Just in time for 2017 spring planting, AGCO Corporation has introduced the White Planter 9800VE Series planters equipped with SpeedTube seed tubes from Precision Planting. The planter will be introduced and on display at the AGCO Exhibit during the 2017 National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville, Ky.
“To achieve the best yields in corn, producers focus on getting as many acres as possible planted during that very narrow, five-to-10-day ‘optimum planting window’,” says Larry Kuster, senior product specialist for Seeding and Tillage at AGCO in a recent release. “With SpeedTube on White Planters 9800VE Series planters, they can now achieve precise seed placement of corn at speeds nearly double traditional operating speeds.”
In field tests, the 9800VE Series planter with SpeedTube produced the same consistent seed spacing at ground speeds less than four miles per hour, as it did when planting at more than 9.8 miles per hour. That means more acres planted per day and a better chance of hitting the narrow five-to-10-day ‘optimum planting window’ important for top yields.
With traditionally designed seed tubes on planters, high speeds create a ricochet effect as seed travels down the tube, causing poor seed spacing in the furrow. SpeedTube controls the seed all the way from the meter to the furrow. Feeder wheels at the top take control of the seed from the seed meter disk and pull it into a flighted belt that places it in the bottom of the seed trench. The belt speed increases or decreases with planter speed and seeding rates, to ensure the desired seed placement.
“As more and more producers strive to cover more acres in less time and manage inputs on a prescription basis, AGCO is delivering the equipment, technology and crop production expertise our customers need,” Kuster adds. “White Planters 9800VE Series planters with SpeedTube components are just one example among many recent additions to AGCO’s full-line offering.”
