Earthway Seeder Mod

[mwjoerin]

I wanted to share a earthway seeder modification idea I had. Goals:

• Modify an Earthway push seeder to plant seed behind my tractor
• Low budget
• Able to return the seeder to it's original factory form
• Simple
• Able to monitor seed in hopper
• Able to lift seeder with the three point to stop seed from dropping
• Able to press down on seeder so that the drive wheel always turns
• Allow for vertical motion so that the seeders plastic wheels are not shattered when the tractors front wheels go over a rise
• Able to change seed and seed plates easily

I ended up extending PVC pipe off of my tool bar and mounting the seeder to the PVC pipes. I am able to lower the toolbar and apply downward pressure to the seeder. The flexibility of the PVC allows for a form of suspension travel which adapts to uneven terrain. The seeder is simply pinned onto the PVC pipe so it is very easy to remove the seeder allowing for seed and seed plate changes.

Too wet to try out in the garden today, only practice runs on the gravel drive and in the grass. It is a little wobbly, but not bad. I will likely mount it a little closer to the tractor to firm it up. If that doesn't do it, I can fabricate some simple training wheels to mount right behind the hopper, or mount a second seeder for dual rows and stability.

 

[Ike]

I like that idea. This would be perfect for planting corn in a food plot

 

[mwjoerin]

Just following up with some learning experiences if anyone decides to go this route.

• I put the push handle back on to allow it to be used by hand easier, not misplace parts, and have higher mounting points to better apply pressure to the drive wheel without the rear wheel lifting.
• I wired the stand back to the base of the push handle so that it would not rotate when in use.
• With the added weight of the seeder the seeder hung low when raised, so I tried C-clamps as guides, but simply wrapping some wire around the tool bar and the PVC pipe did the trick.
• With the added weight of the handle adding weight above the seeder, the seeder became less stable and developed a lean. Rather than adding outrigger (training) wheels as I was originally thinking, I simply wired each side of the handle back to the tool bar (not shown).
• Too much speed when seeding did not allow for seed to drop in the Earthway seeder. Other seeders with horizontal seed plates would likely fare much better.

While functional and relatively easy to mount/dismount, I would recommend a much larger garden than my 8,000 SF and fewer varieties than I am planting. I have most of the big rocks worked out of my garden and the soil conditions were good so I ended up planting the vast majority of my seed hand pushing the seeder.