Narrow-Row Soybean Planter

Narrow-Row Soybean Planter PLANTERS Planters 14-3-6 Old no-till planters can be converted to make good narrow row soybean planters, according to a Wisconsin farmer who mounted an extra row of planter units on the front bar of a junked planter. Lawrence Maier used parts from three old planters to put together his 11-row planter with 15-in. spacing. "I got the idea during a long illness when I had lots of time to think and to read auction bills looking for used equipment. We started with a 6-row Allis Chalmers no-till planter that we bought for about $650. It was equipped with insecticide applicators and liquid fertilizer attachments, with no-till fluted coulters mounted on a front toolbar. We used the frame of this planter and then bought two more planters to get the additional row units needed," says Maier. He sold all the fertilizer and insecticide boxes and other miscellaneous parts on the planters, receiving more than he originally paid for the planters. To mount the additional row units, Maier removed the center support brace and then mounted the row units on the front bar where the fluted coulters were originally attached. "It was easy to do. Removing the extra brace didn't weaken the planter since we removed the liquid fertilizer tanks," says Maier. He can easily shift the planter units to one side or the other to adapt to wheel width if he switches tractors. Last year, which was just Maier's second year growing soybeans, he averaged 45 bu. per acre. He hopes to do better this year by lowering his planting rate to 75 lbs. per acre. "We like the planter a lot. It made the switch to soybeans easier." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Lawrence Maier, N4691 Highway 151, Columbus, Wis. 53925 (ph 414 623-5599).

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