Moore UniDrill and Sky EasyDrill: A tale of two drills

Whether it’s a greater concern for soil health, environmental issues or just increased financial pressures, a much greater proportion of growers are now looking towards no-till crop establishment. Although it’s a practice that has the potential to save big sums in terms of £’s per hectare, the seeding rigs used to do the job aren’t cheap bits of kit. In short, not everyone can afford to have a shiny new direct drill.

But help is at hand. The increased interest in no-till and various grant schemes offering help with capital purchases mean that second-hand direct drills are now becoming more commonplace in dealers’ yards.

While normally in our profi Used Machinery reports we pick out one particular model, this time we’re taking a more long-range approach charting the Sky EasyDrill and its precedessors. It’s not quite a straightforward story – although these French-built seeders might be selling like hot-cakes, their heritage lies somewhere much closer to home, Northern Ireland in fact.

Once upon a time…

It’s a slightly complicated story but it’s relevant to anyone looking at used no-till drills. Bear with us as we take a