A visual inspection should be a first step
As the planting season inches closer, Farms.com connected with Dave Brennan, planter marketing manager with Case IH, about steps producers can take to get the planter ready for the spring.
The first thing a producer should consider is the old-fashioned eye test.
Barring a replant scenario, the planter likely sat in storage for almost a year.
“We want to look at those hydraulics,” Brennan told Farms.com. “In addition to that is the air side of the planter, the vacuum side of the planter that’s critical to seed placement. Making sure those hoses aren’t cracked, frayed, broke or have some rodent damage.”
Once the visual check is complete, farmers may want to consult the owner’s manual.
In Case IH’s case, that guide is more than 800 pages long.
Producers who don’t want to do that much reading can visit Case IH’s YouTube page.
“We have a playlist within that Case IH YouTube channel that’s dedicated solely to planters and really that operation starting from the hook up all the way to the rear and to the closing wheel,” Brennan said. “It will walk you through those in bite-sized chunks.”
Those videos include checking wear parts like bearings and the closing system.
“The closing system is one that’s sometimes overlooked,” Brennan said. “You look at all the rows and think they all wore pretty evenly, but when you compare those to a new closing disc, they’ve worn more than you thought, and that can have an impact on seed to soil contact and emergence.”
Visiting a dealership for planter setup support is also an option, he added.
When a farmer has finished a thorough check of the planter, they can hook it up to the tractor for further setup.
With the tractor’s display, farmers can receive insights about each individual row unit.
“The 2000 Series Early Riser planters have a wealth of information that can be visualized in cab down to the row unit level,” Brennan said. “We’ve got a diagnostic screen in there that will tell us exactly what each one of those row units is seeing.”
When a farmer is happy with the state of the planter, a few test passes in the field might be a good option.
This can help producers ensure the planter is properly setup for when planting season is in full swing.
“I think it’s a good opportunity to get out ahead of the season,” Brennan said. “Take some leftover seed, throw that in and make a short pass. We can learn pretty quick if the planter is accomplishing what we want it to do and if the settings are correct.”
What is your procedure for spring planter setup?