Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Dreaming of food plots and equipment

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    Dreaming of food plots and equipment

    I have messed arround with food plots for years, but honestly with minimal results. Looking for a fresh start. Eventually would like to plant 20+ acres. Right now have a few acres cleaned, fenced, and ready to go. In addition to deer, would love to boost dove hunting as well.

    My tractor is pretty much toast, most of its implements have been either stolen or vandalized. Do have a Kubota 900 UTV-so either focusing on using it, or replacing the tractor.

    So with a somewhat realistic budget (no new 100hp tractor is in my future). What would you want to plant and how would you want to plant it-including crop rotations.
    —-
    Fwiw seriously considering a UTV based 2 row planter, and or a no-till drill. Both are still a lot cheaper than a new tractor. Oil sunflowers via the row planter, not sure of the mix of soybean, ic peas, corn, and millet. In theory the row planter can handle them all, so not sure if the no till is needed (unless I want to add in small seed cover crops like clover

    My soil is mostly sandy. I do have some better soil in one field, but it would need massive clearing to use and is probably the worse location due to roads. Only redeaming value is that it is above a good duck tank-seed run off would make duck hunting better.

    #2
    Planting with atv/ Utv is limited to smaller fall plots.... unless you have limitless time. 20+Acres would take week

    There are tons of awesome threads in what to plant. But a tractor is almost a must to produce plots that actually work worth the time and money

    Comment


      #3
      I plant 5acres with a MF383, shredder, disc, tiller, seed spreader and drag. No way I would attempt it with a UTV. Gotta have a tractor for 20acres. And some good implements. No till drill is awesome. But not mandatory.

      Comment


        #4
        Seems like you could get a tractor, shedder and a tiller or disc for less than 10k if you aren’t attracted to new, shiny ones.

        Comment


          #5
          My current tractor is a Ford 3000. I really don’t know exactly how bad it’s problems are. That said while it is theoretically 50hp tractor, it only had 1700lbs of lift on the 3pt new, and no power down. I never had much luck using it with our disk plow. It could probably run a 3 row planter, maybe a tiny no till. The UTV however is a brute (for what it is).

          Someone stole the nuts off my disk plow (left the bolts), and the PTO shaft off my shredder. Currently using a skid steer for most of the jobs the tractor did. It is currently my digging, clearing, and shredding machine (hydro shears does wonders on mesquite). It is not as fast as a tractor, but the little 3000 was not that fast anyway.
          Last edited by Mousehunter; 04-12-2018, 09:10 PM.

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by Mousehunter View Post
            My current tractor is a Ford 3000. I really don’t know exactly how bad it’s problems are. That said while it is theoretically 50hp tractor, it only had 1700lbs of lift on the 3pt new, and no power down. I never had much luck using it with our disk plow. It could probably run a 3 row planter, maybe a tiny no till. The UTV however is a brute (for what it is).

            Someone stole the nuts off my disk plow (left the bolts), and the PTO shaft off my shredder. Currently using a skid steer for most of the jobs the tractor did.
            1700 lift is 1700 better than 0 of a utv. That would lift any 6-7’ disk I’ve ever seen. I completely understand having to improvise but major plots without a functioning tractor ain’t happening. I have a no till and still plant 90% of my wildlife plots with disk

            Comment


              #7
              My heavy duty Land Pride disc only weighs 1200 lb. No need for down pressure if you set your gangs right. Fix your tractor and save the UTV for what it was made for. Twenty acres gonna get old quick with a UTV. My two cents. A disc, cyclone type spreader, and a homemade tire drag will plant anything you want to plant.
              Attached Files

              Comment


                #8
                Where are you located Mousehunter?

                Comment


                  #9
                  And if you get a row planter you will need seed plates for each size seed you want to plant.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Maybe you should make a couple little plots this spring and get your tractor fixed up for the fall. The disc you got must be a biggun or it’s got some bearings out cause that tractor ought to pull a 6 ft disc in dry dirt.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      You could rent a tractor. You around the temple area?

                      Comment


                        #12
                        A ford 3000 is plenty. Like others said, get a spreader and disk or tiller. Make a drag and you're set. I personally like a pull behind spreader so I'm not doing everything with the 3 point. One less time changing implements. I use my JD Gator to broadcast seed and fertilizer. Throw the bags in the back and keep filling and broadcasting.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          I got a drag harrow for landscape work, have not used it for planting yet. Will defiantly look into a tow behind spreader (pretty sure the one stolen was 3pt), the receiver spreader (for corn feeding) did not throw all that well, and I did not want to run fertilizer through it anyway.

                          Local seed shop recommended disk, broadcast, and drag. He liked rows, but not for deer mix, and not really for small areas. Of course his solution is just increase your seeding rates... easy solution for a seed dealer.
                          —-
                          Will start pestering my Tractor guys again to see when they have time to mess with a project...

                          Comment


                            #14
                            If you are planting that much I would not use an ATV or UTV. You will cause wear and tear on them.

                            I would fix your tractor, its an investment. Or I would find a buddy with the right equipment and borrow or rent through him.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Tillers are better on a smaller tractor. I can't recall any tractor that has power down on 3 point till you get REALLY big, and very few of those have it. It is the weight of equipment that helps. FOr 20 acres you need at least 8' equipment, and that means 65 hp and up.

                              You can do a good plot with a 5-6' tiller, pto spreader, and a drag harrow of some kind.

                              I would plant in strips, instead of mixing seeds. You can go back and shred some or all the sunflowers, then have other areas ready for winter food plot.

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X