10 Different Disc Seeder Retrofits done by Australian farmers
RYAN NT has been retrofitting seeders and planters for nearly 20 years now. With our dedication to helping farmers plant better, we have been set many retrofit disc seeder challenges. One of our main focuses is converting tyne machines into disc systems.
This drive to improve farming practices means we have got our hands dirty under many unique machines to get the design right. Below is some info about how we do it and our top rigs that we have upgraded in recent years.
Want a disc seeder? This is how its done!
One of the unique features of the RYAN NT Retrofit disc seeder system is the ability to turn your tyne seeder into a disc planter quickly. Then, just as easily, convert it back if conditions require it.
We have designed the RYAN NT Retrofit Double Disc system to retrofit most frames and tine trips designed in the last 40 years. There are three main ways we retrofit based on what type of system farmers are using:
1. The RYAN NT Disc and Tyne Trip System. For instance, these are the typical scenarios when you may go with this approach if you’re looking to switch over to discs:
a. Your tine trips may be at the end of their life and need replacing with something more robust,
b. or you may already have Ryan Tyne trips with Tyne Shanks.
* Our most common frame sizes for the tyne trips are 2.5×2.5(65×65), 3×3(75×75), 4×4(100×100) and 4×3(100 x 75) – other sizes can be made to order.
2. A uniquely designed leg that will slide into your current tyne trip. These legs could be straight, curved or something even more unique. Commonly this design is for Gason, Gyral, Gessner, Horwood Bagshaw, Bourgault Paralink and DBS machines.
3. Or an adapter that connects to your tyne trip, which allows you to slide the Ryan disc leg in there. We cater for all c-shank tines with an adapter that suits the tine trip, including Morris, Bourgault & Flexicoil systems.
Overall, once you have put the disc system together, it’s usually a couple of bolts or a pin to switch back to your old tyne system, should you need to.
The benefits of the discs will improve your productivity and profits:
- You won’t need to buy a new machine; retrofit the current one.
- Makes light work of stubble and trash in all soil types.
- Plant early in dry conditions with no mess or blocking up in the wet.
- Less fuel used and planting will be up to 30% faster.
- Offset disc coulters mean no wedge effect leading to greater penetration.
No more hairpinning. - Perfect seed or fertiliser placement with our no-block front seeding boot.
A Strong & Durable Disc Seeder System
Most farmers view purchasing a seeding system as a long-term investment. With that in mind, RYAN NT makes the most robust and durable disc seeder retrofit products.
One of the RYAN NT Disc system’s standout features is a strong bearing and axle system that does not fail. This bearing system has been designed for easy servicing and maintenance, with only one grease nipple per hub that only needs to be greased once a year. Plus, the axles are heavy-duty 30mm axles, which utilise Timken tapered bearings.
In addition to this, the discs have been designed for longevity as they are 4 or 6mm thick, with an 18-inch diameter, as most other brands are 15 or 16 inches in diameter.
The disc legs (shanks) are thick and made of hardened cast steel, which can handle the largest side force pressure.
Top 10 RYAN NT Disc Seeder Retrofits
Most farmers view purchasing a seeding system as a long-term investment. With that in mind, RYAN NT makes the most robust and durable disc seeder retrofit products.
One of the RYAN NT Disc system’s standout features is a strong bearing and axle system that does not fail. This bearing system has been designed for easy servicing and maintenance, with only one grease nipple per hub that only needs to be greased once a year. Plus, the axles are heavy-duty 30mm axles, which utilise Timken tapered bearings.
In addition to this, the discs have been designed for longevity as they are 4 or 6mm thick, with an 18-inch diameter, as most other brands are 15 or 16 inches in diameter.
The disc legs (shanks) are thick and made of hardened cast steel, which can handle the largest side force pressure.
Flexicoil
The RYAN NT Retrofit double discs for Flexicoil tyne assemblies are by far the most popular with farmers across Australia. The Ryan disc seeder system uses an adapter to fit the discs easily. We have no trouble fitting any of the well-known Flexicoil tyne trips, such as the 350, 355, 550 and 650 tyne systems.
In addition, our retrofit disc and Ryan tyne system can also be fitted to Flexicoil cultivators such as the ST820 and 800 series.
Farmers have stated that the discs perform great in challenging soils and conditions, such as hard red clay soils and big stubbles.
One farmer, Richard Kirkland of Furner, SA, is now using just 60 to 70% of his usual engine load after fitting 39 RYAN NT double discs to his Flexicoil ST820 tyne system.
Mr Kirkland said he sowed at 12 to 14 kph, equating to two litres less per hectare.
“Pulling the bar has proved so easy that we have taken the duals off the CASE,” he explained.
