Planter Maintenance

We are glad that you stopped by our Planter Maintenance page! Planter maintenance is something we are passionate about at Solid Rock Ag as it sets the stage for an entire growing seasons crop. We offer many technology upgrade products for the planter as you can see if you have browsed our website. However, if the basic planter maintenance is not where it should be, there is a good chance that planter upgrades aren't going to perform to their full potential. In fact, in some instances, technology without proper planter maintenance could actually cause more harm than good.

 We offer a service where we will run through a multipoint inspection of your planter and give specific recommendations to make sure that your planter is ready to go. But we also understand that many growers like to do this themselves. So below are some general guidelines which we hope are helpful to look for when going through your planter.

We also understand that planter maintenance is not something that most farmers enjoy doing. Because of this, Solid Rock Ag makes a commitment to always try to recommend replacement products which outlast the OEM components. We base these recommendations off of actual real-life experiences we have had with trials conducted through our customer base. If you can get at least double the life out of a component, (Oftentimes we see more than this) or not have to adjust it as often, even if you have to pay twice the amount for the product (Typically this is not actually the case), then this is a win-win for everyone. As we walk through the planter maintenance aspects below, we will also include links with our recommendations to products which will outlast the traditional OEM replacements.

Opening Disks

Shimming: It is very important that you shim the disk openers properly. If they are too tight, then you risk putting extra load on the bearing of the opener blades. If they are too loose, then you will sacrifice the integrity of the furrow. In order to test this, keep the blades from rotating on the planter and slide a business card towards each other from both sides of the contact point until they stop. At this point, measure the distance between the two cards. Below lists what the measurements these should be with different sizes of blades:

3.0mm blade thickness: 2" - 2 ½"

3.5mm blade thickness: 1 ½" - 2"

4.0mm blade thickness: 1"

Disk Run-out: Oftentimes blade manufacturers don't get the bearings pressed quite perfectly in the housing. When this happens, it can cause the blade to "Wobble" as it spins. This can be a problem both side to side horizontally or vertically if there is a variation on the distance from the outside of the blade to the bearing housing. We recommend isolating each disk and using a magnetic dial indicator to see which one is the problem. If the vertical or horizontal run-out is around .055″ or more, we recommend returning it and using a different one.

Check Disk Hubs: We have found brand new opening disks with the bearings not pressed into the housing correctly. If this is the case, the disks will start opening up and have gaps in them while planting. The way this can be checked is when one disk is mounted on a shank, give a good tug on the outside of blade. If you feel it shift at ALL in the housing it is bad and needs replaced.

Check Disk Diameter: Each Planter manufacturer has a different diameter replacement specifications. The disk openers should be replaced if they are worn 1/2" down from their original diameter. Below are the recommendations for each planter. (Keep in mind that in rocky areas, if the disks start getting chipped around the edges, It may make sense to replace them before they get completely worn down to the replacement diameter)

- John Deere/Kinze: 14 ½" (15" New)

- Case IH 12XX: 13½" (14" New)

- Case IH 2XXX: 14 ½" (15" New)

- White 8XXX: 14" (15" New)

- White 9XXX: 15 ½" (16" New)

Disk Scrapers: There are several different kinds of disk scrapers. The standard steel scrappers tend to be the quickest to wear out. Once it is worn to were the bend point is, it needs replaced. We really like the plastic rotary scrapers because they seem to last a lot longer. Once they do wear past the plastic on one side of the wheel, you can simply flip it around and have a new surface.

Scraper Pressure: Another thing to think about when adjusting your disks is that many times your scrapers add a significant amount of pressure on the opposite side of the contact point of the disk. It is a good idea to check the measurement of the contact point AFTER the scrapers have been installed to make sure the contact point is not changed by the tension of the scrapers. Some metal scrapers may actually need to be pried slightly away from the disk as they can cause considerable resistance and prevent the blades from turning in soft soil environments. (just remember to keep enough pressure that dirt and stalks don’t build up between the scraper and disk)

**Note: The primary reason that scrapers are required is because gauge wheels are not set correctly and doing their job. If set properly, the gauge wheel will actually scrape off the dirt from the opener blades. Oftentimes if we install one of the upgraded gauge wheel arm systems described below in the gauge wheel section, we no longer need to use disk scrapers at all and can remove them entirely.

Recommended Opener Disk: We carry the WearParts Disks Opener blades. They have proven themselves over and over again to greatly outlast any other brand we have tested because of their 3 level heat treatment as well as having better runout tolerances and a lifetime guaranteed bearing. Click Here for more info. 

Gauge Wheels

Check For Wobble: Before setting them, it is important to make sure the wheel is true when it spins. If it is especially wobbly, you will not ever be able to set it correctly. Using a dead blow hammer, you can sometimes tweak it so that it is close enough to set. However, this can be pretty labor intensive. 

