP 10' no-till drills for a cheap rate to encourage soil conservation. These units are always moved with a pickup truck and come standard with hazard lights. A six foot pull type would be a piece of cake behind a pickup.
 
I’m not sure anyone rents them down here in the land of pine trees and cattle pastures, I think I would have heard or seen in the 70+ years I’ve been here, but I’m still gonna check into it. I don’t mind discing, broadcasting, and dragging but I know minimal disturbance would be much better for my soils and the no bare dirt would certainly be a win. At any rate, I get continuing education from the farmers on here !
 
Drycreek said:
I’m not sure anyone rents them down here in the land of pine trees and cattle pastures, I think I would have heard or seen in the 70+ years I’ve been here, but I’m still gonna check into it. I don’t mind discing, broadcasting, and dragging but I know minimal disturbance would be much better for my soils and the no bare dirt would certainly be a win. At any rate, I get continuing education from the farmers on here !
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I guess in my mind I was referring to Pennsylvania counties but didn't type it that way. But it's worth a try for anyone needing a no-till drill to check with their county ag extension agent, many counties nationwide in farming communities have programs affiliated with NRCS where they rent no-till drills for very reasonable rates.
 
BoneCrusher20 said:
Been on my to do for the farm to ditch the disk and start on path of using No till drill of some sort for field plots and some of smaller food plots. However, i can't believe how difficult it is to find a drill that meets my tractors specs...i have kubota 47hp and it floors me that all 3 points mounts i'm undersized. I realize the drills are heavy, but most like GP 606NT and LP minimum hp required 60. I only like the 3 point option for smaller food plots as i see there are pull behind versions of 606, but trying to back that thing up on a 1/2 or 1/4 acre food plot would be a treat.

Any thoughts, are those minimum specs not as true to reality...obviously would need some counter weight, but it is a Cat II hitch on there

Also, should mention i got nothing against like RTP drills as they would work, but i'm not convinced that these are long-term investment quite yet. little unproven, not sure on quality like you get w/ GP
Click to expand...

I have a 3pt, guess I can't back a "big rig", LOL. I wouldn't try it with your tractor. Do you have a set of remotes to run a cylinder to lift the pull type?
 
From what I can tell, even the larger M-series Kubotas are borderline, comparing their 3pt lift specs to the 3P606NT’s weight.
 
swat1018 said:
I have a 3pt, guess I can't back a "big rig", LOL. I wouldn't try it with your tractor. Do you have a set of remotes to run a cylinder to lift the pull type?
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I promoted pull type over 3 point, however, 3 point does have some advantages. You can easily load the whole rig on a trailer and go to a second farm. It's smaller to store in the barn. It's cheaper to buy up front. Like you said, you don't need hydraulics on your tractor. And likes already been said, they're easy to maneuver. Either one is a home run over not having any.
 
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