JD 494 corn planter

[Rob Young]

I was talking to the parts gal at the JD dealer about a book for a 494 planter. She has 3 available. model 494-1957to 1961,494A-1962 to 1966 and 494AN-1967 up. I looked around for a id plate or tag,didn't see one. Maybe some of you guys might know where to look. Or perhaps some other identifying clues. It has smaller seed hoppers. Maybe 18" across by 12" deep. I don't have it home yet,probably won't for a couple of weeks yet.I think its one of the newer ones. Any help would be much appreciated.

Rob Young

 

[hd6gtom]

Some one correct me if I am wrong, I think the 494AN was narrow row.

 

[rustyfarmall]

The model number on the decal is all there is. If the decal says 494, that is what you have. If it says 494A, that is what you have. Etc.

 

[RalphIa]

The 494 had a round tube for the fertlizer in front. The 494 A had a square one.

 

[Rob Young]

Do you mean the tube that the fertilizer hopper mounts on ?

 

[Leroy]

Yes, that is it. The round tube is plain 494 and the older model and did not have a folding hitch. The 494A is newer and has the square bar for the fertilizer to mount to and has a folding toung. If it has a enclosed transmishon then you want book for 494, if just open sprockets 494A and the AN is not a 494 planter as there was never a narrow row model seperated out on 4 row, only on 6 or 8 row will you get into the AN numbers and the 1240 planter if plate type is same as the 494A.

 

[Leroy]

I forgot to hit on this. The boxes you describe are from a 494 or early 494A planter and not a later planter. The 494 came out in 1957 and the first year it was unique and I have yet to find an operators manual that actually covers it. The 1958 up manuals were substituted for it and then about mid 60's, would have to do some hunting to know for sure the year changed to the 494A but there were 2 versions of the 494A and most just figure the book for the later version for all of them. Have a 1957, a 1958, a 1959 494 and a 1969 494A here. None in use anymore after I retired from farming. Also have 2 of the 490 that last was built in 1956 and 4 of the 290 and a 450 that was built in late 30's to as near as I can tell 1942. Also had a 999 and earlier had a 246 planter.

 

[Tim(nj)]

Deere parts catalog PC-981 is for 494-AN and 694-AN planters . . . .

 

[Mike Aylward]

Deere did indeed make a 494AN planter. It was designed and sold to be used as a four-row wide or a 6-row narrow. The frame was approximately the same as the 694AN planter but only used two carrying wheels instead of four on the 6-row. Mike

 

[tomstractorsandtoys1]

My 494a has a transmission for the seed population.The later 494a planters have sprockets.Wish mine was a later one.

 

[Leroy]

Mine was the later style and I hated it, changed it over to the transmission and after that It was easy to set population and could get the seeding rates I wanted that I could not before I changed it over. Be luckey you have the transmission as I believe that other settup was the absoutly worst part of the planter. Very hard to change settings on.

 

[Rob Young]

Thanks for comments guys!

Rob Young

 

[sammy the RED]

The older 494-A's did not have a serial number.
The newer 494-A's had a tag with serial number.

 

[BarryfromIA]

I just brought home a 494 with round pipe front frame for the fertilizer discs, folding hitch frame and chain drive. I also have a 494a with a gear box and no till colters and large seed boxes. The seed rate charts require different settings to get a given population between a gearbox planter and a sprocket drive planter. Any book would be better than no book.