Trailed vs. Mounted Drills

A seed drill is a specialised piece of farm machinery, which helps in sowing seeds for crops by positioning and burying them into the soil at a specific depth and spacing while being dragged by a tractor. In spite of its hefty up-front price, direct drilling is a popular alternative to conventional drilling methods and machinery due to its long term benefits. As direct drills combine both the tasks of seedbed preparation & seed distribution or sowing in one pass, they speed up the whole process of crop establishment. This in turn helps farmers save a huge amount of time as well as reduce the need for labour. Besides, as direct drills directly plant seeds into the soil, the risk of the seeds being blown away due to the winds or being eaten by the birds is reduced dramatically. Therefore, farmers generally get to see improved crop yields while using direct drills.

When looking for a seed drill, you would probably come across a number of choices in terms of the machine’s width, the real packer design, and the coulter design – to name a few. Depending on the drill manufacturer, you may also have some choices in the optional extras. 

Apart from that, drills are called many different names depending on their design. Two names that often top the list of the most popular drills among farmers are trailed and mounted drills. Although both are drilling equipment used for sowing seeds, they are different in design and function.

• While a trailed drill is pulled behind a tractor, a mounted drill is directly attached to a tractor. 
• Besides that, a trailed drill has a hopper which is used for holding the seed, & has a series of openers or clutters that help in creating furrows in the soil and dropping the seeds into them. A mounted drill, on the other hand, has a set of openers mounted on the rear or front of the tractor through which the seeds are dropped into the soil.
• Typically, a trailed drill is used in large fields wherein a tractor is able to traverse the terrain easily, whereas a mounted drill being comparatively smaller than the former is more suitable for use in the smaller fields wherein a tractor cannot manoeuvre easily. 
• Talking about versatility, a trailed drill is considered to be more versatile than the one that is mounted since it is possible to adjust it to suit various crops, planting requirements, and field conditions. This may not be possible in a mounted drill which is designed to suit only a specific crop or field type. 

Both a trailed and mounted drill has pros and cons, and the right one for you entirely depends on your particular farming needs. Regardless of which one you choose, you are sure to enjoy higher crop yields and farm productivity. Are you looking for a mounted Drill? Take a look at Claydon Drills today.