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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] Earthway Push Seeder

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  • From: "Allan.Balliett" <allan.balliett AT gmail.com>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Earthway Push Seeder
  • Date: Sun, 25 Apr 2010 13:38:35 -0400




Steve - I use the Johnny's precision seeders a lot. They really fail to perform on loose soil. I think in Coleman's original winter harvest handbook there was a picture of an expanded metal roller on a stick that he used for firming beds. I tried to buy one from him but he told me that he hadn't found a reliable supplier and he would not refer me to any of the people that he knew of making these rollers (myself, I didn't know of anyone) Later, when I got the power harrow for my BCS, it came with a small diameter extruded metal roller and in the accompanying literature pictures of similar units on long handles. Joel at Earth Tools wasn't able to find anyone who would export these, though. And then I got the new Coleman precision planter, which comes with SMALL rollers front and rear. An acknowlegement of the weakness of the first generation precision seeders, but not quite the solultion I was looking for. (For loose beds, Coleman recommends that before you fill the hoppers of the seeder that you stand it on in on one of the rollers (the free one) and roll the bed, thereby tamping it with twice the weight per sq inch the bed would get when rolled normally. A lot of rather eerie work, in my book, that is!

Anyway, one day last year i happened to find out that concrete workers use a tool just like I dreamed Joel could import for me. It's two 48 inch long, 8 inch in diameter extruded metal rollers with a LONG large diameter metal handle. You can roll the whole bed at once (and some: my beds are 36 in wide), when you reach the end, the handle flips over and you can roll back, without lifting the rollers and turning around, which is a good thing since this unit, in total, is HEAVY!

What you get when you roll is a bed that is 'just right' and very smoothed out. In fact, I've started dispensing with a final raking, getting a lot of both leveling and smoothing by just rolling this tool down the bed.

I trust the Earthway rear wheel "soil compressor" to assure good 'seed-to-soil-contact,' but with both precision seeders, I feel that I need to roll the bed again with this tool to assure good seed set. (This has improved my germination rates substantially and also helps keep seed in position if hit by heavy rain before germ, etc)

Sorry, don't have a name for this tool, nor a manufacturer. It wasn't cheap ($150), but neither is seed for several acres. I'd definitely buy another one of these should I ever have to.

-Allan in WV, who should be out seeding instead of talking about it

Okay, all cleaned and lubed, I have added a 30" cross bar to the handle but to me
Earthway has always felt uncomfortable when pushing it in the row; like it is being lifted in the rear, when it should be pushed down. Any ideas? does the handle extension help?

Does anyone run a roller ahead of an Earthway in real loose soil, given a choise I would like firmer seed cover and less sinking of the whole machine.

It is a great tool for the money spent, way ahead of my hundred year old Ames planter,
but still, I think they could do something for user comfort!

MAsteveINE


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