Terrace Seeder Covers Seed As It Goes

1991 - Volume #15, Issue #2, Page #06

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Eldon Krambeck thinks he's got the best terrace seeding machine in the country. The self-propelled machine blows seed onto terraces and then covers it with a drag carried by a rear-mounted boom.
"Before I added the drag, the wind would blow away much of the seed. Now I get near-perfect germination with no need to ever go back to reseed," says Krambeck, who got the idea for his seeder while lying in bed in a hospital after an illness. He built it in 1989 and has since rebuilt it 4 or 5 times.
Seeder consists of an IH 460 tractor carrying a hopper from an old 44 Massey combine. The hopper, which Krambeck says carries enough grass seed to seed about a mile of terrace, is fitted with an old post hole auger, mounted vertically in the middle of it, to keep seed mixed.
A 3-in. dia. auger runs from the hopper to a hydraulic-powered IH No. 5 endgate seeder mounted just ahead of the tractor tire. The seeder can be fitted with a "wind chute" that keeps seed from blowing away in high winds.
Krambeck built a platform on the back of the tractor to support the seed hopper and drag boom, which is raised and lowered by a single lift cylinder. The boom pulls two drag sections, reaching about 18 ft. up the side of terraces. Krambeck says he seeds terraces up to 30 ft. high by first making a pass at ground level and then making a pass along the top of the terrace.
Krambeck charges customers 3 cents a linear foot to seed terraces, not including the seed. That includes both sides of the terrace. "Business has been tremendous. Last year I seeded over 140 miles of terrace in 7 different counties," he told FARM SHOW. He's got a ball hitch on the back of the seeder to tow his Datsun pickup to the field when working away from home.
Krambeck is still refining his seeder and says he'd like to add a loading mechanism for filling the seed hopper.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Eldon Krambeck, Box 179, Galva, Iowa 51020 (ph 712 282-4726).

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Terrace Seeder Covers Seed As It Goes CROPS New Techniques 15-2-6 Eldon Krambeck thinks he's got the best terrace seeding machine in the country. The self-propelled machine blows seed onto terraces and then covers it with a drag carried by a rear-mounted boom. "Before I added the drag, the wind would blow away much of the seed. Now I get near-perfect germination with no need to ever go back to reseed," says Krambeck, who got the idea for his seeder while lying in bed in a hospital after an illness. He built it in 1989 and has since rebuilt it 4 or 5 times. Seeder consists of an IH 460 tractor carrying a hopper from an old 44 Massey combine. The hopper, which Krambeck says carries enough grass seed to seed about a mile of terrace, is fitted with an old post hole auger, mounted vertically in the middle of it, to keep seed mixed. A 3-in. dia. auger runs from the hopper to a hydraulic-powered IH No. 5 endgate seeder mounted just ahead of the tractor tire. The seeder can be fitted with a "wind chute" that keeps seed from blowing away in high winds. Krambeck built a platform on the back of the tractor to support the seed hopper and drag boom, which is raised and lowered by a single lift cylinder. The boom pulls two drag sections, reaching about 18 ft. up the side of terraces. Krambeck says he seeds terraces up to 30 ft. high by first making a pass at ground level and then making a pass along the top of the terrace. Krambeck charges customers 3 cents a linear foot to seed terraces, not including the seed. That includes both sides of the terrace. "Business has been tremendous. Last year I seeded over 140 miles of terrace in 7 different counties," he told FARM SHOW. He's got a ball hitch on the back of the seeder to tow his Datsun pickup to the field when working away from home. Krambeck is still refining his seeder and says he'd like to add a loading mechanism for filling the seed hopper. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Eldon Krambeck, Box 179, Galva, Iowa 51020 (ph 712 282-4726).

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