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farmrn

Posted 2/22/2013 03:16 (#2917058)
Subject: John Deere 7000 planter questions?

Southern IL

A friend of mine is letting me borrow his JD 7000 30" 8-row planter this year, I have never used one. It has corn finger pickup, Kinze bean -meters and JD milo cups. This was their planter that they used and nothing was wrong with it, the just upgraded to a larger planter and parked the JD for the last 2 years. My question is for those who are familiar with a 7000.....What are your recommendations or suggestions for pre-plant inspection, or tips you have aqquired over the years? Thanks in advance.

Yoosta B

Posted 2/22/2013 04:11 (#2917075 - in reply to #2917058)
Subject: Re: John Deere 7000 planter questions?

Need more info:
1. First and foremost, think about your friend. Is he the kinda guy that is meticulous about maintenance or is he more the 'don't fix it if it ain't broke' type? If he keeps everything up really well, you could get by by looking at one row unit and assume all the rest are in the same condition. Did he use it the last season knowing he would have a different one the next season?

2. What are you going to plant? No need to inspect finger pickups if you're only going to plant beans...

3. How much are you going to use it? If just a little bit, then a few quick checks will get you by.

4. Will you be adding significant wear? Do you want to return it in as-good or better condition than you found it?

5. How particular are you? Do you like everything to be optimal or are you just looking to cover more acres?

DVFarms

Posted 2/22/2013 04:31 (#2917087 - in reply to #2917075)
Subject: Re: John Deere 7000 planter questions?

Northern Kentucky

I hit all the grease points, lube all the chains, check the transmissions settings, check the seed tube sensors and take a brush through the seed tubes which will help clean out any critters and dust that may have collected on the sensor eye. Air pressure in the tires is critical, check that the hydraulics are functioning properly. As for the meters I would check the brushes and give them a few turns to make sure they aren't stuck. When installing the meters I have to put a bit of RTV around mine since the metal ring in the seeds box is in bad shape.

Edited by DVFarms 2/22/2013 04:33

farmrn

Posted 2/22/2013 04:42 (#2917090 - in reply to #2917087)
Subject: Re: John Deere 7000 planter questions?

Southern IL

Yoosta.....Mine friend is the type to do a pretty good job in maintenance, I have the chance to use it, or even purchase it, if I like it. I believe the planter sets my yield from the beginning, so I want it to best the best possible, so whatever I can do to make it optimum. What do you guys think of Keetons?

macjac

Posted 2/22/2013 05:41 (#2917127 - in reply to #2917087)
Subject: Re: John Deere 7000 planter questions?

PEEDEEinSC

Replace blue brush in meters clean grease and oil,go.

DVFarms

Posted 2/22/2013 05:41 (#2917128 - in reply to #2917058)
Subject: Re: John Deere 7000 planter questions?

Northern Kentucky

I have them on mine they do a good job

jogl

Posted 2/22/2013 05:51 (#2917139 - in reply to #2917058)
Subject: Re: John Deere 7000 planter questions?

SW Ontario

I would take the covers off of the units and inspect the belts and fingers and replace the brushes. Clean the spider webs out of the drop tubes.

easymoney

Posted 2/22/2013 06:18 (#2917164 - in reply to #2917058)
Subject: Re: John Deere 7000 planter questions?

ecmn

heres my spring check list.

measure disk openers cant be less then 14.5"'s
make sure disks roll nice
make sure the bushings for the guage wheels are not slopped out.
make sure the guage wheels are very close to the opener disks.
make sure bottom of seed tube isnt broke or wore out
check closing wheels that bearings role smooth
make sure gauge wheels roll smooth.
make sure all chains are free moving, all driveline bearings are in good shape
make sure planter is level when in operating position hooked up to the tractor
make sure closing wheels are centered above seed trench, not one wheel running on the trench
check parrellel arms for wear on the bushings/bolts and bolts are tight.
finger units, check spring tension on each finger, backing plate cant have any rust or flaking of finish plate has to be smooth where the seed rides so you dont hurt the seed,
back of fingers cant be to worn,
there is a singulating bump on the backing plate make sure its in good shape
replace all seed belts with new precision ones from shoup yes they are worth it for better seed spacing and reduced skip/double situations.
put nut on finger just tight enough so the units are very stiff by hand to turn. clean threads and nut will not be much more then finger tight.
check markers for cracks make sure blades roll nice
make sure markers alternate going up and down

Gerald J.

Posted 2/22/2013 10:28 (#2917794 - in reply to #2917164)
Subject: Re: A nearly complete list

A nearly complete list. Add to that seeing that the marker disks are not laying flat from bending the angle bracket their bearings mount on.

Gerald J.

briannnebo

Posted 2/22/2013 07:07 (#2917238 - in reply to #2917058)
Subject: RE: John Deere 7000 planter questions?

Nebo, Kentucky

About all I would add to easy money's list is to inspect the bottom of the seed tube were the seed comes out. If there are any burs, the seed will ricochet.

martin

Posted 2/22/2013 07:16 (#2917258 - in reply to #2917058)
Subject: RE: John Deere 7000 planter questions?

