The Ultimate Grassland Overseeder Guide

Moore Unidrill’s Guide to the Ultimate Grassland Overseeder? We’ll forgive you for thinking this article might be a publicity stunt written by a company who have been specializing in the field for forty years 😉.  Believe you me, it isn’t…well not entirely.

The reality of the matter is that we all know there are a good number of alternatives out there; we’ve learnt this firsthand from our dealings as a family over a long period of time in the used machinery industry.  We could reel off the qualities of a Moore Unidrill once again, but below we’ve decided to name all its contemporaries and offer you useful and informative comparisons.  At the end of the day, that’s the information you’re after…

Why Use An Overseeder?

If you’re an agronomist, agriculturalist or livestock farmer, optimum pasture and grassland quality is a priority. Use of a grassland overseeder ensures improved seed-to-soil contact, placing seeds directly into the soil at the correct depth, ensuring higher germination rates over against traditional broadcasting methods.  This regenerative farming method will result in a higher percentage of the seed applied establishing themselves as healthy plants, leading to a denser crop, healthier root systems, better nutrient uptake and overall productivity. Where traditional tillage methods may lead to soil erosion, nutrient loss and poor soil structure, an overseeder increases soil health, leaving beneficial microorganisms intact and protecting the environment.  In addition, overseeding is a cost and time-efficient method, needing only one pass for successful pasture establishment. Finally, using an overseeder also enables farmers to introduce new and improved grass varieties into an existing pasture, which is key for consistent forage supply and the health and productivity of the pasture and livestock.

What Are The Overseeder Options?

For this article, we’ve summarized the key features of several machines currently on offer in the overseeder market. Read on to find out more…

Einbock

Model Name

PNEUMATICSTAR

Working Widths

3 metres – 12 metres

Tine or Disc Drill?

Tine drill

Price Ranges

£8750-£24450

Summary:

The PNEUMATICSTAR is designed for grassland care, seeding, overseeding and reseeding. The seeding roller is driven mechanically via a support wheel or is electronically controlled by different sensors.  The machine has a strong frame, and depending on the working width, the frame is either rigid, mechanical or hydraulic folding. The machine’s high-quality construction means that the user can put additional pressure on the six rows of tines in hard soil conditions.  There are 2 versions of the PNEUMATICSTAR available; The MD Version has a mechanically driven seeding roller and the STI version has an electronically driven seeding roller, controlled by the STI terminal.  The machine has a narrow row spacing of 2.5cm/1”.

Advantages

• A large selection of tine options, configurations and sizes are available for this machine to suit every application.
• The machine aims to stimulate the tillering of grass turf, as well as acting to remove long stalked meadow grass with heavy duty spring tines.
• This machine has no following crumblers or rollers, which helps to reduce the overall price of the overseeder. Einbock’s justification for the lack of roller is that such a thing is only beneficial when seeding initially as opposed to reseeding/overseeding. For reseeding, they argue that seeds and soil may clog the roller, reducing crop density. What’s more, where the spring tines have removed stalked weeds, the presence of a roller may again put the weeds in contact with the soil.
• A tine drill generally is a lighter and more flexible option than a disc drill, which tends to be slightly heavier and have more moving/wearing parts.

Disadvantages

• Many would argue that the addition of a roller/crumbler would be beneficial to embed new seed. If Einbock’s argument is that a roller is only necessary with initial seeding, then farmers may also have to consider purchasing a costly additional direct drill/seeding system as well as the overseeder offering.
• Not likely to be eligible for common government grants for new machinery.
• With such narrow row spacing, the weeds removed by this drill may gather in the tines like a comb, depositing them back into contact with the soil and clogging the drill.
• A tine drill will create more soil disturbance, which is obviously not something favoured in the regenerative farming methods and no-till systems of this age.
• On stony ground, tine breakage may be an issue.
• A ‘disc drill’ system would probably result in better accuracy of seed placement.

 

Guttler

Model Name:

GREENMASTER

Working Widths:

1.5-8 metres

Tine or Disc Drill?

Tine drill

Price Ranges

£12,923 – £44,215+

Summary:

This 5-in-1 machine designed for small-medium pasture regeneration aims to level, aerate, weed, sow and re-consolidate in one pass.  The 12mm robust double spring tines act to aerate the soil, and seed is subsequently delivered via tubes on the back of the tines resulting in consistent successful germination, especially in initial seeding.  Following the seed delivery, the self-cleaning Guttler prism rollers act to press the seed into the soil as a cloven hoof might do.

Advantages:

• The Guttler Greenmaster can also be used for arable crop establishment, as opposed to just overseeding grassland.
• This machine is available in a range of configurations and sizes, including variants for hopper sizes, hydraulic/PTO/electric fans, roll ring sizes, levelling rail or ripper board, and tines.
• The signature design of the Guttler roller/packer is renowned for its reliability and is also used on the Moore Unidrill range of direct drills. The design is self-cleaning, so will not clog with new seed or weeds.
• A tine drill generally is a lighter and more flexible option than a disc drill, which tends to be slightly heavier and have more moving/wearing parts.

