The Kile drill is used for direct seeding of oilseeds and cereals in research studies at the WSU Lind Dryland Research Station (LDRS). It is named after Ron Kile, a Pine City farmer, who developed the opener for direct seeding. The Kile opener is a paired row design, with fertilizer placement between the seed rows and is capable of applying deep band dry, liquid, or NH-3 fertilizer formulations.
The LDRS Kile drill is 8′ wide. It is a cultivator type drill utilizing spring shanks on 4 ranks providing excellent residue clearance. Seed is delivered in paired rows 4″ apart on 12″ spacing providing 8″ spacing between seed rows with a 4″ interspace. Seed delivery is through a Valmar 1655 powered by a 9hp Honda engine. There are 2-110 gallon liquid tanks which provide ample capacity for liquid fertilizer delivery using a Hypro roller pump. Rubber tires (1 per opener) provide on-row packing of the seed row.
Seeding depth is regulated by changing depth stops on the front and rear hydraulic cylinders. The drill can also be used as a broadcast spreader. Seeding depth, seeding rate, and fertilizer rate can all be metered to very precise increments. A rear hitch modification has been recently added to allow the addition of a coil packer (see below) implement for compaction of broadcast seeded crops. The LDRS Kile drill has successfully planted, wheat, barley, canola, and camelina. Because it has rubber tires, the Kile drill can be pulled down the road at highway speeds with a half-ton pickup.
