Used IH 500 8-Row, 30-In. Soybean Planter Converted To Narrow-Row Model

Used IH 500 8-Row, 30-In. Soybean Planter Converted To Narrow-Row Model PLANTERS Planters 25-1-42 To boost soybean yields, Charlie Walters, New Virginia, Iowa, bought a used IH 500 8-row, 30-in. planter and converted it to an 8-row, 17 1/2-in. model. "My total cost was only about $1,200. I saved a lot of money because new narrow-row planters sell for tens of thousands of dollars," says Walters. He bought the 3-pt. mounted planter for $700 from an implement dealer's "junk row". He stripped the Yetter row units off and moved them in, adding a steel bracket at each end in order to mount the outside row units. The previous owner had hinged the toolbar so that the outside two row units on each side could be folded in. With the row units moved in, there wasn't a place to mount the outside row units. To solve the problem he clamped a short length of 7 by 7-in. toolbar on behind the main toolbar at each end of the planter, adding a spacer to set the two row units back farther for better trash flow. "It performs well and I like the way trash flows through it," says Walters. "I installed new bearings and disc openers on the planter wherever they were needed, as well as new tires. It's a cost-effective way to plant narrow rows because there are a lot of IH 500 planters around that can be bought cheap. I used the planter last year for the first time and did enough custom work to pay for it at least three times over. I planted in everything from tilled ground to no-till alfalfa sod and it worked perfect every time. I used it in the field next to an IH 5400 Soybean Special as well as a Kinze 23-row, 15-in. planter, and it performed just as well as both of them. "Before I bought this planter I had tried drilling beans for a couple of years, but I wasn't happy with the seed spacing and depth control. The row units on my planter have a staggered appearance due to the way the previous owner had set up the Yetter mounting brackets. "It's a real heavy planter because it's fully mounted. I use either my Ford TW125 front wheel assist tractor or my Case 1070 2-WD tractor to pull it. Neither one is completely satisfactory. The Ford can pick it up but doesn't turn sharp, while the Case turns sharp but has trouble picking it up. I wish the planter had lift assist wheels." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Charlie Walters, 242 Hwy. 207, New Virginia, Iowa 50210 (ph 515 449-3284).

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.