Planter units

Curious if anyone has had any success with using plate type
planter units to seed small grains/cover crops (oats, wheat,
cereal rye, etc)? I have several Case K160 units that the
similar to the JD 71 and IH 295 units and wondered what size
plates would work? I was told a very small flat corn plate may
work but wanted some more feedback before trying it.



Thanks

The old IHC No. 42 could be made to sow tiny seeds like that, but need special equipment such as brushes in place of the knockers ( among other things) so it didnt grind up the seed and/or jamb up the knockers with seed. By time you find all these obsolete parts to plant these seeds, you might be better off finding a small drill instead. However, planting wheat with an ordinary soybean plate will work, with no modifications.

We planted a small test plot like that. Used a large cell corn plate. It tended to leave little 'piles' of seed,rather than spread in a line.Also,why would you want to put small grains in rows?I suppose if you were growning a wildlife food plot,it would work for that. But if you want a harvestable crop,no.

We planted barley with our JD7000 with kinze units. You just have to split the rows or criss-cross when planting. Not ideal but works fine for our antique combine to harvest.

Forgot the video:

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I meant that to be in response to DeltaRed.

Marshall, our setup is not very comparable to yours.

My question was more for cover crop purposes than small gains. Their seeds are comparable is the only reason I threw that out there. Obviously a drill would be best but I dont have a drill and instead of buying one for my hobby farm just thought if I had a plate I could switch out itd work good enough. My intent is I have the row unit set up for planting pumpkins and thought if I could use the same unit or units in narrow rows i could use it to plant cover crops in fall rather than broadcast or buying a drill.

Thanks

Yep a little different but still good information! See my reply to delta my whole reasoning for doing it this way.

Thanks

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Have you planted wheat with a soybean plate? Rye seed is similar I believe so that might be good enough as I have plenty of Ih soybean plates

The researchers at the local Rutgers farm have been using row units to put small grains and other cover crops in between growing corn rows at what was considered 'lay-buy' during the cultivating era. Admittedly what they're using to do it is not 1950s technology.

I have planted cover crops (cereal rye) with my 15 soybean planter. Planter is a John Deere 7000 six row planter set on 30. Planter has 5 splitter units between each row for 15 soybeans. Kinze Manufacturing brush (soybean) planting meters are on each row. There is a company called Seed Rite that sells a backer plate that goes on the outside of the Kinze plate to keep the little seeds from falling through and or gettting caught in the little notch. I have always used the black 60 cell plates but others have had success with the blue Kinze plate (48 cells) as well. I can't remember if I wanted about a bushel an acre, but what ever it was it was right on. Planting depth with a planter is much more accurate. I have neighbors that broadcast on top and maybe only 50% grows. Since more of the seed germinates you can cut back on seed slightly. Also, for planting cover crops you all ready own the planter so why buy a drill or custom hire it done. For cost share through the NRCS/Soil Conservation Districts 15 inches is the maximum allowable width. I believe Kinze is now actually selling plates for small grains that fit on their new planting units. I have heard that there is quite a bit of wheat now being planting this way (15 rows).

You could also just broadcast the seed, and harrow/pack after. Seed that falls out the back of the combine seems to grow very well !!

One year when I was custom combining grain for organic neighbor they had me try and blow 10 bpa out back of combine. Then we raked and baled the straw and I disked it. It came up pretty good but was real streaked. I ran it through straw spreader and chaff spreader but still streaked. They did not have me do it again.

Thats my thinking too is why bother buying a drill if I have these units. Its just finding a plate thatll work is all.

I just use a rotary spreader and drag (or disk if I want to delay the germination) for winter rye covercrop

Youll need a lot of planter units to plant rye.

Their are a lot of planter plates out there for the IH and JD planters so Im sure one will work. If not you can custom make one