“I’ve used Precision Planting technology since 2005 and initially installed it for planting corn. I was intrigued by the electric vDrive. This year, my corn spacing was spot on, and my average speed was 6.7 mph. It was almost like having two planters out in the field.”
“The 20|20 monitor allows me to see what the planter is doing from the load cells to the downforce to the vacuum, for example. My old monitor showed things like seed population, but the 20|20 monitor documents everything, including seed population, singulation, furrow moisture and soil temperature. It also has a Good Ride feature. If you are in the green, and it is showing 98 to 100% Good Ride, you can actually see the lack of skips and doubles and know you are getting accurate seed placement. I wasn’t able to see that before.
“In my opinion, the finest feature on the planter is DeltaForce — the automated downforce control. When planting corn, you come across tacky spots in the field that may be a little soft. With DeltaForce, I never once balled up a press wheel. When it hits those muddy spots, it’s almost like it’s feeling the ground. DeltaForce picks the unit up while maintaining a consistent seed depth. No manmade machine is absolutely fail safe, but my singulation and spacing on the corn are as close to perfect as I can get without hand planting. They are really accurate. I am completely impressed with the way DeltaForce functions.
“We got back into cotton this year and did a two-seed drop instead of drilling it. The spacing on the cotton is just like the spacing I see on the corn. It’s impressive. Our soil type varies from sandy to heavy ground. In the past, we would see a big difference in seed depth, especially with cotton. DeltaForce takes a lot of that variation out.
“I planted every acre of cotton and every acre of corn we have with Precision Planting technology this year and only replaced one bearing on the closing wheel. If we gather any more acres in the future, I will definitely build another planter identical to this one. It does everything it is supposed to do.”
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