Dear
Jeff,
I am rebuilding an old JD7000 4-row, 30-inch conservation
planter, and I am removing the fertilizer equipment because
it is rusted out. I was thinking of mounting a roller on the
machine, under the hitch tongue in the area where the fertilizer
openers were. I might have to notch the bottom of the tongue
to clear the roller then reinforce it. Do you think this would
work?
Trent Cloaninger
North Carolina
Dear Trent,
Thanks for the email and the interest in adapting our roller
technology to your planter. I’ll start by saying I have
no experience with adapting a roller to the frame of a planter.
I like having the roller in front of the tractor so it touches
the cover crop before the wheels of the tractor do. However,
as we expand the size of this equipment we know we will need
to mount sections of the roller to a planter frame. This makes
your question very relevant. In theory, your idea should work
as long as the roller has the ability to “float”
freely over the field surface applying its full weight to
the cover crop.
I suggest you contact two other folks here in Pennsylvania
who are working with planters and roller from a fabrication
perspective:
- Jake Blank, I&J Manufacturing, Gap, Pennsylvania,
717-442-9451 – manufacturer of rollers.
- Gideon Stoltzfus, Pequea Planter, Gap, Pennsylvania, 717-442-4406
– planter fabricator using John Deere base units.
I really think these two folks could help you out more than
anyone else. Good luck, and let me know how the fabrication
works out and how the unit works in the field. Pictures would
be helpful, if you are willing to share.
Jeff |
