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Used Seed Drills For Sale in the UK

AMTEC has a range of used seed drills for sale to farmers in the UK. We’ve been sourcing seed drills, as well as other agricultural equipment and used farming machinery for farmers around the globe for over 30 years. 

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MORE ABOUT SEED DRILLS

Our selection of used seed drills, tine drills, combination drills, and direct drills available to buy through our site is extremely extensive with seeding drills suitable for many different soils, weather conditions, and seed types.

Seed drills for every weather condition 

Power harrow combination drills and tine seeders for wet conditions, and the ever-popular Väderstad Rapid and Horsch DC Pronto or Horsch Sprinter for high output drilling in drier conditions. There has been clear increase in recent times in direct drilling, leading to an increase in our range this type of seed drill. With this taken into consideration, we now stock a comprehensive range in Claydon drills, Moore Unidrills, Amazone drills and Sumo DTS drills.

What is the importance of a seed drill?

Establishing a crop through drilling is a crucial part of a farmer’s job. The profitability of arable farming depends primarily on the success of the crop and careful management of the inputs that revolve around it. Using a seed drill saves time, improves crop yields, and provides an optimal drilling depth for increasing the rate of germination. Sowing by drill also protects the seeds from weather exposure or from being eaten by animals. To make the drilling process successful, it is also important to choose the correct cultivator that creates an optimal stale seedbed for the intended drill.

Drilling methods vary considerably depending on the terrain, soil conditions, weather impacts, and farmer preference on tilling method. Navigating the vast amount of different drill choices available in the market can quickly become overwhelming. Therefore, we have provided some detailed information around our range of used agricultural seed drills for sale and hire.

Before the widespread adoption of the seed drill, seeds were planted by hand—a method that was labour-intensive, time-consuming, and resulted in uneven seed distribution, ultimately leading to reduced productivity and lower yields. See more about the history of seed drills in our article.

What are the most popular seed drills?

Some popular seed drill manufacturers we stock are:

How Do I Maintain My Seed Drill?

Maintaining your seed drill is straightforward and essential for yearly performance. The key is regular cleaning, lubrication, and inspection to ensure all components work efficiently.

  1. Clean Regularly. After each use, empty the hopper and metering system to remove any leftover seeds and fertiliser. This helps prevent blockages, corrosion, and pest infestations.
  2. Lubricate Moving Parts. Grease all moving components such as bearings, tines, and discs to reduce wear and keep everything running smoothly.
  3. Inspect for Wear. Check essential parts like coulters, seed tubes, and discs for signs of wear. Replace any damaged components promptly to maintain accuracy.
  4. Store Properly. Store your seed drill in a dry, sheltered area to avoid rust and moisture damage. Ensure the control box is kept in a dry, warm place to prevent electrical issues. . Read our article on how to store a seed drill to find out more.
  5. Calibrate for Precision. Regularly calibrate your drill to ensure accurate seed placement and depth, especially when changing seed types.

Like with all farming equipment, a little regular maintenance goes a long way in keeping your seed drill in top condition for years to come.

What are the different types of seed drill? 

Most Agricultural Seed Drills fall into the following categories:

  • Box Drills – The simplest for OS metering and distribution. A box-drill relies on a gravity to feed systems to pass the seed through the metering unit to the coulters which are either discs or tines.
  • Tine Drills – Ideal for wet conditions due to its light weight and tractor mounted; making them easy to manoeuvre and lift out of mud. Tine drills are a simple and yet a highly effective relatively inexpensive method of crop establishment. Examples: Kverneland TS Evo or Weaving tine drill
  • Cultivation Drills – Drill large areas accurately at high speeds with a cultivation drill. Ideal for drier, lighter soil types where the seedbed will benefit from a light pass of the integrated front cultivation discs before sowing. Ideal for those wishing to adopt a min-til approach where direct drills aren’t suitable for the local loam. Examples: Horsch Pronto DC and Väderstad Rapid seed drill.
  • Combination Drills – Essentially a power harrow with a drill mounted on it. It combines cultivating and sowing in a single pass. This is another wet weather option. Consider adding front hopper if using a wider working width (3m+) to ensure consistency. Examples: Amazone Cirrus and Kuhn Ventas.
  • Direct drills – Drill directly into stubble (uncultivated soil) with this drill type – if conditions allow. Other benefits include saving time and money by completing seeding in a single pass with fewer inputs, a boom of soil health and orangic matter benefits, and weed control management. Direct drills are growing in popularity due to farmers taking a pro-active approach in improving soil health that is led by government incentives such as SFI. Examples: Claydon Pro-Till, Moore Unidrill, John Deere 750A, Sumo Versadrill
  • Precision Drills – Ideal for maize crops and the like. These planters place the seeds one at a time with great accuracy, resulting in an even distribution of plants. Often, they will place fertiliser in the same pass to assist crop growth. Examples: Väderstad Tempo and Kverneland Optima.

