Description

Grass drills and seeders consist of seed hoppers, metering devices, and some type of seed placement device. Grass drills range in width from 6 to 15 ft, while grain drills can be up to 40 feet wide. Row spacing varies between 8 and 12 in, with 12 in common for rangeland seeding. The metering systems have the capability to deliver 0.5 to 20 lbs of seed per acre. Drills use several different styles of ground-drives to power the metering system. Most drills are towed and use a hydraulic lift mechanism while some drills attach to the tractor’s 3-point hitch. No-till drills use coulters of various sizes and shapes to cut cover-crop residue ahead of the seed-furrow openers. Drills and seeders designed for rangeland are normally extra-heavy duty to withstand the rigors of rough-terrain. A minimum-till drill is available that can seed in rough, non-tilled soil with limited debris.

Application

Cropland drills are applicable for clean-tilled land and do not do well when rocks and debris are present. Rangeland drills are designed with a variety of options to overcome the rigor of rangeland conditions. Seed mixes are commonly used on rangeland. Chaffy and slick seed must be metered separately. Knowledge of the optimum seeding depth of the selected species is important to insure that the correct furrow openers, depth bands, press wheels, and covering devices are used.

Images

Rangeland Drill pulled by rear-wheel-drive tractor
Rangeland Drill pulled by rear-wheel-drive tractor. Photo courtesy of USFS.
Rangeland Drill
Three Rangeland Drills pulled in tandem. Photo courtesy of Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.
Rangeland and Miniumum-Till Drills
Rangeland Drill (left) and Minimum-Till Drill (right). Photo courtesy of USFS.
Truax Rough Rider Minimum-Till Drill
Truax Rough Rider Minimum-Till Drill. Photo courtesy of Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.
Disks and seed delivery system of Rangeland Drill.
Disks and seed delivery system of Rangeland Drill. Photo courtesy of Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.
Rangeland Drill Cart
Rangeland Drill Cart. Photo courtesy of Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.

References / Additional Information

Asher, J.E.; Eckert, R.E. 1973. Development, testing, and evaluation of the deep furrow drill arm assembly for the rangeland drill. Rangeland Ecology and Management. 26(5): 377-379.

Doerr, T.B. 1986. Rangeland drill. Tech. Rep. EL-86-41. Vicksburg, MI: U.S. Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 8 p.

Great Basin Research Center (GBRC), comps. 2024. Drill calibration summary. In: GBRC Equipment Workshop Handout distributed 19 June 2024. Ephraim, UT.

Newingham, B. 2025. Getting SEEDS on and off the ground: Challenges and opportunities for developing a large network of experimental, post-wildfire seeding sites. In: From Beginning to End: The equipment, methods, and processes of seed-based restoration. Revegetation Technology and Equipment Council Symposium (SRM 2025); 2025 February 9-13; Spokane, WA:  (YouTube video 1:06:14-1:21:09) (Presentation discusses rangemaster drill, Tye drill, and SEEDS (Seeding Evaluation and Experimental Design Strategies) project).

Ott, J.E.; Cox, R.D.; Shaw, N.L. 2017. Comparison of postfire seeding practices for Wyoming big sagebrush. Rangeland Ecology and Management. 70(5): 625-632.

Ott, J.E.; Cox, R.D.; Shaw, N.L.; Newingham, B.A.; Ganguli, A.C.; Pellant, M.; Roundy, B.A.; Eggett, D.L. 2016. Postfire drill-seeding of Great Basin plants: Effects of contrasting drills on seeded and nonseeded species. Rangeland Ecology and Management. 69(5): 373-385.

Outka-Perkins, L. 2010. Video: Calibrating your rangeland drill (video). U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Technology and Development Program. Video (35:20).

Somme, H. 1982. Revegetation of pipeline-disturbed land. In: 36th Annual Report of the Vegetative Rehabilitation and Equipment Workshop (VREW); 1982 February 4-5; Denver, CO. Missoula, MT: USDA Forest Service Equipment Development Center: 19-20. (Report discussed Tye drill seeder with multiple seed boxes).

St. John, L.; Cornforth, B.; Simonson, B.; Ogle, D.; Tilley, D. 2008. Calibrating the Truax Rough Rider seed drill for restoration plantings. Tech Note 20. Boise, ID: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service. 15 p.

Stevens, R.; Monsen, S.B. 2004. Chapter 9. Mechanical plant control. In: Monsen, S.B.; Stevens, R.; Shaw, N.L., comps. Restoring western ranges and wildlands, vol. 1. Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-136-vol-1. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station: 65-88. 

Truax, J. 1991. Truax native grass drill. In: Rangeland Technology Equipment Council. 1990 Annual Report. 9122-2805-MTDC. Missoula, MT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service Technology and Development Center: 29.

Vogel, W.G. 1983. Disturbed land reclamation (Eastern Subgroup). In: 37th Annual Report of the Vegetative Rehabilitation and Equipment Workshop (VREW); 1983 February 13-14; Albuquerque, NM. Missoula, MT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service Equipment Development Center: 25-26.

Wiedemann, H.T.; Brock, J.H.; Fisher, C.E.; Cross, B.T. 1979. Seed metering and placement devices for rangeland seeders. Transactions of the American Society of Agriculture and Biological Engineers. 22(5): 1275-1278.

Wolf, M. 2020. Calibrating a seed drill for conservation plantings (Video). U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service. YouTube video (22:32).