Do Everything Air Plate Planter

Do everything air plate planter PLANTERS Planters 10-3-6 "I wanted a planter I could use for minimum, conventional and no-till, and one that would plant corn in 36-in. rows and beans in 18-in. rows," says Illinois farmer Gene Kuttin," of New Douglas, who created what he needed with a combination air-plate planter. Starting with an International 800 Series 12-row, 30-in. Cyclo air planter, he made it into an 8-row, 36-in. planter for corn. The 12-row and 8-row call for the same beam. Kuttin bought extra plate-type units to make it into a 16-row, 18-in. soybean planter. (The smaller boxes shown in the photo are for applying soil insecticide when planting corn.) Kuttin equipped his "do everything" planter with horizontal rear folding, a rear lift assist wheel, and a Dicky-john monitor which has a disconnect/reconnect circuit for monitoring whichever rows are planting. Kuttin has used his hybrid planter two seasons. In that time he has planted conventionally, no-tilled full-season corn, and zero-tilled soybeans after wheat. He notes that the Early Riser no-till units can be hand-tensioned as needed to make the coulters cut through heavy trash when planting zero till. "I like the accuracy I get with the planter for soybeans, over what I might expect with a drill. This rig gives me better depth control," says Kuttin. Kuttin does not cultivate his soybeans. "Previously, I did have a problem with cockleburs but now I take care of it with an overspray of Basagran."

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