The Grasshopper 130
The Grasshopper moves bulk cover crop seed straight from a ground-level hopper into your drone's top-deck hopper — built by drone pilots, for drone operators.
Built For
- Commercial spray drone operators running cover crop seeding at scale who want a more labor-friendly alternative to manual tank filling.
- Mid-sized cover crop applicators graduating from bag-and-bucket, top-deck loading.
Watch the Grasshopper & Hopper Caddy Load In
A real load-in, start to finish — no bags, no bucket brigade.
Refill Without Ever Lifting a Bag
The Grasshopper is a seed-tender and seed-blower loading system, sized specifically for drone top-deck trailer rigs. Seed moves from the ground-level hopper into your top-deck hopper through an airlock-fed delivery hose — no bags, no bucket brigade.
- Eliminates 50-lb bag lifting onto top decks
- Swing-out delivery hose arm reaches your rig
- Power-cycle switch at the hose end for one-man operation
- Glass view ports and greaseable hinges for easy upkeep
Grasshopper 130 — Product Specifications
- 130 ± bushel capacity (varies by material)
- Overall dimensions: 95″ L × 66″ W × 75″ T
- Heavy steel construction with powder coat finish
- Completely enclosed with a removable, hinged lid
- Skid frame for easy loading and unloading; (4) D-rings for secure attachment to truck or trailer
- Powered by seed vac — available in gas or electric
- Gas: 11 HP or 24 HP Honda electric-start engine
- Electric: 5 HP, 7.5 HP, or 10 HP — 60 Hz, single-phase, 230V motor
Can be ordered without the vac system, or with an auger set up instead.
- Throughput: up to 400–700 lbs of seed per minute
- Swing-out delivery hose arm
- Power cycle switch at the delivery hose end for one-man operation
- Glass view ports and greaseable hinges
Three Modular Add-Ons, Built to Work Together
Every unit in the line-up is designed to swap in and out of the same Hopper Caddy without modifying your current rig. Run the full 130-bushel Grasshopper, downsize to Pro Box II, or add Water Bug capacity for mix and rinse water — all manufactured by J Riley Seed.
Pro Box II
- Holds 2 customer or co-op seed boxes — boxes sold separately
- 139″ × 50″W heavy steel frame, powder coat finish
- Same seed-vac throughput: 400–700 lb/min, gas or electric
- Locking mechanism secures both boxes in transit
Hopper Caddy
- Skid rails and anchor points hold any Grasshopper-line modular unit
- Tandem 7,000 lb axles with electric brakes
- Adjustable hitch, full LED lighting
- Heavy tube-steel construction, powder coat finish
Water Bug
- 1,000-gal poly leg tank
- Gas 2″ pump with 2″ Bumble Bee hose and Banjo fittings
- Heavy-duty, powder-coated steel skid
- Loads on a truck or trailer, or pairs with the Hopper Caddy
Grasshopper Ecosystem — FAQ
The Grasshopper is a seed-tender and seed-blower loading system built specifically for drone top-deck trailer rigs. It moves bulk cover crop seed from a ground-level hopper into your drone's top-deck hopper through an airlock-fed delivery hose, eliminating manual bag lifting. It's manufactured by J Riley Seed.
Up to 400–700 pounds of seed per minute, powered by the onboard seed vac system.
No — it's optimized for cover crop seed. Fertilizer can corrode the airlock, introduce dust contamination, and requires a cleaning cadence most operators won't sustain.
The Grasshopper 130 is a fully enclosed, 130-bushel hopper unit. The Pro Box II is a 139″×50″ frame that instead holds two customer- or co-op-supplied seed boxes (sold separately), giving operators a lower-cost, more versatile option at the same 400–700 lb/min throughput.
Tandem 7,000 lb axles with electric brakes, an adjustable hitch, full LED lighting, and heavy tube-steel construction with skid rails and multiple anchor points sized to hold any unit in the Grasshopper line-up.
It's a modular nurse-tank skid that carries additional water or mix capacity for your drone operation. It can load onto a truck or trailer on its own, or pair with the Hopper Caddy alongside a Grasshopper or Pro Box II unit.