LANGHAM, Sask. — SeedMaster toolbars are a good fit with wagon-style air carts with a steering axle, which is why John Deere uses these frames for its air-seeding system.
But SeedMaster doesn’t sell this style of air cart.
Instead, its carts have a rear axle only with the front of the tanks set on the toolbar frame.
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This is set to change because SeedMaster is coming to market with its large wagon-style, E Series air cart.
“It’s still in the pre-production prototype stage, but we’re here to show it off to let all of our customers know that we’re working on something new and innovative in our seeding lineup,” said Tim Criddle, global sales director of SeedMaster during the first day of Ag In Motion outdoor farm show near Saskatoon.
With the E Series, the addition of a steering front axle will help the company distribute the weight across more tires and increase its capacity to compete with the larger air carts on the market.
On display at Ag In Motion was the E820 that will initially come with three tanks; front and back 325-bushel tanks, and a 170-bushel centre tank.
In addition to that, “we have a fully integrated UltraPro3 (UP3) canola tank that gets installed on the toolbar,” Criddle said.
“When I see fully integrated, I mean from an operational control point of view. They may be separate in that the 80-bu. canola tank is not on the cart, but it is integrated to operate.”
The 820-bu. cart and the UP3 80-bu. canola tank on the cart give the system a total capacity of 900 bu.
The UP3 80-bu. canola tank can also be used for other products, including forage seed.
An optional crane is available with the UP3 to fill the 80-bu. tank with two mini bulk bags.
For growers that want to stick to more conventional configuration with a canola tank on the cart itself and not on the toolbar, a 60-bu., rear-mounted canola tank will be offered on the air cart.
The E Series cart uses electronic drives for the metering system that provide turn compensation and variable rate capabilities in 10 run sections.
To keep power to the 24-volt electric meters, a hydraulically driven alternator charges the batteries.
“We’ve had really good success with the electronic drive meter systems on our Ultra SR single rank drill. This just takes it to a whole new level,” Criddle said.
“Our hallmark is all about precision. Our metering is really what it all boils down to and we’re really excited about this electric drive meter system with our CleanFlo air purge system.”
CleanFlo was developed to prevent grime from building up and damaging the metering system.
Beyond the air pressure that pushes product from the meter to the seed and fertilizer knives, the company added an additional p.s.i. of air pressure on the outside of each of the meters—on both sides of the meters near the bushings.
This air flow pushes the fine particulates that could potentially bind in the meter housings out with the inputs to the distribution system.
“In approximately 70,000 acres of simulated trials with our meters, we’re finding when we tear them apart there’s next to no wear,” Criddle said.
He said the on-frame 80-bu. UP3 metering system for canola leverages the company’s seeding technology it has sold for years, only in a much more integrated system.
“Each meter feeds one dedicated line that goes right down to the seed knife. We’re not taking that canola through distribution towers. There’s pretty much near zero mortality.”
He said the UP3 can distribute seed to up to 90 runs, so the system can really stretch out for broad acre production.
SeedMaster also had its 70-foot frame on display with the E Series air cart at the show.
Criddle said the company is using as much stainless steel as possible for the product runs.
“The distribution runs that we put on our toolbars today, we’ve gone from painted steel to stainless as the standard equipment. We just find that with stainless steel today it’s become very cost efficient, and to get that kind of performance with stainless and not having to go to mild steel anymore. I mean, it’s just a no-brainer,” he said.
The E Series comes with individual weigh scales on each tank, and it retains a feature of other SeedMaster seed tanks where the hydraulic lids automatically close when users engage the cart’s fan.
One meter roller can be used for all the bulk-seeded products and seed, including wheat and fertilizer, so there is no need to change rollers.
The E Series comes with VF8000/70 tires and a new conveyor system with wireless remote that displays the tank weight information from the scales.
