In the market for a used sugar beet drill? Then the Monopill line-up certainly provides a good starting point, having sold well in a number of countries over many years. Here we detail what to look for when trying to pick up a second-hand, beet drilling bargain.
Back in 1985, German precision drill maker Faehse introduced a new seed metering system. Based on the firm’s established Monozenta unit, these two designs, though sharing much in common, had one fundamental difference: The ‘new’ unit received seed from the inner rather than the outer side, making for an extremely narrow unit with a seed drop height of only 3cm. The result is minimal soil disturbance.
Since those early days, that same basic metering unit has undergone no more than minor mods. It has
also outlived its instigator, Faehse, which was finally bought out ‘lock, stock…’ by Accord in 1990. Accord had had a majority shareholding in Faehse from the mid 80s. Since the Monopill’s introduction in the UK, the drill has been marketed by Kverneland Accord’s Merseyside based daughter company, Ferrag.
Although the original Faehse metering unit may not have altered much over the years, the drills themselves certainly have (see pics). But don’t let this detract from the Faehse sowing system, which, even in its earliest carnation, should still perform well today. A previous practical test carried out on a Monopill, highlighted the drill’s ability to accurately place and select single seeds
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