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Any of y'all have experience with the older 8300 drills? I'm looking at one with single disc openers. I'd prefer double but this one has a small seed box. I am interested in planting cereal grains, clovers, and millets for plot purposes. Just wondering how good a job it'll do. I'm assuming the ground will have to be prepped well for the single disc openers.

I have planted some with the single disc opener JD drills. Your worries are good thinking. They plant small seed very well. If you start getting into seed larger than wheat, some seed will not fall into the opening. Also the larger seed will not always be at the depth you want because the trench in the soil is too narrow and seed will catch. Small grains such as wheat, milo, or rye will do fine as will clover, alfalfa, and millet. Soybeans or corn or sunflowers will not plant uniformed. You can still plant stale seedbed or no-till with these drills if the ground is not too hard. The couple I used had coulters in front so that helped with planting AND helped some with my disgruntles for the single disc opener. Plant a little deeper. Check seed depth because the seed will be shallower than what the disc opener is running.

Rob, what have you been using and why are you looking to change? Been doing lots of reading about cover crops, no till, permaculture. May not apply on the omnifertile delta soils so much, but on upland loess dirt where OM is often sparse and quickly eroded away, I think it may be a great philosophy.

I have a JD 7100 6-row planter that I plant everything but small grains, clover, and millet with. I have been broadcasting those after disking and do-alling the dirt, and covering with a do-all. This method works good for my purposes but you have to get a real good rain to get it to sprout after all of the necessary tillage to plant like that. Sometimes with millet in the heat of the summer, I'll get just enough rain to sprout it but not enough to wet all of the tilled soil below the seed. I was just looking for a better way to get those small seeds planted.

I can't believe what this old farm equipment is bringing these days. I bought my 20-year old 6-row planter with row markers over 10 years ago and paid $1200 for it. The same style 2-row planters without markers are bringing that now. I attribute it to high bean prices and the demand for food plot-sized implements.

Never underestimate the Lee and Tiffany effect.

I have a 10' 8200 with dd openers. Does a real good job for food plots. More of a drill and spill. Would not trust it to make a living off of. Be sure to watch the seed tubes, they tend to pop out of the openers quite often if old and brittle. Tried to plant sunflowers with it one time, horrible results. But does great with smaller grains.

Thanks. I bought one and it is an 8200. Single disc openers. I think if a fella gets it set right, it'll do a fine job.

Found a good source for used parts.

www.burrells.net