Anyone have a Woods FPS (Food Plot Seeder) e.g. Woods FPS72

[mcmxi]

It's basically impossible up here to rent a seeder/drill so I've been calling used implement places and some rental places but no luck on any seeders suitable for the tractors I have. I did find a really nice Woods FPS72 seeder/drill for sale. It's about four years old, it's in amazing condition, and it's a few hours drive so not bad.

FPS72 – Woods Equipment

woodsequipment.com

I don't know yet if the asking price is reasonable but I'm looking through the online manual and getting a quote for a new model to get a better sense of whether I should think about selling off some toys to finance it, or move along. There's a new Land Pride APS1572 at the dealer where I bought the M6060 which is cheaper, but the Woods does seem to have more features. For example, I could plant clover and sunflower seeds at the same time with the Woods model.

So does anyone have this Woods model or the Land Pride model for that matter? Do you like it? Does it work for you? Would you buy it again?

 

[mcmxi]

I called two Woods dealers in MT this morning and one in ID but they were absolutely useless and knew nothing about the FPS72 seeder! The fourth dealer I called who is also located in ID had some interesting information and was very helpful.

The FPS72 configured like the one for sale "locally" i.e. two seed boxes (third is optional), nylon cultipacker, mud scrapers on the spiked drive roller, and mud scrapers on the cultipacker would be a whopping $22,668 not including shipping to the dealer!

Comparing the cheaper Land Pride APS1572 to the Woods FPS72, the Woods is capable of doing a whole lot more but you certainly have to pay for those benefits. Even at the asking price the used FPS is incredibly expensive, but given the lack of seeders up here maybe there's a way to pay for the implement by offering seeding services.

 

[DDCD]

What are you trying to grow? Does it have to be in rows? Broadcasting and dragging or a stand alone cultipackee will be slot cheaper.

 

[rc51stierhoff]

I called two Woods dealers in MT this morning and one in ID but they were absolutely useless and knew nothing about the FPS72 seeder! The fourth dealer I called who is also located in ID had some interesting information and was very helpful.

The FPS72 configured like the one for sale "locally" i.e. two seed boxes (third is optional), nylon cultipacker, mud scrapers on the spiked drive roller, and mud scrapers on the cultipacker would be a whopping $22,668 not including shipping to the dealer!

Comparing the cheaper Land Pride APS1572 to the Woods FPS72, the Woods is capable of doing a whole lot more but you certainly have to pay for those benefits. Even at the asking price the used FPS is incredibly expensive, but given the lack of seeders up here maybe there's a way to pay for the implement by offering seeding services.

Yes sir, that’s a hell of a step up from a hoss wheel hoe / planter…I’d love to have something to pull behind the MX, but for no more than I have a walk behind single row planter and I have three options with broadcasting (hand crank, drop, and atv broadcasting ) that work good enough…but I would love to have a drill/seeder. Unfortunately there isn’t really something I have found at what I think is reasonable to spend on an implement for planting for a hobbyist…and I’ve been looking but it hurts for my little patch. I think need to be dedicated to comb through sales / county classifieds etc until you find a unicorn…or find someone that has one and wants to trade for something….or belly up to the bar.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

curious too, what crop and how many acres of it ?
any farmers nearby that you could rent from ?
just trying to think of options.

hand broadcasting an acre of 'winter rye' wasn't that bad....did that for 10 years.

 

[mcmxi]

What are you trying to grow? Does it have to be in rows? Broadcasting and dragging or a stand alone cultipackee will be slot cheaper.

I spoke with a local agronomist today and he likes the idea of sunflowers and red/white clover. I'd also like the option to plant corn, oats and other seeds. I have a broadcast seeder but it's just not refined enough and given the incredible cost of a 50lb bag of red clover for example i.e. $247, refined, targeted seeding would be my preference.

 

[mcmxi]

Yes sir, that’s a hell of a step up from a hoss wheel hoe / planter…I’d love to have something to pull behind the MX, but for no more than I have a walk behind single row planter and I have three options with broadcasting (hand crank, drop, and atv broadcasting ) that work good enough…but I would love to have a drill/seeder. Unfortunately there isn’t really something I have found at what I think is reasonable to spend on an implement for planting for a hobbyist…and I’ve been looking but it hurts for my little patch. I think need to be dedicated to comb through sales / county classifieds etc until you find a unicorn…or find someone that has one and wants to trade for something….or belly up to the bar.

Each year I run the rifle range for a local rancher who puts on a youth hunting education/licensing class up here. We're doing it tomorrow and he's offered to spend some time talking about planting, tilling, mowing, mulching and the idea of offering a pasture/field maintenance service. Lots of folks have moved up here over the past few years and have bought large properties with little or no thought about maintaining them. I'm talking 3 to 50 acre properties. The county will cite and fine home owners that have weed problems so there could be some opportunity here.