The above drills require different ground preparation and cultivation techniques to provide the right kind of seedbed for crop establishment. Some are more intensive than others but each has its own merits in the right conditions.  

One of the most important parts of drilling is getting them set up right and running of the drill correctly. There are some simple checks that can be carried out before use and a guide on troubleshooting drill problems on our blog. Read our article on troubleshooting seed drill control boxes to find out more.

AMTEC – the leading seller of used seed drills in the UK 

As one of the nation’s leading suppliers to the agricultural industry, with more than 30 years’ experience, we have the knowledge to help you get the best deal. Our nine-acre site has hundreds of machines in stock and we’re conveniently located in central England.

Our customer-centric approach is at the core of everything we do, ensuring all the farmers that choose us as their equipment partner save time and money while making the best decisions for their needs. Contact us today by calling 01926 640 637, sending an email to sales@amtec.co.uk, or by using the form on our website. Discover the ways we can help - you won’t regret it!

FAQ's about Drills

The drill you buy will depend on the type of tillage system that youprefer, and the soil type and conditions, amongst other factors that can change with the weather! Take advantage of expert knowledge by discussing your needs with our experts and we’re sure to source a great machine for you. Contact us today!

Direct drilling is very attractive to most farmers as it removes the need for multiple cultivation passes to create a seedbed. The main benefits of direct drilling  are cost reduction due to the reduced groundwork and soil heath as there is less traffic and soil disturbance helping the soil to work organically as nature intended.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t work for everyone; in some situations, the soil or conditions mean that more cultivation is needed to increase the germination of the crop.

To extend the life of your drill and to reduce damage how you store your drill after use is very important.  There are 3 main actions to carry out:

  1. Ensure the drill is thoroughly cleaned out, and all the seed (and fertiliser if it is a grain and fert drill) is removed, leaving seed in the hopper can not only damage the drill but also encourages rodent activity which can cause a lot of expensive damage to the metering system and the electrics.
  2. The drill should be cleaned and oiled/greased this will help keep any water out of the bearings and moving parts which will prevent them from being seized next time you come to use it.
  3. Keep the control box in a warm, dry place. The control box is one of the most important parts of the drill but is also one of the most delicate.  Ensuring that it doesn’t get damp and is kept at a constant temperature means it’ll be working again next year.

A combi or combination seed drill is an agricultural machine that allows for efficient seed planting. A combination drill combines ploughing and sowing into one, using tine or disc cultivators to turn and produce a stale seedbed before sowing the seeds.

Väderstad is a Swedish company, and most of their products (including seed drills) are manufactured in Väderstad, Sweden, the town after which the company is named. All Väderstad Farm Machinery is manufactured at their factory in Langbank, Saskatchewan, in Canada.

Väderstad’s Seed Hawk line is manufactured in the company’s factory in Langbank, Saskatchewan, in Canada.

Row Crops – Precision drills are ideal for row crops like maize

Cereals and Beans – Cultivation and combination drills are better for cereals and larger fields. Direct drills can also be used when zero-til is the goal.

Oilseed Rape (OSR) – Oil drills are used but you won’t find these on our drills page! Oil drills tend to be seeders mounted onto subsoilers because of how OSR root systems develop.

Tubular Crops – Potato planters and other specialised equipment.

What’s more important to consider is matching the drill to the soil type and possibly swap out drills as soil conditions change over the seasons.

What is the best drill for different soil types, soil conditions, and tillage concepts?

Disclaimer: This list is to act as a starting point to help form decisions. It’s best practice to discuss your land type, geographical location, planned crops, and preferred tillage concept with machinery experts, neighbouring farmers, and your agronomist to help create a detailed view of your needs.

Based on soil types

  • Heavy (clay) soils: when wet = combination drill, when dry = cultivation drill
  • Sandy soils = cultivation/ direct drill
  • Silt = cultivation/ direct drill
  • Loam = cultivation/ direct drill
  • Chalky soils = tine drill
  • Peat soils = cultivation drill

Based on soil conditions

  • Wet soil = tine/ combination drill
  • Compacted, wet soil = combination drill
  • Dry = cultivation and direct drills

Based on tillage concepts

  • Controlled traffic method = direct drill/ strip drill
  • Zero-tillage = direct drill
  • Min-til = cultivation

Yes, combination drills are slower as they include an additional soil cultivation step. Direct drills are faster since they skip the heavy cultivation stage.

What People Are Saying About AMTEC

Average Customer Rating: 4.7/5

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