DRIVING IMPRESSION; While the Agriseeder is now in its second generation, there’s one key aspect that hasn’t changed — the three-section, contour-following system, a critical aspect for any seed drill … and even more so if you need to maintain a shallow depth.
Versatility has to be the Agriseeder’s biggest strength, because, although it’s billed as a grass reseeding drill, it is actually capable of sowing a much broader range of crops, including two different seed tyes. Even though this is the first time we’ve taken a detailed look at Erth Engineering’s seeder, this is its second proper incarnation, with the first machines launched way back in 2013 and the revised range then appearing in 2018.
There is a variation in the coulter count and row distance: the 2.5m model has 24 rows on a 104mm spacing, whereas the hydraulic folding 4.0m wide model gets 32 rows and a 125mm spacing. Yet it’s the 3.0m drill that has proved to be the bread winner, and its rigid frame can be fitted with either 24 rows (125mm) or 32 rows (94mm). The latter is squarely aimed at the reseeding market, but the extra machine weight, cost and ground penetration without additional ballast in really dry conditions mean the 24-row is the favourite. And it’s the 24-row model that we used to stitch a fresh grass mix into week-old silage stubble.
Getting hitched
While the early Agriseeders were painted blue, these newer machines have a galvanised finish. It’s a good choice for a machine that is more than likely destined to sow into tightly grazed paddocks and, as a result, be splattered with livestock muck.
The headstock is Cat III with two positions for the lower links, while the top link can be run in one of two fixed holes or a slot. We went with one of the fixed positions for our reasonably level, but hilly field. A feed and 3/4in free-flow return are required for the seeder’s fan and a single-acting service for pressurising the coulters and determining the seeding depth. The only electrics on the unit are the seeder’s standard-spec road lights and a power supply for the digital fan speed display. Unfortunately, there are no storage points for the hydraulic hoses or plugs when the machine is parked up.
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