Putting the Planter to Rest for Awhile

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By Dairyland Seed Agronomy Team

For most of our seed friends, Round One of planting is done. We do have a few isolated cases where weather and planting did not mix, and we need to replant.

As a whole, the planting is season is done. That being the case, it time to put your planter to rest for the year. Just like we tuck our kids in bed, we need to look at doing the same for our planters. In the seed business the most important piece of equipment is the planter. Agronomists will tell you the sins of planting season last all year long. Taking proper care of that ever so important tool is imperative. That process begins now.

It goes without saying, but perhaps the very first thing to do, is a good cleaning. Give your planter a thorough cleaning.

Take note of any noticeable leaks, etc.
Get all the soil, debris and caked on seed treatment washed off.
Remove seed discs and gaskets. Some even loosen chains or remove them completely.
Next, its basic, but clean out the seed boxes, tank, and mini hoppers. Consider using something to keep mice out of seed tubes and use some form of prevention to deter or extirpate rodents. With the amount of electronics in today’s equipment they can chew up a considerable amount of money.
Speaking of electronics, remove the monitor from the tractor and store appropriately. Before doing that, if you are collecting planting data, download your files and get them stored properly for later use.

If you are like a few of us, after a few weeks or months (sometimes the time it takes to walk to the next room) we tend to forget. Take the time now to document any issues you were having this spring: chains slipping, wrong codes, loose wires, row clogging, bearing loose etc. This gives you a great starting point this winter. Record the items you know are wrong.

Next, in a sense, begin trying to find things that are wrong. What items have undo wear or will need replaced before next planting season? Work on the preventive maintenance items. We encourage you to visit the Precision Planting Maintenance Guide or your equipment manufacturer for additional suggestions to review. Here area few of their suggestions.