Guys around here will pull those metering boxes off the planter and take them to a guy (dealer, etc) who has a stand that check the seed drop. If accuracy of drop is important to you, this should be something to consider. Since you don't own this planter, you will have to know how much you are willing to spend, if they tell you that you need significant upgrade.

I see better stand where guys take the John Deere meter systems and upgrade with Precision Plant parts. You didn't mention if this is still all John Deere parts, or if the owner has Precision Plant parts in it. If you buy the planter, I suggest looking into this.

bonhammj

Posted 2/22/2013 07:32 (#2917294 - in reply to #2917258)
Subject: RE: John Deere 7000 planter questions?

Southern NJ

Only thing I'll add is to check the guard between the opener disks. They are attached with 2 roll pins. One year we had a front roll pin break, and it allowed the guard to flip back, and would block up the seed tube. Suprisingly it wasn't right next to the road where everyone could see it.

boyfarms

Posted 2/22/2013 09:12 (#2917605 - in reply to #2917294)
Subject: Re: John Deere 7000 planter questions?

ne ia

Drive slow around 4 mph worked best for me. Good luck

Gerald J.

Posted 2/22/2013 10:30 (#2917797 - in reply to #2917605)
Subject: Re: John Deere 7000 planter questions?

Op manual says 4 to 5, slower for higher populations. 4.2 to 4.7 worked fine for me.

Gerald J.

Gerald J.

Posted 2/22/2013 10:40 (#2917821 - in reply to #2917058)
Subject: Re: Start with the operations manual.

Start with the operations manual. Read it from end to end. There may be some subtleties we have missed. The 7000 is a good planter design, it can be worn out, easymoney hit nearly all the wear spots. The main wear points are the gauge wheel arms, and the tailpiece pivots. RK makes good replacements for both and Shoup as well as Deere sell replacement parts to fit.

Another check is the opening disks are supposed to be tight barely passing a business card for a couple inches in their lower front. When worn small they don't touch so well or if one of their bearings is going they will flop about. You want their trench V shaped, not W shaped.

Sitting outside the chains can rust and have some stiff links to make the planter units not turn smoothly. Check every link. I used liberal amounts of chain lube and some winters took all the chains off and stored them in clean paint buckets covered in oil to slow that rusting fast.

I've not switched to precision parts, other than a belt or two, I did have my finger units run on a stand at a Deere dealer and they cost me more than promised, but they do put out a picket fence stand in the size corn they were calibrated with, with one added kernel per 15 feet dropped at random. So the last time I planted corn and had calculated the need to the 1/8th sack, I had to find some more seed.

I added Keetons to a cyclo 400 and I didn't think they improved its propensity to skip and bunch, I didn't see any need for them on the 7000. Keeton would have you believe otherwise.

Gerald J.

801486

Posted 2/23/2013 02:25 (#2919514 - in reply to #2917058)
Subject: Re: John Deere 7000 planter questions?

west central Iowa

I don't know if anybody else mentioned it, but the main drive clutch is a big deal if it slips you end up with a field that looks like it was checked. I usually just replaced the wear parts in mine every couple years 'cause I was paranoid about it. If you search on here you can probably find some info on how to check it or tune it up.

KeepItSimple

Posted 2/23/2013 10:20 (#2920054 - in reply to #2917058)
Subject: Re: John Deere 7000 planter questions?

Mid West, USA

As far as maintenance issues go, I think the lists and suggestions of components to inspect here are pretty thorough. If you are actually serious about considering purchasing the planter, the 7000 is well built and will do an excellent job IF you keep it in good working order. For the investment of your time into checking ALL of these items mentioned on the list and money into replacement parts ($ for these part are very reasonable), the improved planting quality and increased yields as a result will be well worth it...even if plant stands are only slightly better. Making sure every component is working perfect is critical. With the price of corn, it doesn't take long to pay for these improvements. That said, I personally go all out and do everything to my 7000 that I can to increase its performance.

If you do buy this planter, the FIRST thing I would do is replace all of the finger meters with Precision Planting finger meters...or better yet, replace the finger meters with vSet meters, also from Precision Planting...the quality of singulation and stands is SO much better and that is where maximizing yield potential all starts. I have also found their Bullseye seed tubes to be a good replacement. They have steel rods near the bottom of the tube to prevent/slow wear and damage to the bottom of the tube.

There are a lot of add-ons for planters, but I also go for something called the Rebounder seed covers from Schaffert. They strap on the the back side of the seed tubes and give you more consistent firming action around the seed than Keetans that tend to twist the seed out of the trench in soil conditions that are slightly wetter than ideal.

farmrn

Posted 2/25/2013 01:19 (#2924088 - in reply to #2917058)
Subject: Re: John Deere 7000 planter questions?

Southern IL

Thanks so much for all of the info! I am picking up the planter next week, and start my inspection. Thanks again

jps51248

Posted 2/25/2013 09:56 (#2924620 - in reply to #2917058)
Subject: RE: John Deere 7000 planter questions?

nw Iowa

If you can at all swing it, put the drives on that do away with the clutch. Others on here will chime in on names. Think there are at least two companies that make them. Rawson seems to ring a bell. I think one is made at Colo, Iowa!! No more skips, hard to tell when it is happening. I know these wheel drive have gone up in price, what hasn't?? Good luck, used a 7000 12R for many years, they are a darn good planter!!! jps

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