Corn School: Four checkpoints for planter prep

Kearney Planters service manager Shaun Dilliott

If you haven’t prepped your planter for 2020, there’s still time to get the job done.

On this episode of RealAgriculture’s Corn School, Kearney Planters service manager Shaun Dilliott walks us around a typical corn planter and offers tips on key areas where growers should focus maintenance efforts.

The frame segment is the first stop. Here growers need to go over the frame, hydraulics, wheels, hubs, and wiring. The next stop is the row unit — it needs to be checked from top to bottom, says Dilliott. Check parallel arms and bushings, gauge wheels and look for blade ware. Growers running planters with electronic drives need to check all plugs and wiring.

From there, Dilliott inspects the fertilizer system, including lines and the pump, before focusing his attention on electronics, wiring and routing. He emphasizes the importance of inspecting and testing the systems that will monitor and control all the electronic drives as well as hydraulic downforce. Growers also need to test planter control boxes that initiate different functions, including raise, rotate, wing locks, etc.

“If we check all these things…  life will be a lot easier at planting, ” says Dilliott.

Click here for more Corn School episodes.

Wake up with RealAgriculture

Subscribe to our daily newsletters to keep you up-to-date with our latest coverage every morning.

Wake up with RealAgriculture