Keep It Simple

The trouble with simple designs is that it’s difficult to make them better without also making them more complicated, which could make them more prone to breakdown. That was the challenge facing engineers when they were tasked with improving the White Planter, which has always touted simplicity and reliability as sales points.

start with the meter. “That’s where the money is made [for the farmer],” says Gary Hamilton, AGCO senior marketing specialist. White planters have long been known for the simplicity of their positive-air metering system. Most air metering systems use a negative pressure (vacuum) to hold a seed on a plate before depositing it into the tube. White uses positive air pressure to hold a seed in a cell. AGCO engineers maintain the positive-air system needs less air pressure (“As much force as it takes to blow out a candle,” says Bob Boelsen, senior marketing specialist) and therefore requires less hydraulic power to operate fans and other system components.

The White meter, which has been around for about 40 years, was almost too simple to improve. But engineers tweaked it so seeds now fall into a cell at about 6 o’clock on White’s signature clear plastic metering disc. Moving counterclockwise, they pass under a tickler brush at about 2 o’clock, which scrapes off any doubles to make sure only one seed remains in the cell. That seed encounters a new tapered-air cutoff brush between 11 o’clock and 8 o’clock. With no air pressure to hold it in the cell, it falls off and slides into the seed tube at around 7 o’clock. Simple.

fewer parts. The row unit structure of White Planters has been about the same since 2000. About five years ago, engineers began working to improve it. They came up with a new cast frame assembly that’s more robust and has fewer parts. They also created an easier-to-use depth-control system and an optional flex shaft seed meter drive with an electrical clutch that allows for individual row shutoff. It’s weatherproof and should be maintenance-free even in standing residue. Overall, the engineers reduced part count on the row units by 70%.

On the planter frame, they eliminated many air hoses by routing air through the box frame itself. That cleaned up the look of the planter and reduced the frequency and expense of hose replacement.

The 9000 Series planters come in 12 configurations. The 9812, for instance, is a 12-row, narrow transport model (12 feet wide) that has two 45-bushel hoppers as a central-fill option and a 300-gallon liquid fertilizer tank. If the customer chooses a noncentral-fill planter, he can have a 750-gallon liquid fertilizer tank. A simple track drive places fertilizer.

The new planters will be available for the 2014 planting season. Pricing is not yet available.

(BAS)

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