Disadvantages:

• Not likely to be eligible for common government grants for new machinery.
• Again, there is a risk of removed weeds, soil and seed clogging the rear rollers, however this is potentially mitigated slightly by the ‘self-cleaning’ rollers.
• A tine drill will create more soil disturbance, which is obviously not something favoured in the regenerative farming methods and no-till systems of this age.
• On stony ground, tine breakage may be an issue.
• A ‘disc drill’ system would probably result in better accuracy of seed placement.

 

Opico Hatzenbichler

Model Name: AIR8, AIR16, AIR16E PRO, AIR8E

Working Widths: Up to 24m

Tine or Disc Drill?

Tine drill

Price Ranges:

£5950 (without seeder unit) £11250 (with seeder unit)

Summary:

Opico’s offering is designed to accurately meter and distribute grass and small seeds evenly across the full width of the grass harrow which opens the soil, creating a tilth for improved seed to soil contact.  These machines are usually fitted to an Opico grass harrow, but will also work with grass harrows from other manufacturers. The seed roller metering is driven by a land wheel on the AIR 8 and by electronic radar on the AIR 8E and AIR 16E.  The 8 outlet seeders have an electric fan whilst the 16 outlet seeders have a hydraulic fan. The grass seeder seed rate can be varied from 1-80kg per hectare, according to seed type and whether the user is reseeding or overseeding. Where overseeding only specific areas of a field, electronic seeders can also be switched on or off during the harrowing operation.

Advantages:

• Unlike most other types of seeders, the Air 8, 8E and Air 16E grassland seeders use individual metering rollers for each seed outlet enabling extremely accurate seed metering and guaranteeing the same amount of seed is fed to each outlet, something that is very important when using low seed rates or small seeds.
• The machine comes with two quickly interchangeable seed rollers (a coarse and fine roller), additional alternative seed rollers can also be purchased as extra.
• On the electric fans there is an optional air flow alarm to warn the operator in case of a blockage or malfunction, hydraulic drive units also include a fan speed sensor and alarm for the same reason.
• Eligible for some government grants for new machinery
• A tine drill generally is a lighter and more flexible option than a disc drill, which tends to be slightly heavier and have more moving/wearing parts.

Disadvantages:

• The Opico website strongly advises that ‘sowing should always be followed with rolling to ensure good seed-to-soil contact is achieved’, however obviously there is no roller element to this machine; this would mean an extra pass with a set of rolls or something similar, this does entail more expense, but a set of rolls is something that a farmer may be likely have anyway.
• A ‘disc drill’ system as opposed to a tine-based machine might be considered more accurate when it comes to seeding placement, however this machine’s ‘individual metering rollers’ may mitigate this.
• On stony ground, tine breakage may be an issue.
• Again, there is a risk of removed weeds, soil and seed clogging the tines.
• A tine drill will create more soil disturbance, which is obviously not something favoured in the regenerative farming methods and no-till systems of this age.

 

Vredo

Model Name: Vredo Agri Series

Working Widths: 2.47-2.85m

Tine or disc drill?

Disc drill

Price Ranges: £26,000 approx

Summary:

The Vredo Agri Series on the market today has evolved from the original conception of the machine in 1976, with a great number of developments and improvements on the machine since. The machine operates a highly accurate mechanical seed distribution system with progressive spring guards. This is a robust machine that comes highly recommended for dairy farmers and agricultural contractors.

Advantages:

• Eligible for some government grants for new machinery
• Lots of options are available for this machine, including smooth or packer roller in both widths, as well as optional standing platform, demountable seed dosage ‘hill’ plates for when seeding on steep slopes and a scraper for when the packer roller is chosen.
• The two sections of the machine pivot and every pair of discs is separately suspended, resulting in a machine that follows the contours of undulating ground very well, giving the machine a flexibility that other disc drills may lack.
• Research has confirmed that the Vredo Overseeding System generates a germination rate of 96%.
• Disc drills generally will result in less soil disturbance, a practice obviously favoured by regenerative farming; rather than harrow the ground as a tine drill may do, discs will create narrow slits in the soil to stitch in the seed with better accuracy.

Disadvantages:

• A low machine width make this machine more targeted at smaller applications for regenerative seeding.
• This machine will have more wearing/moving parts than a tine drill, resulting in a slightly heavier/more expensive machine. However, additional weight on a direct drill is often considered an advantage for better penetration.
• Although this machine may not have the ‘weeder/harrow’ function that a tine drill will have, we would argue that the addition of tines on an overseeder is counterproductive, clogging the machine and re-establishing contact with weeds and soil.
• This machine might be less flexible on uneven ground than a tine drill.

 

Moore Unidrill

Model Name: Moore Unidrill Grassland Trailed/Mounted Models

Working Widths: 2.5m-3.4m

Tine or disc drill?

Disc drill

Price Ranges: £26,775-£38,115

Summary:

This is a direct disc drill machine designed with a professional contractor in mind. Moore Unidrill have over 40 years in the direct drilling and overseeding market, making their offering a reliable and trustworthy one. Simplicity in terms of its construction alongside a high quality of machine components has resulted in a machine that will have a long working life with low operating costs. The machine uses an accord metering system, allowing the ability to sow down to the last quantity of seed with most seed types. As well as this, the machine uses a rubber arm suspension system for optimum contour following on uneven ground. This machine is available in trailed or mounted options at varying widths as well as a ‘base unit’ option (not included in the price range shown above), which may offer a considerably cheaper option for a user who wants to use the machine with an existing hopper.

