Com Planter Maintenance
Ryan Hockensmith
Lawrence County
Winter is the time to get
your planter (and drill) ready
for next year’s season.
You can make a lot of
money by doing this mainte
nance early, whereas waiting
until the last minute with re
pairs can easily lead to yield
losses of five percent or more
because of delayed planting.
On the other hand, if your
planter is not working right,
you can expect a host of prob
lems that will reduce yields. In
no-till, good planter perform
ance is even more crucial than
in tilled fields because of the
high penetration resistance,
high amounts of crop residue
at the soil surface, and rough
soil surface.
Inadequate planting will re
sult in uneven seed depth
placement, inaccurate plant
spacing, and/or open seed
trenches.
Hair pinning is common if
coulters and row cleaners
don’t work properly. Here are
some tips to prepare your
planter for the ’O3 season.
I. Level planter. A level
planter is essential for accu
rate seed depth placement. By
placing a level below the
tongue you can easily check if
it is horizontally aligned.
If you notice that the unit is
either hanging back- or for
wards, you need to lift or
lower the tractor drawbar or
adjust the clevis on the planter
tongue.
The planter frame and
planter units should also be
level. Planter leveling should
be done with full planter and
fertilizer boxes.
2. Planter unit alignment.
Unit alignment is essential for
accurate seeding depth and
uniform row spacing. Look
across your planter units from
the side.
Are they all at the same
height? If one unit is either up
or down compared to the oth
ers, it needs some work.
A common problem is that
some bolts are loose. You
should not be able to easily lift
up your unit. The bolts that
control the up and down
movement and side
way movement
should be very tight.
Washers may
need to be switched
from in- to outside
or vice-versa,
3. Seed opener
disks. If opener
disks are worn too
much, soil will fall
in the opened slot
and you lose seed
depth control. The
seed slot will form a
“W” instead of a
“V” slot.
If they have worn
too much (see opera
tor’s manual), they
need replacement.
On a John Deere
7000, for example,
disks should at least
have a diameter of
13.5 inches (new
disks have a 15-inch
diameter).
Stick two business cards be
tween the openers and move
them as close together as pos
sible.
The space between them
should be 3 inches or more,
depending on your planter
type. Remove dirt that has ac
cumulated between opener
disks.
4. Coulters. Coulters in
front of the double disk open
er serve to cut crop residue
and loosen some soil.
The coulter should not run
deeper than the double disk
opener, or you may loose seed
depth control.
Check the diameter of the
coulters, and replace them if
needed. You should adjust the
depth of worn coulters that
are still usable (there are some
bolts that allow you to do
this).
5. Firming wheels. Check
the pressure on the firming
wheels.
The downward pressure
should be adequate to close
the seed trench without com
pacting soil above the seed
(check operator manual). Re
place worn or broken firming
wheels.
6. Depth wheels. Depth
wheels should run tight
against the double-disks or
soil may accumulate between
them. Washers or adjusting
bolts are used to obtain the de
sired result.
7. Depth of seed placement.
Place the planter on a con
crete floor to measure the dif
ference between the bottom of
the depth wheels and double
disk opener, and adjust to the
desired depth.
8. Alignment of individual
components. Look down each
unit, or better, take a rope and
pull it straight from the front
coulter to the back press
wheels. The firming wheels,
slot openers, and coulters
should all be in line.
9. Wear on chains and
sprockets. Check the chains
that drive the meters and their
sprockets. If they are worn too
much they need to be re
placed. Excessive wearing of
these parts will cause skips
and doubles.
Glenn Beidler, Frccburg, fa
570-539-8993
10. Clean metering units.
Take metering units apart.
Remove dirt and clean the
hood with soapy water (no
kerosene, diesel or oil should
ever be used in metering
units!).
Check for broken fingers in
a finger-pickup meter, check
the brush that wipes off excess
seeds, and see if a groove has
formed in the chromium
house of the metering unit.
If the groove becomes large,
and if brushes wear, you have
a greater likelihood of dou
bles. Brushes need to be re
placed at least every other
year.
11. Elevator belt in meter
ing unit. The belt (in finger
pick-up meters) should be
flexible, not have cracks in it,
and should be clean. Clean
with soapy water and let it dry
before putting it back in.
Put the metering unit back
together. The rubber belt
should be placed back in the
right direction, or your meter
will malfunction.
You can lubricate with
graphite (no oil or WD-40).
The cap that holds the fingers
should be tightened to the ap
propriate torque.
12. Calibrate meter. It is
highly recommended to take
your finger pick-up metering
unit to the dealer to have it
calibrated.
Take a bag of your own
seed with you, and give him
the correct speed at which
you’ll be driving.
13. Vacuum/air units. If you
have a vacuum or air meter,
check for leaks and appropri
ate vacuum or air pressure.
14. Check your fertilizer
unit. Starter fertilizer coulters
(if used) need to be 2 inches
away from the double-disk
opener. Hang a bucket below
the tube of the unit, and do a
test run of 175 feet in the field.
Weigh the fertilizer in the
bucket, multiply by 100, and
you have the fertilizer
you’ll put on in pounds
per acre (at 30” row
spacing). Adjust as
needed.
Corn Maze Tips
Don Watts
Newtown Graphics
Corn Maze Designs
Thinking of having a com
maze event at your farm? It’s
a growing trend for farms to
supplement their incomes
with a com maze. If you think
it might be right for you, here
are some tips for a successful
event.
Location is important.
Ideally, your corn maze
should be near a major high
way or within a short drive
from a populated area. Con
sider where your potential
customers will be coming from
and how far they’ll have to
travel.
A location near a main road
is also helpful with advertis
ing. You can erect signs on
your own property that will
reach your potential custom
ers on a daily basis.
Size matters. A maze about
4 to 7 acres in size is ideal. I’ve
heard many complaints from
customers who’ve become
frustrated after being lost in
an over-sized maze for too
long a time under the blister
ing hot sun.
Bigger is not always better,
especially for older and very
young maze-go’ers. You might
want to make a small “kids
maze” next to your main corn
maze.
Choosing a corn maze de
signer depends on your budget
and how much work you’re
willing to do yourself. There
are several good com maze
design firms who will do all
the work for you, but expect to
pay about $5,000 to $7,000 for
their services. Using a design
er who lets you do most of the
work will usually cost under
$2,000.
If you need ideas for a de
sign, farm animals and equip
ment, fruits and vegetables,
state or local icons, and geo
metric designs are good choic
es.
Logos or mascots from local
schools will draw the students
and their families. Patriotic
designs are very popular.
Be sure your parking area is
a short walk from the maze.
As an alternative, provide
hayrides to the maze field.
Your customers will enjoy the
experience.
Consider renting an inflat
able “moon-bounce” for kids
or having pony rides.
Some other draws are face
painting, food concessions,
and pumpkin and gourd sales.
Many of your customers will
be looking to enjoy the whole
“farm” experience. For more
ideas, you might want to visit
other com mazes to see them
in operation.
Always check local ordi
nances and confer with your
insurance agent before hold
ing an event on your property.
A com maze is a great way
for local residents to see farms
in action. And of course, the
additional income is always
welcome.
Fall might seem like a long
way off, but now is the time to
start planning for a successful
com maze.
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