It seems like every week I’m doing something for the first time on the farm … and all too often I’m trying to figure out how to do that thing by myself. That is what is going on today. I’m trying to figure out just how this Truax no-till grass drill works. I’m starting to get it figured out and I have a plan, but I’m worried about getting the settings right for the pounds per acre that I want. I do have the manual, but it doesn’t seem like it explains as much as I would like it too. Such is farm life …
So, with that being said … I’m going to head out and try to defeat this thing and get my pasture seeded!
If you’re fighting with the Truax you’re not alone. Here’s a link that might help you.
http://www.haven2.com/index.php/archives/mikes-idiots-guide-to-the-truax-seed-drill
Good luck. I am so glad I have family to help as I get my farm up and growing.
I’m not familiar with that kind of drill, but usually there is a method in which you jack up the drill and turn the drive wheel or drive mechanism, etc. a certain number of turns to equal an acre (usually it is detailed in the manual). While you are turning the wheel, you catch the seed in a bag or pail and weigh it to figure out what rate you are planting.
I always just catch the seed from one opener and multiply the result by the total number of openers instead of catching the seed from all the openers (with an empty drill just put a little pile of seed on the opener you are measuring). Don’t forget that you are always going to need about 10% more total seed than you originally thought due to planting overlaps, errors in measurements, etc.
From the picture, it looks like you might have some mud building up on the openers. Sometimes it only takes a little mud to make everything seem to go wrong at once, so I always just take a break when it gets too muddy to let the ground dry out a little before my head explodes from the frustration. You would be surprised how much difference a little bit of drying can make.