Simple Chain Marker For No-Till Drill

Simple Chain Marker For No-Till Drill DRILLS Drills (42C) 25-2-26 There are many different kinds of row markers on the market but Alberta farmer Gordon Graves thinks he came up a design that is simpler than most other markers yet works just as well. At first he considered making a disc-type marker for his 20-ft. Haybuster no-till drill."A disc makes an extra deep mark and if you are underseeding in hay, you don't want those ruts. Everything else we could think of involved an electric motor or hydraulics. Finally, we just hit on the idea of dragging a chain on the ground. Chains are cheap and they bounce off rocks and tree branches without breaking," says Graves. Another thing he likes about his marker is that it mounts on the tractor, rather than on the drill. "It's less likely to catch on fencelines or trees because it's right up by the driver," he notes. And it's easier to see. He can watch the chain instead of the drill. You don't have to turn all the way around like you do with a drill-mounted marker. Too often, when you have to turn around, the tractor drifts in the direction you turn. Those overlaps cost money." The chain extends 7 in. past the first row. He simply runs it in the outside row from his last run. "I can see where the disc opener and packer have gone." Graves used 8 ft. of 1 1/4-in. sq. tubing and 8 ft. of 1-in. sq. tubing that slips inside so it can telescope out as needed. Other tubing and angle iron were used to brace the marker arm, which fit to a bracket bolted to the frame of the tractor. For transport, a pin on each arm is pulled and the markers pivot straight up. A strap across the hood of the tractor holds the two arms up during transport. One pin holds a guide onto each side of the tractor. They can be quickly removed. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Gordon Graves, Iron River, Alberta Canada (ph 780 826-2796).

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