16-Row Fold-Forward Planter

16-Row Fold-Forward Planter PLANTERS Planters 18-5-11 Tony and Jeff Larson, New Hampton, Iowa, built a 16-row front-fold planter by constructing a 35-ft. long telescoping hitch that allows them to hook two Deere 7000 Max-Emerge 8-row planters together and fold them forward for road transport. A pair of up-front dolly wheels support the hitch's main 6 by 8-in. telescoping drawbar. The planters are folded by a pair of hydraulic cylinders near the back of the hitch. A pair of 4 by 6-in. steal beams extend diagonally from the front of the hitch to each planter's original hitch mounting point. To fold the planter for transport, Larson puts the tractor in neutral and uses the planters' original lift cylinders to raise the planters, then unplugs the hydraulic lift hoses and plugs in the hoses that operate the folding cylinders (his tractor doesn't have enough outlets for both sets of hoses). He swings both planters inward until they're tight against the hitch, then pins on a crossbar to tie both planters together. He lowers the 3-pt. to set the dolly wheels on the ground and chains the planters' lift wheels in place. He then raises the 3-pt. to lift both planters. "It works as well as any commercial front-fold hitch and we spent only $15,000 to build it," says Tony. "It takes about 15 minutes to fold the planters for transport. We already had one of the planters and bought the second one at a farm sale for $8,000. A new 16-row Deere planter and hitch would cost about $70,000. We could spend another $1,000 to $1,500 to totally automate planter fold-up, but we don't really need to because we can already plant 250 acres per day. "The telescoping beam sometimes bends when it's raised, especially if the planter is loaded, but it always flexes back to its original shape." The Larsons used heavy steel beams to make new markers and replaced the markers' original cable-lift assemblies with big cylinders. There weren't any unused hydraulic outlets on the tractor to operate the cylinders so they use a solenoid, activated by a switch inside the cab, to direct oil flow to either marker. A 3-ft. long, 4 by 6-in. steel beam on either side of the telescoping beam is pinned to each planter and allows it to flex indivudually forward or backward. A 2 1/2-in. dia. steel pin mounted horizontally between the 3-ft. beam and planter toolbar allows each planter to flex individually from end to end. A pair of steel rollers inside the front and rear of the telescoping beam keep the inside 4 by 6-in. beam rolling smoothly. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Tony Larson, 2598 160th St., New Hampton, Iowa 50659 (ph 515 394-4308).

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