What Drills? (page 6 of 9)
The very best drills for this technique are those with a fluted seed dispersal mechanism in the drill box (figure 6). Manufacturers include John Deere, IHC (International Harvester Company), and IHC-Case. Some very old models work well (figure 7). "Rolling wheel" and "cup" seed dispersal mechanisms and many plastic wheel mechanisms perform poorly or not at all. Test your equipment to determine its abilities.

Here is some food for thought: In the Southern Plains and south central United States, good used grain drills with fluted seed-feeding mechanisms can be purchased at farm sales or from dealers for $100 to $1,000. The equipment can be converted to make a special planter capable of rowed or broadcast plantings. If the operator wants only a good precise broadcaster, the boots and rowing mechanisms can be removed. Then removable large pipes or hoses can be installed under each drill box seed hole to direct the seed-fertilizer mix in a "splatter band" row on the soil surface. The equipment is then either a broadcaster or row planter, depending upon the use of the tubes.

Figure 6. Fluted feed mechanism in the bottom of a drill box

Figure 7. An old model of a fluted feed John Deere drill