Moore Unidrill History

Moore Unidrill was established by Sam Moore Senior in 1974

Moore Unidrill was established by Sam Moore Senior.

Sam worked for Tate & Lyle, Massey Ferguson, and ICI​.

He returned home in 1966 to the family farm and started​ an engineering business in 1969.​

Moore Unidrill was established in 1974.

Kirk Road, Ballymoney, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland

The company operated from Kirk Road, Ballymoney, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland – 15kms from the legendary Giants Causeway on the beautiful Antrim coast.

The surrounding countryside hosts some of the most intensive dairy farming in all of Europe.

This is grass growing country, with a unique high rainfall and mild climate, which suits the intensive grassland production.

This contributed to the launch of the original Unidrill’s.

Award-winning System Moore

In the early days Moore Unidrill focused on the manufacture of direct drills for grassland​.

The Unidrill won silver medals at 1976 Balmoral Show, The Royal Welsh and The Highland Show.

Moore Unidrill then entered the Arable direct drill market in the late 1970’s by a designing a wider row arable version.

SportsTurf Unidrill developed in 1990​

The SportsTurf Unidrill was developed in 1990​.

It was sold to many famous sports grounds including​:

  • ​Druids Glen Golf Club,
  • The Belfry Golf Club, ​
  • Royal Wentworth Golf Club,​
  • Sunningdale Golf Club,​
  • Gleneagles Golf Club, ​
  • Royal Troon Golf Club,​
  • St Andrews Golf Club,​
  • Portmarnock Golf Club,
  • SRFU Murrayfield,​
  • IRFU Landsdowne Road,​
  • Northampton RFC​,
  • MCC Lords, ​
  • Eden Park New Zealand​

Rapid Expansion

​As the company expanded, Sam Moore’s son, Sam Moore Junior, joined the business and ran Moore Unidrill. His father Sam Moore Senior retired in 1996.

It was a period of rapid growth for the company. Production capacity was expanded in Northern Ireland to meet increased demand in both the UK and export markets. The Unidrills were also being produced under licensing agreements overseas, particularly in the United States.

This picture shows the 26,000 sq ft premises at Kirk Road, Ballymoney​, ​plus 10,000 sq ft of warehouse.

The Sumo Versadrill

The Sumo Versadrill, launched at Lamma 2009. It was the result of a collaboration between Sumo & Moore Unidrill and uses the proven Moore coulter technology coupled with Sumo’s own design and development.

The Versadrill was the result of many years of combined experience; 30 years of Moore heritage and 15 years of Sumo experience, all rolled into a truly versatile machine.

Being able to subsoil and drill into stubble, zone seed rape either side of the subsoil legs or drill traditionally following a plough and press, the Versadrill was arguably the most versatile drill available in Europe.

The New Grassland Unidrill

In January 2009, production of the arable Unidrill’s transferred to Sumo UK at Melbourne in Yorkshire, England.

However, production also continued in Ballymoney with a new range of Grassland seeders, as well as Sportsturf equipment.

A new version of the Grassland Unidrill was introduced in 2011 with a 3m working width and 32 rows of coulters meaning the row spacing was reduced to 90mm. This made it the perfect drill for grassland overseeding.

Agri-Linc directors invest in Moore Unidrill

For many years Agri-Linc has been a well known dealer for new, used and refurbished Moore Unidrill’s.

As a result of this, Agri-Linc Ltd in Bourne, Lincolnshire, England has always had a close working relationship with Moore Unidrill.

In 2019, Sam Moore Junior and the Agri-Linc directors finalised on an a business acquisition package in view of the brand continuing and developing to new heights.

A new chapter of Moore Unidrill was created…

The establishment of Moore Unidrill (Manufacturing) Limited

The new business Moore Unidrill (Manufacturing) Limited acquired Moore Unidrill in Autumn 2019 and since then has propelled the brand to new heights.

There are now multiple dealers across the UK & Ireland. And we’ve also pushed the brand back into the European and Australasia markets.

As the brand continues to develop, the Moore Unidrill name remains at the forefront of the direct drill market and we intend to keep it that way.

All manufacturing is now at EFI Business Park, Bourne Road, Carlby, Lincolnshire, UK

Ongoing Development...

Here at Moore Unidrill, research & development is a constant project.

Implementing feedback from users is important  to us. This can be anything from sourcing higher quality parts to redesigning and improving the drill with new features.

We believe there is always room for improvement and we strive to build the best direct drill on the market.

With both Arable and Grassland Unidrill options now available. We are confident that there is now a Moore Unidrill that’s suitable for every seeding task.