Hey Riverbend(more seeder questions)

I have found them to be very accurate, but I still have a little problem with them working properly when there is much trash. The sugar beet growers have used them in the past, so I'm sure I'm just not on to properly adjusting them.

One thing I like about the Stanhay planter is that you can plant several lines side by side within each row. That is to say if you want three lines of lettuce or radishes within a three inch wide row, they can plant it that way with a 3 line opener.

This site will show the openers. Stanhay planters
Link

After the Planet Jrs, the 70s were a revolution. Every other week I plant 24 rows of greens and radishes. On the in between weeks I plant 8 rows.

Changing the seed does require pulling the hopper off and dumping out the seed. One thumb screw holds the hopper on. Going from radishes to mustard requires changing the plate. The hopper is already off and there is just a spring clip that holds the floor plate shut. I have three different sized, 72 hole, seed plates to cover everything from radishes to turnips. The planter drives are all 1:1. I am thinking about picking up a set of 36 hole plates this year to double the spacing for turnips and rutabagas.

In my set up there are four planters on a toolbar. The first two are for arugula, next is one row of french breakfast and then one row of cherriette. Every week I do two passes of those. Every other week it is eight rows planted and back to the shed.

On the off weeks I do the 8 radishes and arugula, and then two varieties of broccoli raab, a red and a green mustard - one pass each way. Then I'll do a couple passes of pak choy, kale, turnip greens, or something else. In 24 rows, I'll stop to change seeds 3 times.

Peas and beans only get planted a couple of times during the season. Sweet corn all gets planted the same day.

Have you tried transplanting lettuce ? It works great. No thinning and the plants are two weeks ahead of the weeds.

I don't know if all that made sense, but I hope so. If not, send me an email. When I opened this message I did not see the 'reply' 'email' buttons in the top corner. I left mine open.

Crazy is being short handed and grading tomatoes all night.

Greg

We do alot of transplanting in spring to get a jump on the season, at present we subcontract our starts to a local college @ about 10.00/flat, this year I think we ordered just under 300 flats. At that price I am not quite willing to put up a green house and quite fishing steelhead so I can spend February babysitting plant starts. We figure in two years the farm should pay for winter help but right now we don't put a crew together until May.

To compare what I have found:
-used three row Stanhay 800 series= $2250.00 (+ shoes and belts)
-used three row Planet Jr.= $1480.00 (+ shoes and brushes)
-new 1 row Matermacc Vacuum= $2400
-used 2 row JD 33s= $200.00 (+plates, toolbar etc)

Frankly the vacuum unit is starting to seem affordable when you take into consideration the accuracy and versatility. If I jump up to a two row vacuum the price almost triples because it requires a pto drive, the single row is a shop vac powered by alternater (75 amp. min.)Any thoughts?

The drives are adjustable, but 1:1 lets me put any seed in any hopper without having to change the sprockets. Lazy, but there always seems to be more to do than time to do it. If anything, I might slow them all down a little to space the seeds out a little farther - I am leaving a little of each row unharvested each week. As it is, I am planting half the number of rows compared to using the Plantet Jrs, and selling as much (arugula)or more (radishes).

It looks like the major difference between the 70s and the 71s is that the 70s had more cast iron and a more primative way to set the depth. Which turns out to be moot point if you cough up the money for depth bands. David says that using the draft control on his IH 504 works very well too.

I don't know what your implement dealer is talking aboout. If you want, I can send you my manual for the 71s. You'll have to at least promise to send it back because it has a lot more information on set up, and options than the 70 manual. Last time I bought plates from Lincoln Ag., they were about $10 each with shipping, handling, and ordering less than 50.

I have not had a line wet in years. Good for you. Have them start a flat or two of lettuce per week for you. From a week or two before last frost, you could probably get away with just a cold frame. Transplants do need to be looked at twice a day. I do my own transplants because there is not much else to do during March and April.

I don't know anything about vacuum seeders. A one row planter would seem kind of annoying when there is a lot to do. Another local grower bought a four row vacuum seeder. He thought that he would pay for it is seed cost savings! He is much bigger than we are. I have not talked to him to see how it has worked out.

I'm basically cheap, and I like equipment that I can see is working. The 70s are simple, cheap, and reliable. I have had consistently good results with them. One thing about the 70s/71s is that they take at least an ounce of seed to make them work well.

Even if the 33s do take $100 seed plates, for the price difference, you could afford a few. Planet Jrs are basically a small seed drill. I don't miss mine. And they seem a little over priced. David sure likes his Stanhay.

Greg

We transplant fennel too. Lincoln make 16 and 24 cell plates for corn. I use the 16s and it puts the plants about a foot apart. The cultivator thins them from there.

You might not have much luck with the JD dealer. 70s and 71s went out of fashion in the late 60s - early 70s. If it wasn't for a partsman named Charlie, our local JD dealer wouldn't be much help. The kids that work there havent ever even seen a 70/71 and probably wouldn't know which book to look in.

My planters came from a guy who sells used equipment and parts. It's not quite a junk yard, but close. The price was sure reasonable and everything still worked.

Let me know on the manual.

Greg

I did CSA, but didn't like it. Even though we told them that they were sharing the risk of farming, it was too hard to tell them ' sorry, these cucumbers are going to the co-op.' David took over the CSA when he bought his own land. He likes it and does well.

We also did a farm stand. It was hard to pick things and either donate them or toss them when they did not sell.

I sell everything directly to the local food co-ops or to locally owned restaurants. Mpls /St Paul area has about a dozen food co-ops and several private natural food stores. There are also quite a few locally owned restaurants that buy as much locally as they can.

I"ve checked into the "small seed attachment" for the #71. John Deere has a total of 6 units in their entire "system". It"s part # AB17334. Requires one for each row unit. They list for $510 each. (OUCH!) Stainless steel plates are around $100 each, as has already been noted.

The National Farm Machinery Show is coming up in a couple weeks, here in Louisville. I SHOULD be able to attend. I"ll be investigating "other brands" of small seed planters there. I"ll pass on whatever I should find.

--->Paul