When I think about using an implement for a few more decades, and the ever increasing prices of those implements, I'm very tempted to invest in something like this for my place, my friend's place and as a side business that would be enjoyable, and beneficial to the community and wildlife.

 

[mcmxi]

curious too, what crop and how many acres of it ?
any farmers nearby that you could rent from ?
just trying to think of options.

hand broadcasting an acre of 'winter rye' wasn't that bad....did that for 10 years.

12 to 15 acres at my friend's place, about the same at mine eventually and possibly more. The rancher I'm helping tomorrow has a Land Pride seeder and maybe he'll consider renting or loaning it out but I don't know if it can handle large seeds like sunflowers, corn etc.

Clover is an annual crop and seeding can be spring or fall so a seeder/drill could see a fair amount of use.

 

[ken erickson]

I wish you luck in finding a seeder that works out well for you! I do not have a lot to add other than I think you would have a market keeping your tractor and seeder busy if you decide to get into it from a side business.
I can show you a picture of the habitat contractor that seeded my land with a Land Pride seeder. This one would seed from large seeds all the way down to the smallest and or fluffy seeds. This seeder had 3 boxes.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

You can get perennial clover.

 

[mcmxi]

I wish you luck in finding a seeder that works out well for you! I do not have a lot to add other than I think you would have a market keeping your tractor and seeder busy if you decide to get into it from a side business.
I can show you a picture of the habitat contractor that seeded my land with a Land Pride seeder. This one would seed from large seeds all the way down to the smallest and or fluffy seeds. This seeder had 3 boxes.

View attachment 98768

View attachment 98769

That's an awesome seeder, and probably a fair bit more than the Woods model I'm looking at.

I'm not even vaguely thinking of something like this, but it's in the ballpark of a new Woods.

Seeder Great Plains 3 P606NT No Till Drill - farm & garden - by...

This is a 2022 Great Plains 3P606 NT no till seeder it is brand new has never been used. This machine has 5/16 no till coulters, furrow openers and press wheels, 7 1/2 inch row spacing. It has the...

spokane.craigslist.org

 

[mcmxi]

You can get perennial clover.

I'll start looking online for seed. My friend will be paying for the seeds and I want to give him options. My current working plan is to plow, disc and then disc/seed/drill. Spring is late here so the agronomist was telling me that end of April or early May is a good time to think about planting. That means I could be plowing and discing in a few weeks. Not sure if we should kill off the field before plowing.

 

[ken erickson]

That's an awesome seeder, and probably a fair bit more than the Woods model I'm looking at.

I'm not even vaguely thinking of something like this, but it's in the ballpark of a new Woods.

Seeder Great Plains 3 P606NT No Till Drill - farm & garden - by...

This is a 2022 Great Plains 3P606 NT no till seeder it is brand new has never been used. This machine has 5/16 no till coulters, furrow openers and press wheels, 7 1/2 inch row spacing. It has the...

spokane.craigslist.org

If my memory serves the contractor mentioned something close to 40k the way the seeder was configured. He is a one man show , forestry mulches, herbicide spraying, seeding and maintenance mows native plantings. All his equipment is kept in top notch condition, he shows up at the site ready to work with little downtime. He stays booked a year out in most cases.

I have no doubt with your equipment and the way you maintain them if you decided to get into no till/drilling you would stay busy!

 

[rc51stierhoff]

Each year I run the rifle range for a local rancher who puts on a youth hunting education/licensing class up here. We're doing it tomorrow and he's offered to spend some time talking about planting, tilling, mowing, mulching and the idea of offering a pasture/field maintenance service. Lots of folks have moved up here over the past few years and have bought large properties with little or no thought about maintaining them. I'm talking 3 to 50 acre properties. The county will cite and fine home owners that have weed problems so there could be some opportunity here.

When I think about using an implement for a few more decades, and the ever increasing prices of those implements, I'm very tempted to invest in something like this for my place, my friend's place and as a side business that would be enjoyable, and beneficial to the community and wildlife.

Right on…if you can make some walking around cash at your leisure for individuals that appreciate and value the service, that’s the dream…don’t forget about the new boat…she needs to be loved too come spring time. In your case there could be an opportunity to sign people up on an annual service plan for those types of parcels/people that maybe don’t want to deal with the implement…that could be a service of value. Maybe take a look at what type of tax benefits / grants people get in your area for what they do with their land…the easiest way to get folks to pay for service is when they use other peoples money. If you or your neighbors are in EQIP or Conservation Stewardship or other similar programs, you can probably help people spend their grant money if you can provide a service. Most folks with parcels that size don’t have much equipment or desire to work the land, but they do like the tax advantages. You could even check with your extension service / NRCS and ask if there is much need for that and whether they would pimp you out so to speak…that be an easy way to get business. Mine have a list of service providers that they know of…they don’t collect a fee or anything like that but they indicate their capability and reliability. Just a thought. Either way, the way things are going in this world, I think there are way worse things to spend your money on than something that has the potential to plant food and it’s fairly rare / exclusive.

