Your Opinion of a Minneapolis Moline Drill

I'd like to hear everyone's opinion on a Minneapolis Moline drill. I am considering buying one. I can't find the model number, but it's a ground lift, has double disc openers, small seed, large seed and, supposedly, working fertilizer. It's ten foot and has markers. I need a drill for seeding alfalfa and grass mixes. I need ground lift because my hydraulics will be in use in the fitting tool ahead of the drill. It's pretty much dirt cheap, so I can't go too wrong, but there are others that's dirt cheap too, so I'd like to know if a Minneapolis Moline drill has a good reputation.

While you're at it, let me hear your opinion of double disc vs single disc openers. I've brought this up before, but maybe I'll hear some different responses.

The chart on the inside of the box lists seeding rates for corn too. For that, the units are blocked off to make 28" , 35" or 42" rows. A ten foot drill would make four rows of corn, I suppose. Now I don't intend to plant field corn that way, but I might try it for the tiny kernel popcorn I plant which I would like to grow on a larger scale but have no way to seed accurately. Anybody here have experience with a drill for seeding corn rows?

Thanks everyone.

Joel

They were ok,but that box in front is the grass seed, or Alfafa seed attachment, the double disk opener is what my dad had on his, he had a John Deere too,they both worked ok!

Pa had one. 12' Didn't lift out of the ground enough. Always dragging on the crown of the driveway or on township rd.

My dad always had a Minneapolis Moline grain drill and it always worked good.
Brian

Thanks. That would be a pain. I'll look for that when I go see it.

Hey thanks. I appreciate it. Anything you'd recommend I look for on it that might be worn out or was a problem for you guys?

Thanks.

My dad had a John Deere FBB for years, 40 years ago now. It made some of the best seedings the farm ever saw. Really nice machine. He swears by single disc openers because he says the double ones don't go in the ground as well. Did you have any trouble with that?

We always seeded into black soil, so didn't have a issue, but i new a guy who had a single disk MM drill, and then he pulled a spiral packer to get some good soil to seed contact! But that looks like a good drill!

The only thing that would concern me is the fertilizer box. Just because someone says it works doesn't mean it is close to rotted out. Of course there are other ways to get fertilizer on a field if you don't mind the drill not doing it.

Have an 8 footer with double disc openers. No markers or fertilizer. We seeded alfalfa out of the front small box and oats or wheat out of the large rear. Also blocked off certain rows to plant 4 30" rows of soybeans. Works well. Would overlap the tire tracks slightly when planting grain to get good coverage, and leave a slight gap when planting soybeans to get 30" between rows.

Very good to know. Thank you. I've never used a drill with markers, but it sounds like they would help, especially with the 30" rows.

Yeah. Thanks. I almost wish it had no fertilizer, because then there'd be less rust in general. But it bugs me if it has it and doesn't work. I don't like having machines that only partly work, even if they're parts I can do without. Like a three legged dog or something.

I have a drop spreader I've used before seedings, after plowing and just before the final fitting and drilling. That puts the fertilizer in the upper part of the ground where the seed is, and it works great. It means another pass over the field though--and more wheel tracks to get rid of. It'd be nice to put it through the drill.

I appreciate it.

Joel

Are you saying you had better soil-to-seed contact with your double discs than he had with his single discs? Did you pull a packer behind for seed contact?

Look on the end of the seed box for a metal tag. My P-3 MM drill has one there. This one looks similar. I have no problem with ground clearance when the discs are raised. Have had this one over 30 years and have seeded oats, rye, and soybeans. I have no complaints.

You can make the hydraulic work to control the tillage implement and the drill if you add a splitter if you decide on a drill with hydraulics,

My van brunt drills and my later JD 8200 and 8300 drills also dragged on the road during transport. To be honest, I think all drills do.

No we didnt, my dad run the show then !

Thanks. I'll think about that.

check the boots and tubes under the boxes, especially the ones from the fertilizer box. These parts are the first to rust out or be damaged.