Changes in cropping rotations and the growing popularity of cover crops have focused attention on a new generation of box drills.
“We’re seeing an uptick in 30-foot and larger box drills,” says Mike Hanson, sales manager at Lindstrom Equipment in Menomonie, Wis. “Not only for seeding alfalfa with a nurse crop, but for drilling narrow row soybeans and seeding fall cover crops.”
Box drills with larger seed hoppers, electronic seed monitoring systems and improved disk openers now compete with acre-eating air seeders.
“We contend that box drills are more precise than air seeders,” says Blake Bergkamp, Great Plains research agronomist. “Seeds bouncing in the delivery tubes on air seeders makes seed spacing erratic. Box drills meter the seed closer to the seed furrow for better accuracy. Our new BD7600 box drill uses a two-piece groove and chevron seed meter design than is extremely accurate, compared to traditional fluted metering rolls.”
Kuhn’s 9400NT box drill features Helica spiral-flute metering rolls to meter seeds.
“The spiral flute design reduces the ‘pulsing’ of seeds you get with straight-fluted rolls,” says Ben Craker, Kuhn sales manager, “especially when you’re seeding at low rates and the rolls are turning slowly.”
Seeding innovations used on planters have migrated to box drills. Great Plains’ BD7600 box drill offers hydraulic drive, which allows section control and variable rate seeding. Landoll’s 5000-Series box drills feature pneumatic down pressure.
“Pneumatic down pressure helps keep all the seeds at the same depth for even emergence,” says Landoll sales manager Jamie Meier. “Our double disk openers also have hold down strips that run beside the openers to firm the soil and maintain the trench so seeds are placed at uniform depth.”
John Deere transplanted technology from their air seeding products to its 1590 NoTill drill. An in-cab rocker switch adjusts population on the go. New ProSeries openers feature narrower seed boots, fewer lubrication points and improved press wheels for improved seed to soil contact.
Calibration is still key to accurate seeding with any box drill. Kuhn’s Premia and 9400NT box drills feature a built-in calibration system that catches seed from every meter in special pans, not just from a few rows. The system also eliminates the need to jack up a drive wheel and turn it to simulate planting during calibration.
“Improved genetics and seed coatings are making small grain seed more expensive,” says Lundstrom Equipment’s Hanson, “so calibration is the secret to good, economical stands when it comes to box drills.”
