Low-Cost Light-Draft Range Seeder DRILLS Drills 42C Robert Lebruska developed his low-tech light-draft grass seeder to renovate coal bed methane fields However he says it will renovate range and pasture land just as well and for half the cost with twice the versatility of commercial units This year he also will be trying it for spot renovation in alfalfa fields
It can be used to broadcast fertilizer as well as seed and should work as well with salt or sand in the winter says Lebruska
The 3-pt mounted unit has 5-ft wings on a 7-ft base that floats over contours such as a road ditch or slope With wings folded a tractor and Lebruska Range Seeder can be trucked down the road and still meet DOT 8-ft 6-in width restrictions
The design also eliminates the many moving parts and wear points on conventional drills This cuts up-front and maintenance costs substantially
The biggest no-till drill you can get for renovation work is about 10 ft wide and sells for upwards of $30 000 says Lebruska My sons and I built this in our garage and have about $16 000 in it including labor
For the past four years the Lebruskas have been doing contract range renovation for mining companies They have shown that their unit out-performs traditional drills The broadcast distribution creates a more natural seedbed and shallow tilling requires relatively little power
Our unit floats over a 17-ft swath and incorporates the seed in the top 1/3 in whether the ground is soft and easy to penetrate or hardened volcanic ash that s packed like clay says Lebruska With a drill it will leave the seed on the surface of the hard ground and go an inch deep when it hits softer dirt Either way you don t get germination and I ve seen guys go out of business because they couldn t get the germination required by the contract
He points out that even if a drill gets good germination in arid areas the drilled rows remain visible for years His unit leaves a more natural seed distribution
The Lebruska Range Seeder consists of two rows of S-tines followed by a leveling bar and a bar roller The adjustable roller acts as a depth control for tilling and also firms up the seedbed The leveling bar also can be adjusted for depth and angle for more or less aggressive action While the S-tines and broadcast seeder are off the shelf the father and sons designed their own 3-pt frame leveling bar and roller They needed it heavy-duty to handle the variable soil and often rocky conditions
In most cases we want the leveling bar at the surface to top off ridges but we also wanted it to ride over or under rocks says Lebruska We looked at lots of press wheels and decided to make our own heavy-duty press roller with bars As it firms the soil the bars help incorporate the seed and leave depressions which catch and hold moisture reducing erosion and improving germination
The seeding unit is a commercial unit designed to handle lightweight fuzzy native grass seed The agitator keeps the seed feeding evenly Lebruska says it required only minor changes
We designed the upper link of the 3-pt so our extended pto shaft goes through it to the base of the tub seeder he says We did add a lid which then required we add a site glass to check remaining seed levels
Lebruska prefers to make three passes with the renovator The first is tillage and weed removal with the tines set as deep as the soil type allows The two rows of tines are on 8-in spacings but because the rows are staggered effective spacing is 4-in Weeds collect against the tines allowing Lebruska to drag them to one side periodically
We prefer to remove weeds from the seedbed area rather than disk them in explains Lebruska If there are grasses the S-tines tend to vibrate around them
The second pass is to broadcast the seed followed by a final incorporation pass This pass with shallow tillage mixes seed within the top 1/3 of an inch Lebruska says this ensures germination regardless of weather conditions If moisture is present or available soon after seeding grass seed nearest the surface germinates However if those seedlings dry out and die before more moisture arrives the deeper seed still has an opportunity to thrive
When seeding we run at about half throttle with the pto at about 200 rpm s says Lebruska We use a 70 hp tractor but you could easily get by with a 40 hp tractor but you could easily get by with a 40 hp tractor on less severe slopes where you don t need the weight
Lebruska and his sons Scot and Ryan are willing to custom build units to order They are also open to licensing or selling the design
This isn t about money or recognition says Lebruska It s about offering a better alternative for others to improve the environment
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Cloud Peak Express Inc 646 S Desmet Buffalo Wyo 82834 ph 307 684-2638; cell 307 751-2252; bambam611@msn com

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