Setting: Setting Gauge wheels can be a frustrating experience. Its tough to get them just right and before long the parts are worn so they are out of adjustment again. Gauge wheels need to be tight against the opener disks. If not, dry soil will get into the seed trench causing uneven emergence. We like them tight enough so that when you lift them to planting position and turn them, it slightly turns the disks as well. However we don’t want them so tight that when you lift the up they don’t come back down.

Threaded Gauge Wheel Arm: When working with the threaded tightening system, it is important to realize that these brass collars wear. Because of this, you need to be checking them throughout the season and tightening when needed.

Spacer Gauge Wheel Arm: With a spacer tightening system, (Standard with Kinze) make sure the total number of shims on each gauge wheel arm does not change. If it is too loose, remove spacers out of the inside and install them on the outside. Always make sure you have at least one spacer between the arm and the shank. If all spacers have been removed and the wheel is still too loose, it may be time to replace either the shank pivot rod (which is a replaceable component on a Kinze 3000 & up), gauge wheel rubber, or the spacer inside the gauge wheel arm.

Gauge Wheel Arm Upgrade Options:

RK Gauge Wheel Kits: We highly recommend getting RK Arm Kits because they eliminate most of this issue and help make your gauge wheel system much lower maintenance and easier to adjust. Click Here for more info. 

Copperhead Ag Bearing Replacements: We offer a replacement gauge wheel arm made by Copperhead Ag which uses a bearing design instead of a screw adjustment. For more info, click Here. Below are some points that this addresses:

- All of the load is now on the bearing, so there is no actual wear that takes place which would cause slop. So once you set it, it won't change

- It comes with a pivot shaft to thread into the John Deere Shank permanently instead of using a bolt. So you don't have to balance the gauge wheel on your knee anymore when your removing it. Just zip off the nut and slide it off. 

- It also comes with a hole drilled in the arm and a replaceable wear clip which can be replaced as the pivot linkage wears into it instead of wearing directly into the arm itself. 

Precision Planting DuraWear: Precision Planting also now offers a replacement arm called DuraWear. It uses a polymer pivot bushing similar to the technology that they also use with Conceal. The nice thing about this solution is that you no longer have to use shims to adjust them. It uses a bolted clamp on design which you can loosen up and slide where you want it before tightening it down. For more information, click Here.

Inner Guards

The inner guards (This is the piece mounted down between the opener disks) are one of the most overlooked maintenance Items on the planter. Many people do not understand the importance of them and as a result, they are neglected. It is very important to check the measurements on these and at least replace them whenever it is time to replace the disk openers. We recommend replacing them after they start measuring 3/4" or less between wear surfaces. Below are the purposes that this inner guard serves.

- Protects the seed tube from rocks 

- Protects the seed tube from the disk wearing into the side of it. 

- Prevents the disk openers from flexing too much in order to maintain a flat bottom in the trench.

- Helps prevent extra stress on the disk opener bearings

If the wear gets too great, (we especially see this on Kinze 3000+ planters) the disk openers can actually start wearing into the shank which can eventually lead to needing to replace the entire shank.

From our experience, the inner guards which come from factory on most planters wear very fast. We offer a high wear alternative called a Valion which outlasts the OEM 2 - 4x. See more information Here. 

Row Units​

Row Unit Slop: If you lift up on the row unit, there should be very little, if any sloppiness. If you can pull it up a half an inch or more without the parallel arms moving (measuring to the back of the hopper), this indicates that maintenance should be done. We recommend trying the following.

1st: Make sure the U-Bolts holding the row unit to the bar are tight. It is very common for these to loosen up slightly and cause slop.

2nd: If the U-Bolts are tight, go ahead and replace all of the bushings in the upper and lower parallel arms of one row. If done right, replacing one bushing at a time, the weight of the entire row unit will not need extra support via a jack or fork truck.

3rd: If the row unit still has slop, we recommend replacing the parallel arms. Sometimes, if the lowers aren't as worn, you can significantly help the row unit by only replacing the upper arms. In general, however, we think if you’re going to do all the work of replacing arms it is worthwhile to replace both uppers and lowers.

We offer a high wear parallel arm rebuilding/exchange solution so that instead of just buying OEM replacement arms, we will exchange your worn out arms with a rebuilt high wear version which will last much longer. Click Here for details on this.

Check for Weak Areas: If your row unit is stamped instead of cast, it is especially important to check for cracks and reinforce as needed.

Check For Bent Units: Sight down the shanks and make sure they are not bent. Row unit shanks can bend from turning too tight while planting or hitting rocks. If they are bent, it can put extra stress on the disks and the seed trench will not be made uniformly. Furthermore, a crooked shank can significantly affect closing performance.

