Planter Preparation Tips

2018 Pre-Season Planter Service Tips

Do you remember what issues you were having last spring? Your planter is the first and most critical tool, used to ensure that your investment begins correctly. Our factory trained service technicians have a few tips to help get you started so you can have a worry-free spring season.

1. Thoroughly clean the planter of old seed and dirt after it’s been in storage.
2. Hook up your planter to the tractor and test all of the hydraulic circuits (vac, seed drives, bulk fill, and raise/lower, etc.). Re-familiarize yourself with the function controls and confirm all individual circuits are working properly.
3. Clean off all chains and lightly oil them.
4. Check the condition and tension of the seed drive chains at the hydraulic motors and the drive chains to the row units. If these chains are loose or worn down it can drastically affect the seed population and spacing.
5. Confirm settings of singulator, baffles, vac system, and bulk fill rate.
6. Check to make sure seed discs are installed properly and programmed into the display.
7. Check the pressure and condition of your planter tires. Tire pressure and condition directly correlate to population on many planter configurations.
8. Have a Birkey’s certified technician perform a Customized Maintenance Inspection on your planter. Learn More.