 

[DDCD]

If you're going to plant expensive clover you should do some soil tests and have some plans in place to maintain it. Durana is a good white clover. I have natural white clover in some parts of my field. It will not grow except in certain areas. It's not like sunflower or rye that will grow in almost anything. Good luck, I never figured out how to plant clover.

 

[mcmxi]

If my memory serves the contractor mentioned something close to 40k the way the seeder was configured. He is a one man show , forestry mulches, herbicide spraying, seeding and maintenance mows native plantings. All his equipment is kept in top notch condition, he shows up at the site ready to work with little downtime. He stays booked a year out in most cases.

I have no doubt with your equipment and the way you maintain them if you decided to get into no till/drilling you would stay busy!

Very nice! I was thinking it was up around $40k to $50k. The Woods seeder I'm considering was probably quite a bit cheaper when the original owner bought it in 2019 so he's not looking to make money, maybe break even or take a small loss.

I enjoy tractor work and would like to take on some "contracting" projects on the weekends. I'm not looking for a second job, just a way to have a good time and perhaps pay off a piece of equipment sooner.

 

[mcmxi]

Right on…if you can make some walking around cash at your leisure for individuals that appreciate and value the service, that’s the dream…don’t forget about the new boat…she needs to be loved too come spring time. In your case there could be an opportunity to sign people up on an annual service plan for those types of parcels/people that maybe don’t want to deal with the implement…that could be a service of value. Maybe take a look at what type of tax benefits / grants people get in your area for what they do with their land…the easiest way to get folks to pay for service is when they use other peoples money. If you or your neighbors are in EQIP or Conservation Stewardship or other similar programs, you can probably help people spend their grant money if you can provide a service. Most folks with parcels that size don’t have much equipment or desire to work the land, but they do like the tax advantages. You could even check with your extension service / NRCS and ask if there is much need for that and whether they would pimp you out so to speak…that be an easy way to get business. Mine have a list of service providers that they know of…they don’t collect a fee or anything like that but they indicate their capability and reliability. Just a thought. Either way, the way things are going in this world, I think there are way worse things to spend your money on than something that has the potential to plant food and it’s fairly rare / exclusive.

I'll be lucky if I get to put the boat in water before I head to England for two weeks at the end of June!

You make a lot of excellent points there. Thanks!

 

[GreensvilleJay]

OK every plot larger than 2 acres you NEED a machine !...
Maybe consider buckwheat as a ground cover crop ? I know it's fast to grow, will reseed itself and honeybees LOVE it. Guy up the road grows it, gets free honey from the bee guy whose hives are on his field. Everyone wins, especially the bees !

 

[mcmxi]

If you're going to plant expensive clover you should do some soil tests and have some plans in place to maintain it. Durana is a good white clover. I have natural white clover in some parts of my field. It will not grow except in certain areas. It's not like sunflower or rye that will grow in almost anything. Good luck, I never figured out how to plant clover.

I'm sorry I missed you post. I was talking with my friend this evening and he told me that they used to get three hay cuttings a year without any watering of the field. He's so close to the river that his field gets the benefit of moisture off the river in the form of dew.

I'm talking with a local agronomist about crops and what will work best. I'll ask him about testing the soil to determine its suitability for clover or similar. That part of the valley includes a lot of farms since the soil is very rich. My friend will pay for any seed and diesel so it's up to me to decide if I want to invest in a nice seeder. At this point I'm leaning towards taking the plunge since I'm sure I'll have lots of interest if I offer seeding, discing, plowing, mowing and mulching services to the 3 to 50 acre crowd, of which there are many. Given that seeders can't be rented up here I have to think that there could be a demand for a turnkey solution.

 

[mcmxi]

I was watching a bunch of YouTube videos last night featuring Woods products and saw a company called Mast Tractor Sales located in Ohio. They have some Woods no-till seeders in stock and it reminded me that it's always best to get multiple quotes if you have no idea what an implement typically sells for.

MAST | Tractors Sale | Winesburg

Mast Tractor Sales is a small family owned and operated business. We buy, sell and trade farm equipment, as well as service the equipment that we sell.

www.masttractor.com

Good for them to put actual prices up on their website. The FPS72 "near" me with the nylon cultipacker is looking like way less of a great deal now given that MTS has the price for the FPS72 with the cast iron cultipacker (my preference) shown as $14,472. I don't know what that Woods dealer in ID is thinking but their prices are massively inflated compared to this place in Ohio.