Bar Height: Row units perform optimally at the center of their vertical travel range. This way they have a range of motion which allows them to float across different contours of your soil. Do this by adjusting the height of the bar in relation to the row units. Each planter manufacturer has a different recommended measurement for this, but a good way to check this is when the planter is actually running through the field, verify that the parallel arms are running “parallel” to the ground . If they are running upwards, then you need to drop the bar down. If they are running downhill, then you need to raise the bar up. Note: This is completely separate from the levelness of the bar. 

Keep the Tongue Level: It is very important to keep the planter bar level. If it is not, every component on the row unit is not going to perform as originally intended. If a bar is oriented down hill towards the front, then the coulter or row cleaner running in front will be deeper, and closing system will be applying less force. The relationship between the gauge wheels and opening disk will also change which will greatly affect seed depth. If for any reason the tongue must error to one side or the other, we recommend to position the tongue slightly upwards. 

**Note: when checking this, you cannot go off of how the drawbar of the planter visually appears. This is because oftentimes there is a difference in angle between the tongue and the actual planter bar. It is very important to actually measure this directly on the toolbar that the row units are mounted to with a level while is running through the field.

Seed Drive System

Chains: Make sure all chains are lubricated frequently. Ensure there are not any links locking up as this can very easily cause bad spacing and singulation.

Spin Shafts: It is a good idea to disconnect any drive chain and just spin the meter drive shafts. They should turn relatively easily with a wrench. If they don’t, its likely that there are bearings going bad, or chains locking up.

Spin Chain Idlers: Check for bad bearings

Check for Misaligned Drive Cogs: If the cogs that connect the drive shaft to a folding wing are not aligned, it will cause spacing to oscillate.

Check Tire Pressure: On a ground drive planter, if a drive tire has too little or to much pressure, the diameter can be different enough to change the population.

Analyze Previous Year Spacing and SRI: One of the easiest and most effective ways to track down planter issues before getting to the field, is to examine your SRI (standard deviation), and spacing from  the prior year’s planting maps. This high definition data can bring out patterns and issues that would be much harder to pick out otherwise.

Depth

Consistent depth is one of the most important things to get right on your planter. This is one of the best ways to get even emergence in your field.

How Deep? The general rule within agriculture is 1.5 – 2″ deep; however, we like to plant around 2″ – 3″ depending on the conditions of the soil. Many studies show deeper planting wont hurt yield, and we would always rather error on the deep side. The dryer the soil, the deeper we want to plant in order to get to the moisture.

Setting:  To set depth on a planter bring every depth adjustment lever as far away from the gauge wheels as possible. Next, unfold the planter and lower it on a hard surface like concrete. Then slide a 2×4 with a 1×4 on top of it under each gauge wheel. This will represent planting at around 2 1/4” deep. Now tighten up each of the depth adjustment levers until they are as tight against the gauge wheels as they can get. 

Row Cleaners

Check for bearing issues: Spin each wheel to make sure that they spin freely. Also rock them side to side to see if they have any movement. Most of the Yetter bearings on the market are considered "Throw away" once they get to this point because of the cost it takes to rebuild them. (We offer a high wear replacement of this Here) But typically the Martin bearings can be tightened up with an internal nut a time or two before the bearings need replaced on them.

Check for slop in pivot points: It is important to check the row cleaner linkage to make sure that there isn't excessive slop developing here. As this wear increases, it will increase vibration on the row cleaner which is carried directly into the row unit and can effect the overall row cleaner performance. Rock them side to side in order to test this. Oftentimes the bushings need replaced, or give us a call and we may be able to re-build them with high wear inserts in the same way we refurbish parallel arms.

Seed Tube Wear

As the disk openers flex, especially if the inner guards start to get worn, the disks can start wearing into the seed tube. We have also seen where there is so much heat buildup that it will actually melt into the tube creating a protrusion inside the tube. Either of these can result in seed bouncing in the tube which will throw off seed spacing. At this point, you will want to replace the tubes and also replace the inner guard. We also offer an upgraded seed tube called Bullseye which has 2 carbide wear points on it which will prevent this from happening in the future. See more info Here.

Ensure the meter is tightly secured

We recently encountered a vDrive equipped planter that was struggling with spacing with vDrive meters on it. The SRI, which is a very accurate spacing measurement picked up on the 20|20 Display was showing worse on certain rows than others. In certain areas, the planter would perform fine until it hit a rough area. Then the spacing would get really bad as the row unit was jostled around causing the seed not to go down the center of the seed tube. We rarely ever have spacing issues with vDrive so we were perplexed by this. After some inspection, we found that the clamps holding the hoppers to the row units had loosened up on some rows. We simply tightened them up and the issue cleared up. This is a very simple thing that made a big difference and can be so easy to overlook.