Planter Performance

[Shaggy98]

I have only been using planters for about 4 years now, up until then I used a hoe drill to drill my milo with decent results.  What is considered good singulation compared to doubles & skips?

Question #2, is to much vacuum on a vacuum planter a bad thing?  What happens if I'm running 5# - 10# increased vacuum at times?  How much does this affect planter accuracy?

[buckfarmer]

I have a older White 5100. I can't remember ever finding a double. And if I have what looks like a skip I usually find a seed that didn't sprout. I don't have seed firmers or any of the other updates that help with seed placement so my spacing isn't perfect. I don't even have a monitor and the only time I think it would help would be when seed runs out or a mechanical problem occurs. I also drive pretty slow(4 mph max). I think fluctuating vacuum can cause some problems. But I've never experienced it so can't help much there. When dad plants he has major problems with no vacuum (on my planter it runs off a hyd pump on the PTO) he just can't get it in his head that to plant corn you have to turn the PTO on. Post-it notes help with this problem but don't fix it.

[ECIN]

Shag - I bought a 7200 vac deere planter in 94 - new , i never really like the vac , The first few years was a night mare for me to get use to it . I finally got  handel on it -lol   When I stopped to refill the oil would cool down then it wouldtake a round or two for it to settle down , I found that just one pound -- either way would effect how the drop would be .

I traded it off last year ,  and am SSSSSSSSSSOOOOOOOO glad . went back in time for a Kenze figure pickup - drop was perfect !

[Shaggy98]

When you say drop was affected by vacuum changes, are you referring to spacing or doubles and skips? Vacuum is the only thing I have ever used, so I don't know any different. My BIL used to have a CIH Cyclo, but claims he noticed an accuracy improvement when he was using a vacuum planter. He recently traded for a Deere, but I have no idea what model it is. What is a good singulation percentage? 90%, 95% 98% or better? My monitor told me I averaged 98.5% to 99% singulation over my 100 acres the other day but am not sure if that is considered good. I need to figure out how to better control my vacuum.

[ECIN · Accepted solution]

Thats what I was taking about - the drop - low vac would let seed drop out of the disk , to much and it won't come out of the disk .

We had a IH cyclo to and traded for the deere - it was a lot better than the IH on drop , but the IH was the best on soybeans , drop was perfect .

If you have 98 to 99 on your monitor - I don't know how you could get that any better !

BTW you can put a valve in your Hydr. line  where to plug it in , then you can fine tune the pressure , i have one and can send youa picture so you will know what it looks like

[buckfarmer]

BTO neighbor's 1780 Deere Vacuum stands look like crap. They also drive fast. One day we were planting in side by side fields and they would lap me about every six rounds. The fields weren't really laid out the same. I'd guess if I was going 4 mph they were around 6 maybe faster.

[Shaggy98]

Thanks ECIN, that's all I needed to here. I'm monitoring the amount of seed I'm using real close and will also weigh back any seed left in the boxes when I'm finished. We've got certified scales at my off the farm job that go down to a single pound so I can get an accurate unused measurement. I will then do the math and see how well the population calculates out to be. This won't tell me much about singulation, but it will tell me about total seed dropped.

[farmerguy89]

your going too extreme by measuring the final weights/applied. you will have variance in some places due to slip and such.

if your getting 98% your fine. not every seed germinates. just make sure you dont have any triples. doubles wont impact yield, nor will skips.

[Shaggy98]

Thanks 89, I always appreciate your feedback.  The measuring back unused seed is mainly for my own curiosity issues.

[Shaggy98]

ECIN, if your offer still stands for the picture I'll take you up on it. I've got some small adjustments to make before I head back out in a couple of weeks to get rolling on milo. I need to double check, but their might be a hydraulic flow valve already on the planter. I've never actually studied it real hard, I've always just regulated hydraulic flow at the remote with decent results, maybe it might be time I adjust it the proper way.

Is Kinze the only planter today that is still using finger pick-ups? I know CIH is still using vacuum, what do the new Deere units use?