Hay Seeder setting for a McCormick MF grain drill

I don't haver the seeder settings chart to put down hay seed. I have the the drill chart in the grain box but don't have the seeder settings or a book to find them. Any help would be wonderful. Thanks Bruce

Small seed box chart might be online. Worst case do a calibration with wheel jacked up for rough idea.

If I had to guess, I'd say 1.5lb an acre for each number on the adjustment.

What 495 says is not a rough estimate, it is the ultimate in accuracy. Even in modern drills, they warn that the seed and fert rates are subject to humidity, seed coatings and foreign material ... and they suggest checking the actual seed /fert. sowing rate against the chart.

What kind of hay? Grass seeds vary greatly depending on species, and are certainly different than legume seed! Also, what is a McCormick MF drill? There are Massey Ferguson drills and McCormick IH drills but totally different.

I have never had a chart for setting the precise amount of seed per acre. I usually planted Alfalfa 80% Timothy 20%. Or Alfalfa 40% Red Clover 40% and Timothy 20% mixture and at the rate of 12-15 lb per acre. Always would start out on a smaller field, that I knew how many acres there were, say 10 acres. And knowing I needed 150lb roughly, Id fill the seed box, and start out with what I though to be a slow seed flow setting, maybe a quarter of the seed flow gear pulling the seeds. After I planted half the field I would judge how much seed I had used, if I had 75lb of seed in the drill, and it ran out before half way, obviously too fast a rate of flow, and slow it down. My seed drill had a acre meter, and I could also just put in 15lb of seed, and strike off, checking on the consumption rate several times to make certain I didnt run out before the first acre. And adjust accordingly and the end of the first acre if there was too much left, or ran out to quickly. Not an exact way to measure but a side from wasting seed by putting down too much, it wont really be noticeable if you are only putting down 8lb when you wanted 12lb on your test plot. Once you have your drill set close to the amount you wish to plant you probably will never adjust it again. So spray a shot of pain on the seed feeder wheels/sprockets and you can tell at a glance if the adjustment has changed. By the time you have planted a few crops , you will have a better understanding of the drill and what I am saying.

Take a tube off. Measure a set distance. There are charts online for this, then catch the seed from the tube taken off. Weight the seed compare the acre to the weight and adjust from there up or down. Better than a guess. Should actually be able to get your seeding rate right by this method. I usually use the fill plant some compare seed to volume and amount planted and reset accordingly.

(quoted from post at 07:09:22 10/15/22) What 495 says is not a rough estimate, it is the ultimate in accuracy. Even in modern drills, they warn that the seed and fert rates are subject to humidity, seed coatings and foreign material ... and they suggest checking the actual seed /fert. sowing rate against the chart.

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I have used this method before. Jacked up the driving wheel, decided on a certain area and spun the wheel accordingly. Compared the area to the actual weight of the outlet seed. I was advised to calculate the wheels skidding 5 percent and I usually hit the wanted seed rate right on.

Call your local conservation district or Ag extension office they will be glad to walk you thru calibration of the seed drill.

McCormic MF is a drill model made in late 40's to early 50's. The M is model and the M drill was seeder box only, the MF means it is a drill with the fertilizer box built in. There was an add on fertilizer bos made for the M drill but I have never seen an M with or without the fertilizer box. I kad 2 different MF drills with the third box for grass seed and have the books for settings around here someplace but there was never a chart put in the seed box.