Seed drills For Sale in United Kingdom

Before the seed drill became widely used, the normal practice was simply to plant seeds by hand. This, however, was time-consuming, labour-intensive and led to poor seed distribution. This in turn meant lower productivity and poor yields.

Babylon had single-tube seed drills around 1500 BC, and the Chinese invented an iron multi-tube drill around 200 BC. This was widely credited with allowing the Chinese empire to support its vast population. Even these early versions were hugely efficient, improving yields by up to 900%.

This technology didn’t appear to have reached European farmers, as the first European version didn’t appear until 1566 in Venice. These designs were improved by Jethro Tull in 1701. Even these improved versions were unreliable; as a result the seed drill did not become widely used in Europe until the 19th century.

Initial designs had to be simple and light enough to be pulled by a single horse, but the advent of first steam-driven and then petrol-driven tractors meant that larger and more productive seed drills could be used. Farmers could now seed vastly enlarged areas in a single day, leading to an enormous rise in production.

Before the seed drill, fields were simply ploughed and seeds tossed by hand across the land. The ones that landed in the furrows had better protection from the elements and were more likely to be covered over by natural soil movements. This meant that such seeds were more likely to grow. However, as the hand-thrown method distributed the seeds fairly evenly on the surface, much of this seed was lost. The seed drill had runners to open the furrow to a pre-set depth. The seeds were dropped into these furrows, and then discs cut away the sides of the trench, covering the seeds. Modern innovations allow seed drilling without any tilling, which protects sensitive soils from moisture loss and erosion.

Choosing a seed drill is obviously a function of capacity, with larger hoppers and wider booms being suited to bigger farms, for example the 'Stanhay' brand. You also need to consider the towing requirements of your chosen seed drill. These will have ratings in horsepower to indicate the power of tractor required. Clearly, the drill should be chosen with the abilities of your tractor in mind. Many seed drills are now operated by pneumatic power, and this can allow for more accurate and quicker sowing. More sophisticated systems will monitor the down-force being used on the drills to ensure consistent depth is maintained, even on hard-packed or untilled soil. There are also different approaches to drilling technology, such as the use of double or single plates, which may be more suited to different types of soil. Certain machines will also be suitable for land with minimal or no tillage, while others work best on standard ploughed fields.

Modern seed drills are generally robust and relatively simple to maintain. Properly chosen, a used seed drill should see many years of service and offer a good return on your investment.