Zocon Launches the DUO Seeder for Simultaneous Sowing of Two Crops

Dutch manufacturer Zocon has introduced the new DUO pneumatic seeder, designed for the simultaneous sowing of two seed types in a single pass. For practical farming, this is not just another version of a hopper-mounted seeder, but a response to a very specific agronomic need: combining a main crop, grass mixture, cover crop, or green manure crop without an additional field pass.

According to the manufacturer, the Zocon Seeder DUO range includes three models: Z800, Z1200, and Z1600, with hopper capacities of 800, 1200, and 1600 litres respectively. All three versions follow the same technical concept: a divided hopper, two separately controlled compartments, two metering rotors with a quick-change system, and pneumatic seed delivery.

Why the DUO Seeder Is Needed

The main idea behind the Zocon DUO is to work with two seed materials at the same time. For example, this may include sowing grass together with a green manure crop, undersowing a cover crop, forming a mixture with different seeding rates, or applying two similar seed components with separate metering.

It is important not to oversimplify the technical nature of the machine. The DUO is not a classic precision row-crop seeder. It is a pneumatic seeder for distributing seed through metering rotors, hoses, outlet plates, or a standpipe to a distribution head. Its key advantage is flexibility: two materials can be supplied separately, but within one machine combination and one field pass.

For farms that actively use cover crops, green manure crops, or multi-component grass mixtures, this layout has clear practical value. One pass means less soil compaction, lower fuel consumption, time savings, and simpler organization of field work within a narrow agronomic window.

Design: Divided Hopper and Two Metering Circuits

The central design feature of the Zocon DUO is a hopper with a divider. The manufacturer states that the two compartments can operate separately and are suitable for different or identical seed materials. If a farm needs to sow only one material, the divider can be removed and the full hopper volume can be used.

Each metering circuit has its own seed rotor with a quick-change system. This is important for setting the machine for different seed fractions and different seeding rates. The base configuration includes two metering rotors of choice, while different rotor types are listed among the available options.

Special attention should also be paid to the presence of an empty hopper sensor and an agitator for each seed rotor. For small seeds, grasses, green manure crops, or mixtures with uneven flowability, stable seed delivery is often no less important than hopper capacity itself. Therefore, these elements should not be considered secondary: they affect the uniformity of machine operation under real field conditions.

Seeder Spare Parts: The Practical Side of Operation

For any seeding machine, not only technical capability matters, but also the availability of spare parts during the season. TOV Bas-Agro manufactures and sells analogue spare parts for seeders of various brands, which is especially relevant for farms that need to restore machine operability quickly without waiting a long time for original components. Ready-to-ship spare parts can be purchased in the Bas-Agro online store in the spare parts for seeders section, where brand-specific subsections are available.

Control via ISOBUS or Topcon Terminal

The Zocon DUO can be equipped with an ISOBUS cable or the company’s own TOPCON A6 control unit with a touchscreen. The manufacturer’s specification lists memory for 5 tractors, 20 seed types, and 20 jobs, as well as storage of completed work data - treated area and the amount of seed sown.

This makes the machine interesting not only for individual farms, but also for contractors. If one seeder is used with different tractors, on different crops, and with different seeding rates, stored settings reduce the risk of errors and speed up preparation for work.

Another important detail is speed measurement on the metering rotor. For pneumatic seeders, stable metering directly depends on precise control of the dosing element’s rotation, especially when the operator works with small or expensive seed.

Standard Equipment and Technical Specifications

According to official Zocon data, all three DUO models have a hydraulically driven fan, a galvanized frame, a white transparent hopper with a hinged lid, an integrated container for quick and accurate calibration testing, a quick-change plate for transferring the seeder between different implements, and a 25 m hose set with a diameter of 30 mm.

From a technical point of view, it is interesting that as capacity increases from 800 to 1600 l, the machine’s length and width remain unchanged - 1520 and 1100 mm. What changes primarily is the hopper height and weight. This indicates a modular design logic: a farm can choose a larger seed reserve without a radical change in the machine’s footprint.

Mounted Seeder or Front Hopper

Another strength of the DUO is mounting flexibility. The machine can operate as a mounted seeder on a soil cultivation implement or as a front hopper when equipped with an optional front linkage. In the second case, seed is delivered through a standpipe to the distribution head. This solution allows the machine’s weight to be distributed between the front and rear linkage of the tractor, which may be useful for the balance of the tractor-implement combination.

For European farming practice, this is especially relevant, as front hoppers are increasingly used in combination with soil cultivation, seeding, or inter-row implements. Such a layout makes it possible to configure machinery flexibly for a specific task: sowing a cover crop during soil cultivation, working with grasses, or performing combined operations in a single pass.

Calibration and Fast Reconfiguration

The DUO design includes an integrated container for calibration testing. For pneumatic seeders, this is an important detail because the actual seeding rate depends not only on terminal settings, but also on the physical properties of the seed: thousand-grain weight, flowability, shape, moisture content, impurities, or differences between seed batches.

Quick-change rotors and replaceable outlet plates with 4 to 10 outlets in the options list expand the machine’s application range. The manufacturer also specifies the possibility of using a standpipe, additional quick-change plates, a power cable for Topcon, additional hoses, and Y-splitters.

In practice, this means that the Zocon DUO is not tied to a single scenario. It can be adapted to different implements, different numbers of outlets, different working widths, and different technological tasks.

What the DUO Means for Modern Farming

The launch of the Zocon DUO fits well into the broader trend toward combining field operations. In modern farming, the value of a machine is not limited to its individual productivity. Its ability to reduce the number of passes, make better use of a short weather window, and perform an agronomic task more precisely is just as important.

Simultaneous sowing of two crops or two seed components can be useful in several scenarios: establishing a cover crop, undersowing grasses, forming mixtures with different seeding rates, working with green manure crops, or combining small and larger seeds. But most importantly, the DUO makes it possible not to mix everything in one hopper, but to work with two streams separately.

This is the fundamental difference from simply sowing a ready-made mixture. If seeds have different fractions, different flowability, or different target seeding rates, separate metering helps control the process more accurately.

The Zocon DUO is not a revolution in seeding technology, but it is a very practical step toward universal, combined, and quickly reconfigurable solutions. The machine combines three hopper capacity options, a divided design for two seed materials, ISOBUS or Topcon control, two separate metering rotors, a hydraulic fan, and the possibility of use either as a mounted seeder or as a front hopper.

For farms working with cover crops, grasses, green manure crops, or complex seed mixtures, this machine can become a tool for saving time and improving technological accuracy. Its main advantage is not only that two materials can be sown in one pass, but that these two materials remain separately controlled.