What is the difference between a regular planter and a grain drill to plant crops?

Question

What is the difference between a regular planter and a grain drill to plant crops?

Answer 1

Drill is cheaper in cost than planters .

Planter can be used to adjust the spacing correclty while drill may consume more grains.

Drill can be used to apply both seed and fertilizer together.

Drill is a simple device while there are big transplanters, planting *** weeding devices etc.

Answer 2

The first answer hit the basic difference -- "drills" are generally less precise than "planters" but there's a ton of different ways to put seeds in the ground.

We planted wheat with drills -- they used a single disk or a small shovel to make a trench in the soil, then dropped the seeds into it and covered and compacted the soil.  The seeds were "metered" by a pair of discs for each row.  Spacing the discs further apart or turning them faster adjusted the rate the seeds were dropped.

"Planters" are generally more precise in both placement and metering.  Many use a rotating plate with holes along the edges so that one seed drops into each hole.  (each seed type/size/shape requires different plates)  As the plate rotates it drops the seed into the seed tube that guides it into the opening in the ground.

That opening can be made (and covered) many ways but the precise placement -- both depth and spacing -- of the seed is easily controlled.

So that is the big difference between drills and planters -- drills are used to "broadcast" seed and planters precisely place them.

Answer 3

The biggest difference between a drill and a planter is the row spacing. They both do a good job of planting and covering the seed. A planter is usually adjustable for row spacings of between 20 inches to 40 inches, and is used for row crops like corn and soybeans. A drill has much closer row spacings, around 4 to 6 inches, and used to plant small grains like wheat.

Answer 4

A planter is like Bing, Bing, Bing...the seeds are in an accuarate place, where as a drill usually dribbles seeds here and there, and then not plant a few places.  A drill is for the crop to be really close proxemities and a planter has set seed spacings.