John Deere 7000 planter, adding splitters, also JD bean m...

[Reid1650]

How hard would it be to add splitter units on the front of the planter like the kinzes? This planter is a 6rn. I know the middle unit would have to be mounted on the rear as the transmission and tongue are in the way but putting the other 4 up front i don't think would be a huge deal but wanted to know what you guys thought? Am I wasting time? Will a 30" bean yield as well as a 15" bean. I am on loamy soils and have planted beans in 30" rows for 3 years now. The two years before that I drilled them. I am also looking to replace the cups with JD's radial bean meters. Anybody used them? Any advice or words of wisdom are appreciated. Thanks!
 

[paul]

Takes a lot of room for a unit, will you be able to turn the tractor if you get units in front of the planter? Hum. Going to be out there a ways, your hitch isn't as long as the 12 row planters and such built to have units swung or hanging up there. But I don't know, just hum about it.

Everyone says the bean meters are better, that would be a good move.

Lot of folk grow top notch beans on 30 inch rows, back in the 80s everyone went to 15 inch or drilled around here; now I see about 1/2 the land planted to 30 inch beans again, worked out better for a lot of people. And this is big time corn & bean farmers, going for top profits....

I happen to plant at 15 inch, but I ghot a plat planter with 15 rows all set up for beans for $250 some years ago while my corn is still 38 inches.

In fact, your planter probably isn't set up at all for you, why don't I offer to take that junk off your hands, I'll make you a deal........ ;)

--->Paul
 

[Reid1650]

Lol Paul I got an amazing deal on this planter. Very light use this planter saw. All the row units are super tight with no play in them whatsoever, got it all repainted before I took delivery. Pretty nice 6 row unit but I have to be mobile with it. I will probably stick with the 30 inch rows and just spray an extra time if it needs it because of the slower canopy. This year my goal is to be a very good manager with I am done with school for good in the spring. So any corn bean advice as far as fertilizing, spraying or anything else I am all ears. I am in central ky and farm around 250 acres of grain and really looking to be profitable and to expand as this is what I would like to do for a career.
 

[Dalet]

Dad and I used to run a 7000 with 36" corn and splitters in between. They were all on the back. 8 row 36 and 13 row 18".
Worked out well, but it was hard on the extra units as they would drag along when we were planting corn. We did have the drive disconnected but the row units were rolling the same as the planting ones.

When Dad retired, since I was buying everything at the auctioneer appraised pricing, I decided to switch it to 10 28" rows and planted corn that way going forward.
I bought a JD No till drill for the beans. Working full time and farming means that sometimes if the technology is there, it is fun to experiment with. I have most of the beans no till, but also plant some with the corn planter on 30" that I bought awhile back. It helps me see how the crop yields year after year on different tillage practices.
 

[paul]

Enjoy your questions and comments on here, good luck. With the progress. Be careful, these are crazy times, reminds me of the 1970s, things are different but also the same, the 1980s were not as much fun and a lot less neighbors after that settled out.

Friend of mine has a 8 row 7000 for corn, with a modified 7 (was row 7100 that attaches behind it on a 2 frame cart. Makes 15 inch bean rows. Kinda slick, but after a number of years he"s wondering if it.s worth hooking off and on all the time. The 30 bean rows aren"t bad here if you pick the right bean.

I"ve seen other setups, but always with the extra units on behind.

If you want to try 15 beans, get a slow down gear for your planter, and double-plant. Some offset the hitch and just come back in the same tractor tire tracks, others like to plant in aid and pattern, say there is less sprayer damage and easier combining with the criss-cross demand pattern.

---Paul
 

[Reid1650]

Paul, thank you for the kind words. I am worried about the financial system in this country right now as I do have some debt ie. 5 yr loans on a few pieces of equipment, but I am confident if I am modest I can make it work still.

I hadn't thought of the criss cross idea before but may be worth looking at. I think my biggest thing is the bean meters first as I just really don't like the cups and then we will see how the beans do with better planting. The beans I plant they say are adaptable to any row spacing but I try and get the bushiest bean I can.

Any advice you have for a younger farmer (23 been farming for 8 years and am now getting to a point where I am getting bigger) I welcome it indefinitely. I'll leave my email open.
 

[MF Poor]

How creative are you? If you're a decent fabricator, you might be able to build something similar to the rig these people sell. I looked at 'em and decided to buy a Kinze 8-row with interplants.
15

 

[andy r]

Without modifying the tongue the splitters have to go on the back. The tongue is too short for turns even if you cut part of the unit off where the insecticide boxes go. You could build a tongue with an opening for the middle unit like a Kinze. I have a 6 row and put splitter units on the back. Works great - like a used $15,000 to $20,000 Kinze, but these cost $2500 to $5000 at auctions. It does have a negative tongue weight. Puts all of the weight on the 4 lift wheels. This is the second one I built and never have had problems with the lift (rockshaft tube, wheel bearings, rims, tires, etc). I probably don't bounce it across rough ground too fast, but I wouldn't any planter. I have CSR ground from 45 to 85. On the 45 to 75 CSR ground I know I get better yields in 15" rows verse 30" no-till or worked ground with 10" rows drilled. Some soils just have a hard time getting beans to cover all of the ground in 30" rows expecially since more and more bean varieties are more upright. 15" rows do it on the poorer soils. Secondly, a corn planter puts the beans in so they come up immediately. I drilled beans for years, both no-till and tilled. Sometimes took a rain. That is why I like the splitter 1) narrow rows, 2) come up immediately, and 3) nothing better than a planter for no-till.