Planting speed

[NEMOfarmkid]

Finally ready to plant with my Oliver 540, but I?m not sure how fast I should be going. My tractor is a John Deere 70 with 6 speed transmission. Third gear is what I?m thinking but at full throttle it might be a touch too fast.

What do you guys think? Thanks for any help!

 

[Texasmark1]

I'm a self taught 40 year vet, STO, attempting to learn how to farm. I plant as fast as I can in keeping the coulters in the ground....not bouncing...Old JD drill, no fertilizer ap.,several new parts,springs primarily, 2 chains, lots worn but gets the job done just fine.

 

[SVcummins]

3 to 5 mph

 

[Case Nutty 1660]

a double disc drill like said you can run as fast as the drill is not bouncing, I run 8-9 mph all the time with mine But my fields are smooth and level, hoe drills and single disc drills you need to stay in the 4-5 mph range or you are throwing the dirt too bad, I like to put the seed into the moisture if possible, small grains in the 2 1/2" average planting depth, I also plant my grass and alfalfa this deep also,, lot of places you get by planting it 1/2" deep, I like mine again in the good moisture zone, so I get a root started where it can survive if you get dry weather after planting,, again something I do in my area,
cnt

 

[Leroy]

First question, diesel or gas? I know the diesel has a high geared transmission so 3rd would be faster than 4th in a late John Deere A. Now no reason to be running full throttle as you do not need the power. I am thinking that is a 4 row planter that is not a no-till planter. If what I am thinking would be simular to a JD 494A series planter and those did not take much power but I had to run in 4th with a late model JD B because I did not have enough power at lower RPM for 5th gear. You shpuld be able to idle along in 5th gear with a 70 and I hate to hear a tractor running at full throttle when idle will do it. If you travel too fast the seed cannot fill in the cells of the seed plate. I dont know how many cells in your seed plate. The Oliver 402 that I had I am thinking was a 16 cell plate but that was back in the mid 60's but pulled that 4 row with a 2N Ford. It would if it had the hydrolics have pulled the Deere 494A. I think you are going to be way overpoured with that 70 for what you need. Go acording to speed that will let plate cell fill without cracking seed and a 24 cell you can run faster than with a 16 cell. That 70 should pull that planter so fast you could not make the turns at row ends so just a speed you can safly handle tractor and that is not 6th gear that the tractor would pull it in.

 

[Leroy]

Big difference between your grain drill and a plate type corn planter in how you can operate them. The drill will feed the seed at any speed you can pull it, the corn planter the seed has to have time to fall into the hole in plate for it and do it without cracking, If that seed does not fall into the hole in plate you will have a skip, same if it cracks the seed because it does not have a chance for seed to fall correctly in plate cell.

 

[Case Nutty 1660]

Ops sorry I guess I did not know you were talking acorn planter disregard my comment below

 

[DeltaRed]

About 4 mph is as fast as I want to plant. 4 mph is second gear full throttle on an M Farmall. Usually I'm idled own some. Once in a while on smooth ground,I'll even try 3rd at just above idle. 'Excessive' speed causes skips with a plate type planter

 

[NEMOfarmkid]

This tractor is a gas and I?m using it because it has live hydraulics unlike my G. If 3rd gear at about half throttle will give me 4ish mph that?s what I?ll try this afternoon. I?ll be planting beans because a four row planter and twelve row corn head don?t play well together.

 

[tomstractorsandtoys]

I plant at 4 to 4 1/2 mph. I run a Deere 3020 in 5 gear at about 12-1400 rpm's. This is with a 7200 finger pickup planter. Some of the old seed corn bags use to have a chart for mph and planting populations. Your whole crop depends on proper planting so do not rush it. A 24 cell plate is more accurate than a 16 as it is moving slower. Tom

 

[paul]

You wouldn?t want to go over 4mph.

A plate planter from long ago might have been designed to plant 18,000 seeds an acre. Today we might try to plant 29,000 seeds, depends where you are, field corn or sweet corn, etc. higher planting densities means the plates have to spin faster.

Anyhow, the faster those plates spin, the harder it is for that little wheel to knock the seed down the hole. You might get better results running 2.5miles per hour......

(I?m not up on my Oliver planters, I?m assuming it is an older plate machine?)

I?ve never run a tractor wide open planting, unless you have a newer air planter and need the pto speeed or hyd pressure, I?ve always planted about 1/3 to 1/2 throttle and enjoyed the day. One year my too big of a tractor broke, and my medium sized gas tractors couldn?t lift the planter, so I ended up planting with a 4 row JD pulled by a 27hp compact loader tractor. That year I ran pretty much full throttle and was a gear slower than normal speed. Ended up being one of my best yields for that era, the slower speed helped seed placement tremendously.....

Corn planting isn?t a race, it?s about getting consistent seed depth and somewhat consistent seed spacing.

Paul

 

[Texasmark1]

Thanks for the reply. I never planted corn. Thought about it but have no harvesting equipment nor know of any commercial harvesters around here.