“We also have issues with stones in our country, but the discs handle it well.
“In the stubble on stony ground, the tynes kept digging up the stones, plus sometimes stubble clearance can also be a problem.”
Notably, the RYAN Discs can double chute now, with a rear seed boot adaption.
Gason
The RYAN NT Gason Retrofit Double Disc uses an innovative straight leg that swaps straight out with the Gason shank. Unlike the Flexicoil system, no adapter is required. The Ryan disc seeder system has been adapted to suit most common Gason models, including the Paramax, Hydratill and Scaritil planters.
The Gason discs have been a must-have addition for Broadacre and Rice farmers, especially those sowing in the Riverina and nearby regions. Rob Walker, a grain and rice grower farming at Wakool, fitted Ryan discs to a 20-year-old Gason Scaritil.
Mr Walker needed the discs as he couldn’t get a good burn of the stubble because of the rain. “The placement of the seed and urea was excellent with the Ryan discs,” he said.
“We sowed a bit deep, but the crop came up alright.
“We found it to be a big difference to the tynes; it all adds up.
“It’s cheaper to do direct drilling; you get through a lot more trash with these, and it’s just a couple of hours sowing.”
John Shearer
John Shearer drills are by far some of the most well-known small drills in Australia and also one of the most requested to retrofit.
After years of researching and designing, we found the best approach with these systems is to completely swap out the Shearer Tyne trip and shank and replace them with the Ryan Tyne trip and Double Disc system.
Notably, the disc leg we use for small drills is a compact version of our Ryan leg, which is a must for when you have shorter underframe clearance.
Small farm seeding and pasture seeder has been revolutionised with the Ryan disc seeder system. Whilst getting all the same benefits that the big guys get with discs, you also get the added bonus of being able to drive on your paddock as it is left in less of a mess. The small drill discs make light work of stubble and trash, especially that pain in bum wireweed.
John Gorman is a pasture farmer near Yarrawonga, Vic, he fitted RYAN NT Discs and Press Wheels onto his John Shearer drill.
Mr Gorman explained that he got the discs to get through the trash and leave the straw standing so he didn’t have to burn it. “Our productivity probably went up by 50%,” he said.
“We had great germination on oats and have been feeding sheep all year with the feed grown in the pastures. Sheep have never been fatter.”
Ausplow DBS
The RYAN NT DBS Disc system utilises a unique leg that slides straight into the DBS tyne mechanism. The concept started recently when a grower from Northampton W.A. trialled two units in his wheel tracks, mainly to see if the system could handle the rocky conditions.
The farmer was sick of losing too much crop from pulling up stones. After trialling the retrofit disc seeder system, the grower was impressed and ordered a complete set for the next season. The grower found that he got more bang for his buck. He no longer pulled stones and found superior germination in the non-wetting sands of the sandplain country.
The discs are an excellent fit for those farming in the sandplains, as they can be used for two years after amelioration. Mainly, this practice can re-establish stubble cover and minimise soil disturbance by tine machines for the third season.
Agrow drill
The RYAN NT Agrowdrill disc conversion has been a standout among those pasture cropping in Australia. This retrofit uses the RYAN NT Disc and tyne system, as the tyne trip is much more robust than the standard system.
Sam Clifton. A farmer out of Coonabarabran with discs fitted on his small drill said he wouldn’t have achieved the same results if he hadn’t used the Ryan discs and had stuck with his tines, stating, “It would have nearly been impossible in my conditions”.
“The tines just rip everything up, and it'd be terribly difficult to do it through that thick grass.
“It would make a hell of a mess.
“But with the discs, they roll over easily and cut a nice little slot that puts the seed in the perfect spot.
“Down to about a centimetre, and with the Janke press wheel running behind, we had outstanding germination.
Horwood Bagshaw
The RYAN NT Horwood Bagshaw retrofit utilises the uniquely designed leg to fit straight into the Horwood Bagshaw tyne trip. There are no adapter or tyne trip replacements required with this system.
Janke
The RYAN NT Janke retrofit is a straight leg design that slides straight into the Janke tyne trip. There are no adapter or tyne trip replacements required with this system.
Jeff Jones has 35 years of cropping experience at ‘Micron Downs’ near Goondiwindi and uses RYAN double discs and coil press wheels fitted to his 2006 model Janke parallelogram planter.
The press wheels are self-cleaning and give great seed to soil contact”, said Jeff.
“They really stood out on the last seeding.
“The coils don’t pluck the seed out of the ground when wet, compared with rubber-tyred press wheels.”
Jeff used the double discs disc after trial work to get a smaller incision to avoid smearing and moisture loss. He said, “There was less fracturing and drying out of the soil. “
It gives even soil contact with no air pockets.
