Coned disk blades keep planter on ridges

Coned disk blades keep planter on ridges PLANTERS Planters 13-1-8 Pairs of spring-loaded "coned" disc blades, mounted on the fertilizer bar ahead of each planter unit on an 8-row Deere 7000 planter, make great ridge planter guides, says Greg Leland, Bricelyn, Minn., who liked the idea so much he's applied for a patent on it. Leland, who switched from conventional to ridge planting three years ago, hinged pairs of 20-in. dia. blades together "inside out" so that the back sides of the cones are just above the top of the ridge. The weight of the planter maintains down pressure on the discs so they "hug" the sides of ridges. Leland has used the units on over 2,700 acres without problems. "Part of the dependability of these units is their simplicity. Some commercial ridge guide systems use an electric-over-hydraulic design which can result in expensive repairs. These units have no gismos - no electric solenoids, hydraulic dampeners, leaky fittings, bad connections, computer chips or circuit boards. They're easy to mount and to adjust, and their short profile allows sharp turns even with duals. After they're set you can almost forget they're there." Leland mounts the coned disc blades on the three outside rows on each end of his planter, leaving the center two rows open because the planter hitch interferes with mounting. According to Leland, the coned disc blades are unaffected by the size or shape of the ridge. "If the ridges are wide, the blades cut into the center part of it and hang onto that. They seem to be unaffected by speed and are not hindered by large amounts of trash. Also, they hold well on steep hillsides. The entire set of ridge hugging units would have to move over for the planter to slide." Each set of blades mounts with two bolts to a bracket on the fertilizer bar, allowing Leland to adjust the units horizontally along the bar. A vertical tube, drilled with holes, fits through each bracket, allowing Leland to set blades at eleven different height positions. By tightening or loosening a nut, he can control the amount of down pressure or spring tension so each unit can flex 7 in. up or down. At 1 in. of flex, each pair of blades receives 630 lbs. of down pressure. At 4 in. of flex, down pressure increases to 920 lbs. Leland says he hasn't yet been able to calculate the pounds of down pressure at the 5, 6 or 7-in. flex levels. Bracketing changes would allow use - on various makes of planters, says Le-land, who estimates the ridge planter guides could be built for a retail price of $300 to $350. Manufacturer inquiries are welcome. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Greg Leland, Rt. 1, Box 130, Bricelyn, Minn. 56014 (ph 507 653-4468).

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