It’s been years since John Deere changed the openers on its no-till drills. In 2018, however, the company is unveiling the new ProSeries Openers, improving upon its proven 90 series openers. The goal: quicker and more accurate seeding of small grains and oilseeds.
At an unveiling to media and dealers at the company’s Valley City, North Dakota, seeding solutions factory, Deere introduced the ProSeries Opener and its new 60-foot 1895 No-Till Air Seeder.
First, the ProSeries Opener. It features several improvements compared to the 90-series opener it replaces: among them, a narrow seed boot for reduced soil disturbance, and more precise seed placement. Seed is kept in place with a seed flap that matches the contour of the seed slot; a flexible press wheel is narrower than previous versions and presses seeds into the bottom of the seed slot. The press wheel has a more robust bearing and seals to prolong life. And an option for users is a new serrated closing wheel, designed to press through residue and close the seed slot.
Finally, the ProSeries has but one grease point (rather than three on the 90 series) to reduce maintenance time. Plus, the T-handle used to adjust depth is sealed at the top, preventing dirt and moisture corrosion.
“The ProSeries Openers help seal more anhydrous ammonia in the ground and improve seed-to-soil contact compared to previous openers,” said Emily Klemmer, seeding product manager for John Deere.
The ProSeries Openers are available immediately on the 60-foot 1895 air seeder, and later this season on all 90 series drills.
In addition, there is a retrofit kit available to owners of older 90 series drills wanting to upgrade their 90 series openers, Klemmer said.
1895 Deere is 40% wider
Meanwhile, the other innovation unveiled by John Deere is a larger 1895 air seeder. The 60-foot model is 40 percent wider than the previous larger model, which is 43 feet wide. On a 160-acre field, this machine requires nine fewer passes and can cover 100 acres more per day than the smaller one.
Highlighted features of the 60-foot 1895 Seeder include the new ProSeries Openers, RelativeFlow blockage warning system, TruSet in-cab downforce pressure control, and larger, high-flotation tires for less soil compaction when operating in the field. When combined with an air cart and NH3 wagons, the 1895 provides the ultimate single-pass seeding system for producers of small grains and oilseeds.
“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,” Klemmer said. “The 1895 is built on a heavy-duty tool bar for years of reliable operation under tough field conditions and is compatible with 430- and 550-bushel 1910 Carts, as well as the C850 Air Cart, plus twin NH3 wagons.”
The seed rows on the new drill are on 10-inch spacing with separate fertilizer rows on 20-inch spacing. Seed and fertilizer rates are controlled by the SectionCommand metering system and powered by an AirPower 2 dual fan for variable rate and prescription seeding applications. The twin fans provide a 40 percent improvement in flow of seed and fertilizer to the openers across the entire seeding compared to a single-fan system.
Operators can control and set downforce pressure from the cab with Deere’s exclusive TruSet closed-loop downforce pressure control system. This feature provides uniform and precise seed and fertilizer placement across the working width of the toolbar, under variable soil and field conditions, for more uniform plant emergence and crop maturity. TruSet offers six customizable pre-sets for seed and six pre-sets for fertilizer, or operators can dial in the exact downforce pressure settings they desire.
The RelativeFlow Blockage Monitoring System is another John Deere exclusive technology that will now be offered on the 60-foot 1895 Seeders to provide operators more accurate seeding performance information in the field. Sensors in the primary tower and on secondary hoses monitor the relative flow rate of both seed and fertilizer across the drill, from opener to opener, and this information is displayed on the monitor in the cab.
In addition, the 1895 Air Drill has a floating front hitch, wings with 25 degrees of flex, and larger, high-flotation mainframe and wing tires placed inside the high-clearance frame to provide better ground following and drill-to-soil contact. For more, visit www.JohnDeere.com/ag.
Bill Spiegel can be reached at 785-587-7796 or [email protected].