“And we have no maintenance issues.
“This is a simple concept, which allows us to get going a bit earlier and plant in wetter conditions.”
Another farmer, Grant Borchardt, from Tara (Central Darling Downs, Queensland), was one of the first owners in that state to fit Ryan double discs and coil press wheels. Grant fitted his Janke toolbar with 47 disc units to overcome hairpinning and mud buildup when planting into stubble.
Mr Borchardt runs the 8,500-acre property, with the discs fitted on 10″ spacings and operating on two-metre controlled traffic tracks. Grant was “originally looking for a disc-type machine”.
“We didn’t want to spend a lot of money, and other machines that we had seen had mud build-up,” he said.
“We found that the leading scalloped disc on the Ryan set-up shifts the stubble and avoids hairpinning.
“With the 10-inch spacings in wheat, there is much more weed suppression. We sow 4″ deep at 11 kph – wet or dry.
“The front sowing boot made a hell of a lot of difference to the precision seeding”.
“There were huge improvements in germination.
“We planted for a neighbour, and it was the best crop of oats that he’s ever had.
“We have done a total of 20,000 acres.
“The benefits we have found are ease of operation, lower costs and maintenance, and better germination.”
Duncan
The RYAN NT Duncan retrofit disc seeder system utilises the Disc and Tyne system with the compact Ryan disc leg.
Donnybrook, WA, Contractor and Grazier Phil Giancono installed the discs on his Duncan in 2023. He explains previously that when contracting, he used to have to go to everyone's places to have a look to see if the seeding job would be suitable for his tyne machine.
“But now, with the discs, I didn't have to go to any jobs to check the land out; I just rocked up and did it and seeded with ease,” he said.
“It chops through kike thatch easily.
“Compared to your cheaper Chinese seeders, it's night and day with the discs on the Duncan Drill.
“It still brings up a bit of rock, but not nothing compared to your tines.
“Another considerable saving that I noticed was fuel efficiency.
“When I sat down and worked it out, we probably saved about 30% in fuel compared to operating with a tine.
“So overall, we're pretty happy with the conversion.”
Toolbar
We have several handy farmers in our system who have decided to build their fit-for-purpose toolbar system with the Ryan retrofit discs as their seeding system. These toolbar systems are usually fitted with the Ryan Disc and Tyne system.
Richard Bumstead changed to Ryan double discs and press wheels to overcome hair-pinning and mud-build up when planting into stubble. He now has 33 double discs and tyne-mounted press wheels on a custom-made 8”x 8”, 12-metre toolbar. The discs have sown sorghum, wheat, barley, anhydrous oxide and millet into black Waco soil.
“The reason that we decided to go with this set-up was for low maintenance, and that has proved correct”, said Richard. “We have an 80-year-old tractor driver and he doesn’t need to be stopping to sort out problems.”
RFM
The RFM airseeder goes back to the roots of RYAN NT. The seeder helped the Ryan tyne and retrofit disc seeder system evolve into what it is today. The Ryan family business shifted away from manufacturing complete airseeders. Nonetheless, the Ryan team have designed their retrofit parts to keep the well-known RFM machines going. RFM airseeders use the Disc and Tyne system when being retrofitted with discs.
In consideration of older systmes a 16mm leg has been designed to fit older tyne trips. Whilst, today's current system is designed for 20mm legs. 16mm legs can also fit the current tyne trip as spacers have been developed to fill the gap.
Craig Allitt, a grower and contractor near Deniliquin, has been using 37 sets of Ryan double discs with 9” spacings. Mr Allitt fitted the discs onto an old RFM Ricemaster Airdrill he purchased in 1997.
“They have never blocked up and give a good level job,” he says.
Mr Allitt tried the discs in a small patch when rice planting, notably he said that fuel consumption is a real advantage.
“We’ve gone from 30 hours per tank to 40 hours”, he said.
“And we are planting at nearly 11 kph in good going, compared with 8 kph with the tines.
“This is a great benefit with the double discs.
“Furthermore the option to change back to tines if the situation needs it, is worth noting.
“The machine is now much more versatile, and I recommend it to other farmers.
“The ability to retrofit the discs is nowhere near the price of a new disc machine.”
Can turn most brands into a disc seeder
RYAN NT retrofit disc system will fit most brands and models from the last 40 years, including RFM, AFM, Allan Johns, Agrowdrill, Ausplow DBS, Boss, Bourgault, Conservapac, Davimac, Duncan, Equalizer, Ezee On, Flexicoil, Horwood Bagshaw, Gason, Gyral, Janke, John Shearer, John Deere, Morris, Seed Hawk, Simplicity and Smale.
Contact RYAN NT today for the number one retrofit disc seeder system.