Advantages:

• Eligible for some government grants for new machinery
• These machines have a high residual value, with proven demand for used models.
• Narrow row spacing ensures a crop with higher competitiveness against weeds, something that is important as herbicide-resistant weeds emerge.
• These machines have tungsten tipped coulters, and high quality guttler roller packer rings as standard. As a result, though this machine may have more wearing parts than a tine drill, an exceptional level of quality in the wearing metal will result in a longer working life.  In our experience, the discs generally show signs of wear before the coulters.
• Disc drills generally will result in less soil disturbance, a practice obviously favoured by regenerative farming; rather than harrow the ground as a tine drill may do, discs will create narrow slits in the soil to stitch in the seed with better accuracy.

Disadvantages:

• Although this machine may not have the ‘weeder/harrow’ function that a tine drill will have, we would argue that the addition of tines on an overseeder is counterproductive, clogging the machine and re-establishing contact with weeds and soil.
• This machine might be less flexible on uneven ground than a tine drill.
• The additional moving parts that come with a disc drill result in a slightly heavier, potentially more costly machine. However, additional weight on a direct drill is often considered an advantage for better penetration.

 

Erth

Model Name: Erth Agriseeder

Working Widths: 3-4 metres

Tine or disc drill?

Disc drill

Price Ranges: £23,000+

Summary:

This machine is a direct disc drill that allows the coulter system to move independently on rubbers and has a secondary ‘autocontour’ system to follow undulating ground. Each frame section has its own hydraulic ram, allowing pressure to be balanced across the machine along rough ground, reducing load on wearing parts and bearings and achieving better seeding depth. Keen-eyed buyers will note that this machine uses the Kverneland Accord metering system also found in the Moore Unidrills. The machine is available in three or four metre widths with 24 or 32 rows.  Buyers can opt for a hydraulic fan, twin or single electric fan or an electric metering system. This simple machine is a good match for small applications and lower horsepower tractors.

Advantages:

• Eligible for some government grants for new machinery
• The machine uses high quality components, including Forge De Niaux Boron disc blades and replaceable tungsten tile seed coulters.
• Simple to set up and use.
• Have a read of this interesting article from FWI, comparing the use of an Erth Agriseeder over an Opico Tine machine here (https://www.fwi.co.uk/machinery/cultivation-drilling/cereal-drills/simple-erth-agriseeder-drill-transforms-perthshire-farms-pasture)!

Disadvantages:

• Although this machine may not have the ‘weeder/harrow’ function that a tine drill will have, we would argue that the addition of tines on an overseeder is counterproductive, clogging the machine and re-establishing contact with weeds and soil.
• This machine might be less flexible on uneven ground than a tine drill, however the contour following technology used in this machine may combat this.
• The additional moving parts that come with a disc drill result in a slightly heavier, potentially more costly machine. However, additional weight on a direct drill is often considered an advantage for better penetration.

 

To conclude, we hope you have found this guide a useful source of information in view of your purchase of an overseeder.  When it comes to the best option, we advise you look carefully at the application for your overseeder; what works for one farmer may not for another.  Remember that climate, soil conditions and acreage vary from farm to farm.

For overseeding, a disc drill would certainly be our personal recommendation based on our experience in the farming industry.  Overseeding is by nature a regenerative farming method, as little soil disturbance as possible is the desired effect, and the harrowing action of a tine drill will be counterproductive. What’s more, removed weeds, soil and seeds will clog tines and/or rollers.  A disc drill creates a narrow slot through existing crop residue that allows the machine to stitch in seeds, with minimal disturbance and preservation of soil health.  Though tine drills are considered to have better flexibility, all the disc drill options shown here have contour-following technology to counter this. In the case of the Moore Unidrill and also the Erth machines, high quality components are used to give the extra wearing parts that come with a disc machine a longer working life.  Though this may result in a heavier machine, additional weight on a overseeder is often considered beneficial for better penetration.

We are obviously biased, but the award-winning Moore Unidrill offering has been proven for forty years as a strong contender in the overseeding business for good reason. If you require any further information on our products, don’t hesitate to get in touch (https://www.moore-unidrill.com/contact-us/ ) or locate your nearest dealer here (https://www.moore-unidrill.com/find-dealers-distributors/ ). In the UK, Moore Unidrill’s are also available to hire, so you can verify their brilliance for yourself – click here to find out more (https://www.moore-unidrill.com/find-hire-depot/ ).  You won’t be disappointed 😉. Thanks for reading!

 

 

Sources: Einbock, Wox Agri-Services, Opico, FWI, Moore Unidrill, Vredo

Everything here has been sourced directly from each manufacturer’s publicly available websites and other records, with estimates used where precise numbers were not available. If you see any errors or inaccuracies, please reach out to us so we can correct them. E&OE: Whilst care has been taken preparing the information herein, it is given in good faith.