Wide Operator

John Deere's 1895 60-foot air seeder can plant 100 additional acres per day.

Dan Miller
By  Dan Miller , Progressive Farmer Senior Editor
http://cmsappprod01.dtn.com/netpub/server.np?original=28853&site=DTN&catalog=catalog, Image provided by the manufacturer

John Deere earlier this spring rolled out its 60-foot-wide, 1895 No-Till Air Seeder with new ProSeries openers. Small-grain and oilseed producers will plant more acres more accurately with this seeder, Deere says. The 1895s are 40% wider than Deere’s 43-foot seeder--previously its largest drill until the 1895s began rolling out of Deere’s Valley City, North Dakota, manufacturing facility.

A 60-foot drill creates new seeding efficiencies. For example, over a quarter section, an operator will make nine fewer passes. The 1895 can add 100 acres or more planted per day with no new cab time.

“This wider no-till air drill is a perfect fit for producers looking to cover more acres faster with greater precision and improved monitoring of seed and fertilizer placement,” says Emily Klemmer, seeding product manager for John Deere. The 1895s are built on a heavy-duty toolbar and are compatible with Deere’s 430- and 550-bushel 1910 Carts, as well as the C850 Air Cart plus twin NH3 wagons. Deere says the 1895 is a complete single-pass seeding system for small grains and oilseeds.

New Openers. The 1895 no-till drill includes John Deere’s new ProSeries Openers. They replace Deere’s 90 Series openers. These openers feature a serrated closing wheel option for improved seed and fertilizer sealing, narrow and flexible press wheels with a thin seed boot for reduced soil disturbance and better seed placement.

“The ProSeries SFP Openers help seal more anhydrous ammonia in the ground,” Klemmer explains. SFP stands for separate fertilizer placement.

The openers feature sealed bushings and extended service life on ground-engaging parts such as the boot, seed tab and press wheel bearing. Here are other features found on the ProSeries openers:

> Sealed bushings eliminate weekly maintenance. These openers include a single zerk per opener--there had been three per opener on the 90 Series openers. The openers need to be greased only one time per season. The one-instead-of-three-zerks design eliminates hours of greasing that also had to be performed for every 50 hours of operation.

> The seed boot fits tighter to the disc to help keep the soil in place.

> A redesigned seed tab provides a better fit into the furrow, which helps keep seeds from bouncing out in the trench.

> A serrated closing wheel improves trench sealing.

> A sealing wing on the SFP boot breaks up the ground, allowing the anhydrous to bond to the soil better and reduce outgassing.

The ProSeries Openers will be available for the first time on the 60-foot 1895 then expanded to other models in the future. (See the DTN/The Progressive Farmer video about the ProSeries Openers.)

The seed openers on the 1895 drill are on 10-inch spacings. Separate fertilizer openers are on 20-inch spacings. Seed and fertilizer rates are controlled by Deere’s SectionCommand metering system and powered by the AirPower 2 dual-fan system for variable-rate and prescription seeding. The dual fans provide a 40% improvement in the flow of seed and fertilizer to the openers, Deere says.

Operators can control and set downforce pressure from the cab with Deere’s TruSet downforce pressure-control system. This feature provides up to 400 pounds of downforce at the top end and improves seed and fertilizer placement across the working width of the toolbar.

Prevent Blockages. John Deere offers its RelativeFlow Blockage Monitoring System on this air seeder. The system monitors flow rates of both seed and fertilizer across the drill, from opener to opener. Sensors read flow rates in the primary towers and secondary hoses. From inside the cab, the system displays developing problems before blockages occur.

There are other features and accessories of note on the 60-foot 1895 no-till Air Seeder:

> The drill has a floating front hitch.

> High-floatation mainframe and wing tires--30 psi--result in less compaction.

> The mainframe and wing tires are equipped with casters and walking beams to improve ground following.

> Deere offers optional Wing Weight Brackets (one for each wing). The brackets hold up to six tractor suitcase weights on each wing.

> Deere also offers an optional Spare Tire Mounting Bracket. The spare tire mounting bracket accommodates mainframe tire and wheel sizes.

For more information on the new 60-foot 1895 Air Drill and ProSeries Openers, visit JohnDeere.com/ag, or contact your John Deere dealer.

[PF_0618]

Past Issues

and