How to Calibrate a Grain Drill: Fine Tuning and Other Considerations

In this installment of our series on calibrating grain drills for multi-species seed planting, farmer Jason Carter discusses fine-tuning and final considerations. Visit the five previous installments in the series to discover the tools, method and calculations that Jason uses when calibrating his drill.

‍

Jason uses a thirty-foot, three section drill made up of three individual ten-foot drills. For the 2 drill sections that his calculations were not conducted on, he says farmers can take the measurement that they’ve already determined for their desired rate and apply it to the next two, but that he’s seen over the years that sometimes the requirements for each drill can vary.

‍

“Even if each of them is the same identical drill, you could still see a couple pounds fluctuation between them. Usually it’s pretty close, but if you want to make sure you really need to check each drill,” says Carter.

‍

“Another thing we implemented in this method is that we just used one cup per drill. To really get a good average, you probably would want to go towards the beginning and towards the end and get the average of two, because what I've sometimes seen over the years is that the end that you do the adjustment on usually tends to put out maybe a little more than the end far away from the adjustment. My old drill was 15 feet, and I would see it vary more on the 15-foot drill just because of the longer distance – so to get it pretty accurate it's probably best to use two cups, or just use one in the middle. I like to just use one in the middle and start off with that setting across the board, and then check the next two and in the middle and if they're all pretty close I'll leave them there. It's hard to get everything dialed dead-on, but you’re just trying to get it as close as possible.”

‍

Another thing that Carter has noticed is that when you start the process with the drill all the way closed and slowly move it open, there isn't as much resistance on each metering roll and it’s much easier for the whole shaft to move across. The plastic along the rod can also tangle and slow the rod, and Carter says farmers can be aware to keep it clean or spray it with silicone to encourage everything moving smoothly and evenly.

‍

“If you notice that one end is probably putting out less than the other, you can take a wrench, come on the side of the metering roll and tap it in the direction you want it to go– if you want it to open go to the left, if you want it to close go to the right – and sometimes just that little fine tune adjustments will make a difference where you can make it even all the way across.”

‍

The last thing Jason recommends is for farmers to calibrate their drill, plant about ten acres, and then, in the field or back at the shop, calibrate it again.

‍

“I used to have a drill with so much play in it that you could have it calibrated dead-on where you want it, and then you could go plant ten acres and come back and it could be off as much as 5 pounds per acre. That's going to add up over time, especially when you're only putting 20 to 25 pounds per acre on some of the lower rates that we use,” says Carter.

‍

All in all, Jason says that once a farmer is familiarized with this method, the process will feel much less complicated. Farming equipment should not be an obstruction to effective planting, but a tool that allows for adjustments in farming technique.

‍

‍To watch the full "How To Calibrate A Grain Drill" Series CLICK HERE

Check out the other features on our website for more information on regenerative agricultural methods and tools, and keep an eye out for our upcoming series on building and placing effective livestock fencing.

‍