Slick Way To Switch To Narrow Rows

Slick Way To Switch To Narrow Rows PLANTERS Planters 5-6-1 "There's no need to buy an expensive second planter or drill exclusively for soybeans," says Ron McCleery, John Deere dealer and manufacturer of "The Splitter," a new trailing toolbar that lets you mount a second row of planter units behind the first row, spacing the units between the wider front rows for narrower, higher yielding soybean rows. McCleery, who also farms, says the demand is great for special soybean rigs but that many farmers can't justify the cost of a second planter for narrow rows. "In about 30 minutes, they can mount this toolbar behind their planter and do as good a job," he told FARM SHOW. This new add-on "Splitter" rides independent of the forward planter on its own carrying wheels. A double tongue hitch, attached with special brackets to the up-front planter, forces the trailing planter to follow it rigidly. The tongues are welded to the trailing toolbar but float freely over rough terrain in their pintle-type front hitch. The back planter is driven by a drive chain extended from a sprocket on the driveshaft of the planter in front. The sprocket is inserted in place of a spacer on the driveshaft. "That's the only modification needed on your existing planter," points out McCleery. You can mount John Deere's new Soybean Special row units on the trailing planter, or conventional Max-Emerge units. McCleery also sells Kinze row units from Kinze Manufacturing in Williamsburg, Iowa, and is working with International Harvester and other manufacturers to adapt their planters to the trailing toolbar design. "Several new soybean add-on planters have recently come on the market. The problem is that you have to modify your existing planter to mount them, making it difficult to change from planting one crop to another. Also, they're hanging a lot of extra weight on a toolbar that wasn't designed to handle it. Our planter rides independently, carrying its own weight," McCleery notes. Many different row combinations are possible with the new add-on. On a 6-row 30-in. spaced Max-Emerge, for example, you can pull five planter units behind, making 15-in. rows, or pull seven units, adding one extra to each end of the planter. Or, you can pull three units behind, leaving skip-rows between four of the forward row units. There are add-on planters for all combinations on 4, 6 and 8-row planters. "I don't recommend leaving skip-rows. Rather than leave a 30-in. skip-row, I prefer to plant it all to 15-in. rows and drive over the plants. Most of the plants come back after cultivating so, even if I lose a third of them, I haven't lost anything because I still have two thirds of a row of beans instead of a blank skiprow," explains McCleery, adding that you can make a "mini-skiprow" by making 12 and 18-in. spaced rows that allow slightly more room for the tractor wheels. A 5-row bar, complete with five regular Max-Emerge row units, lift assist wheels, cylinders and hydraulic hoses to the front of the planter, sells for $6,450. For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Ron McCleery, Spencerville Implements, Inc., Hwy. 117 West, Spencerville, Ohio 45887 (ph 419 647-4118, or toll-free in Ohio 800 472-5270).

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