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1200 planter issues + some advise FWIW.
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Newguy
Posted 5/31/2008 16:17 (#388181)
Subject: 1200 planter issues + some advise FWIW.


Renville Minnesota

1200's must be selling good, never heard so much talk about em here since this spring.  Albeit most of the talk was about problems........Weve had our 24-30 for 5 years now.  First season was purty good, second was expecting better, 3rd and especially the 4th was not pretty.  After the adjustments we made this past winter, I feel its a worthy planter, and am glad we don't have the 7300 we traded in on it.   Our planter has around 18,000 acres on it, give or take a 1000.  We have had liquid fert setup since the start.

Year 1.   LOTS of things to learn.   We set er up with rebounders on.  Had more issues with big john monitor (learning, not failure), and Navy beans didn't plant worth a damn on the plates they gave us.   We were conventional till, ground was PURFECT for planting.

Year 2.  Planting conditions were a bit more wet, and switched to more of a strip till (deep zone till) tillage.   Things were good, had issues with plugging the seed tube at the bottom with mud.  Our planter bar is a Freisen, which when ya set it down, pushes the units back, so much of the plugged tube were from not paying attention (silly me).  Though Every rebounder had two fingers full of wet dirt on the bottom of them.  Corn population was right on, but spacing let some to be desired.   Rebounders came off, and rerouted the hose down the back dry fert pipe that holds the closing wheels. I can't and won't ever suggest to anyone to put them on a 1200.  Said the heck with the navy bean plates and kept the soy plates in, turned up the fan to around 21-22.  Worked much better.   

Year 3.  Was mostly strip till (in the fall).  We followed a distant neighbor and purchased a central fill and parts to go allong with it and put er on the planter in the winter.  Was scared about hydraulics, but the 735 MT handled it well.  Untill the corn came up.  Still had GREAT population, just had a damn goofy stand.   Well, the fix to this problem was to take the john blue piston pump drive off the meter shaft.  By adding another 12 gpm fan for the central fill, it took just enough juice out of the hydraulic drive every time the pump cycled.......If ya ever see 45 degree angled spaces looking across the rows out in a corn feild, from experience Ive learned its a jerky meter drive shaft........It wasn't bad, just looked bad for about 2 weeks when the corn was 4-6 inches.   There was a ground drive wheel put on the pump that following winter.  We also put a pto pump to drive the suction fans.  Weren't sure if some problems were from lack of hyd.  We were needed 41 gallons just for fans and meter drive.   I thinnk the cat is at 42 gallons. Lifting and putting markers down took much away from the fans, but once we were turned around and going, it was more than fine.....

Year 4.   Switched back to conventional till.......Story for another time.......   Conditions were wet, not saturated, but sticky.  We have good goowy black dirt when its moist. This year had dirt that would build up on the back side of the seed boot.  Would still plant, but there was a thread of mud all the way down the back side of the boot.   Spacing was horible on larger heavy seed.  Smaller seed was ok, but nothing to be proud of.  Last winter Ron Thompson came out and inspected our planter.   He noticed the yoke holding the closing discs were all SHINED up on the bottom.  Indicating our soil was too loose for the amount of down pressure it was positioned for.....EASY fix, pull a pin, and switched holes to least amount of down pressure.  AND with the liquid fert in the position we had it (shooting darn close to the back side of the seed boot), he suggest to do what some fellers down in nebraska did, cut a 45 angle off the back side of the boot.

Current spring:  We are pleased with our stand.  Its not 100% purfect (still searching for any feild that is).  Half of the spaces where a plant is missing there is a mucked up seed that decided to not grow.  We plant at 33,500 seeds per acre.  Figured were down to around 31-32k currently.  Soil was moist, and most of it was 40-45 degrees F when put in ground.  Sat there for 20 + days.  Were behind the 5 year ave here, but not much and are catching up lately.   I'd advise everyone with a 1200 and putting on liquid fert to cut the boots off with a cutting blade on a grinder, doesn't hurt a dang thing, and will solve some "issues".   ALSO keep an eye on where your closing down pressure adjustment is.  Those backword discs are supposed to only be about half to 3/4 shined up.

Good luck



Edited by Newguy 5/31/2008 16:24




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Attachments planter stuff 007 (600 x 450).jpg (26KB - 427 downloads)
Attachments planter stuff 008 (600 x 450).jpg (40KB - 318 downloads)
Attachments planter stuff 003 (600 x 450).jpg (104KB - 343 downloads)
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