University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension, Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources

April 14, 2006

Preseason field check of planting equipment

When starting to plant in the field, be sure to check the seed depth and seed-to-soil contact at the seed depth to ensure good placement.
Before starting to plant, take time to check on how well your planter will perform in no-till. As with any piece of equipment, the owner’s manual is the starting point for the initial settings and adjustments. Valuable recommendations and trouble-shooting tips are in the manuals and also available from others who own and operate similar equipment. To check your planter in your conditions, take it to the field as soon as the weather and field conditions allow, without any seed in it, and make adjustments to improve its performance.

  1. Level the planter in the field, making sure that the toolbar is at the proper height and leveled front-to-rear, perhaps even slightly “tail” down. This allows for the full range of movement of the parallel links on the row units, helps keep the planter on the row, and aids in seed-to-soil contact. If the toolbar is too high, the downpressure springs are ineffective. If the toolbar is too low, you may break downpressure springs by over extending them.

  2. Make sure that the planter carrying wheels are exactly centered between the rows and that they are carrying some weight while setting the toolbar height. This is especially important if there are any ridges in the field from cultivation last year.

  3. Once the planter is leveled, try blind planting with no seed in the boxes or other products on the planter (everything empty). Stop with the planting units in the ground and check to see if the depth gauge wheels are in firm contact with the soil surface. If they are not, tighten the downpressure springs and try planting again. If you cannot tighten the springs, you may have to add extra springs or add weight directly to the planter unit to get the gauge wheels in firm contact with the ground. On wetter soils, you may have to reduce the downpressure to avoid over-compacting the soil next to the seed-vee.

  4. Check to see if you can slip the seeding mechanism drive wheels as the downpressure springs will be lifting the toolbar. You may have to add weight to the planter for the springs to work against and to keep the drive wheels firmly on the ground to reduce slip. Don’t loosen the springs to get the drive wheels back in contact with the soil as penetration to seeding depth is necessary. Extra weight will be needed for dry soils or heavy residue.

  5. Place a small amount of seed into a couple of seed boxes and plant a short distance. Check seeding depth, seed-to-soil contact, seeding depth uniformity, and seed spacing uniformity. Evaluate seed-vee closing and check to make sure you’re not over compacting the seed zone.

Make the necessary adjustments or add the required equipment to improve planter performance and check the planter again. Even though a preseason planter check was make, all of these items should be rechecked when actual planting begins and as conditions change during the planting season.

Paul Jasa
Extension Engineer

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Copyright 2006 by the University of Nebraska Board of Regents. All rights reserved.
Published by University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension in the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources Cooperating with the counties and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
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