Hi, this is Chuck Burr, your University of Nebraska Lincoln Extension Educator serving Phelps and Gosper Counties and the surrounding area. As the weather warms up many producers are looking to the next cropping season. Farmers only get one chance a year to plant crops, so they have to make sure it’s done properly. When planting conditions are ready, the planter needs to be ready too.
The best time to repair a planter is directly after the planting season. Make a list of anything that was a problem. If something on a row is broken, all rows should be checked on the planter. Do everything possible while it is still fresh in the mind.
During the off-season, check for wear points. Make sure chains, sprockets and bearings are all in good shape. Maintenance, such as greasing and lubrication, may be necessary as well. Many planters have an operator’s manual that contains a preseason checklist and a suggested maintenance schedule that can make upkeep easier.
The operator’s manual also can help with mechanisms in the planter, such as the seed meter mechanism. Depending on the planter design, properly regulating seeds may be different. One planter can’t handle every kind of seed. Seed dealers or consultants can tune up a meter to match a seed. Producers could do it themselves and should as seed sizes change.
The seed delivery system also needs to be checked. The seed tube should be smooth and not worn out with any holes. Little imperfections in the tube may not be seen, but may be felt. Those little imperfections can affect the distribution and depth uniformity of seeds, resulting in a loss of yield. A quick check will pay for itself quickly.
Make sure seed furrow opener discs are adjusted to be sharp in order to cut through residue. This will make a good, clean seed-vee for seed placement. General mechanics need to be considered as well. Lots of linkages hold everything together, so make sure they aren’t loose. Be mindful of worn bushings or bolts in the parallel links, pivot arms or closing wheels and replace them as necessary.
When ready, do an in-field check before planting season begins. Again make sure the planter is working properly and its discs are sharp. Check if the planter can penetrate soil to the right depth. If the down pressure springs on the planter are wearing out or losing stiffness, put new springs on. This will allow the planter to have enough down pressure to penetrate soil.
Seed-to-soil contact also needs to be checked. Make sure seed is getting into the soil properly and the moisture in the soil can reach the seed. The seed needs to be deep enough that it can be protected from the elements.
Starting your planter checkup now will give you a month to do repairs. It’ll also shake up the neighbors to see a planter ready to go a month early. That would be a better outcome than not doing proper checkups and then discovering a new part is needed at planting time, resulting in a loss of yield and profit due to late planting.
