Dallas Center IA 515-720-2463 | The SureStop looks like a pretty good deal.
The first time I saw one was about five or six years ago at a White Planter dealer in Bancroft Iowa, on a 24 row x 30"
But I have one concern about Air Shutoff [SeedStop] vs Drive Shutoff [Tru-Count]
When you close that Butterfly Valve and the air pressure drops, the seeds are going to fall out of the seed disk.
Then when you want to start planting again you will have to fill the seed disk before any seeds make it to the seed tube.
With 30" row and 32,000 seed/A there is one seed about ever 6.5".
A White corn disk has 30 cells.
And it looks to me like it is about 20 cells from the pool of seed to the Cut-Off Brush and the Seed Tube.
I could be wrong on the number, but I bet it is close.
20 seeds 6.5" apart is 130", almost 11'.
So when you want that shut off portion of the planter to start planting again, the planter will have to travel about 11' before it starts to plant again.
I have a 12 x 30. And I don't want 15' by 11' bare spots in my corn fields.
The way to get arount the non-planted areas is to turn the thing off [open the valve] about 10' before you want to start.
I have had Tru-Count clutches on four different planters since 1990 or 1991. And it is easy to get messed up. Trying to remember to open that valve up 10' before you want that part to resume planting will just make it worst.
You could drop the planter 10' before you want to start planting. But then you will have a double planted area about 10' by 15' on the other half of the planter.
SureStop vs Tru-Count
It looks like SureStop costs less than Tru-Count. The SureStop website says $750. Pretty sure Tru-Count is well over $1000-. Both for half width disconnects.
SureStop looks like it would be quite a bit easier to install. With the Tru-Count you have to tear into the seed shaft.
Both have electric solenoids. The tru-Count also has the Wrap Spring Clutch that could give some problems.
But in almost 20 year of running Tru-Counts I have never had any clutch problems, or solenoids. Just wiring problems.
GPS controlled clutches on each row is the way to go. But half width will do you a lot of good for a whole lot less money.
The pic is a single row Tru-Count electric clutch on my corn planter. I have two of them on rows 5 and 8. I used them to make little short [about 5'] Tramlines.
They tell me where the center of the planter is.
Sure is nice spraying and combining.
I know my fancy GPS will tell me where the right rows are, but this is easier to use.
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 2009_05030008.JPG (95KB - 673 downloads)
Seedstop.jpg (53KB - 731 downloads)
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White planter air shut off
