BRANDON – The race to see who builds the biggest air cart continues to heat up as Seed Master works on its 820 bushel prototype this winter.
It’s more about field efficiency than bragging rights, said Seed Master representative Ed Mann.
“It could very well be that one of our competitors comes out with a bigger cart a week after our first 820 bu. cart rolls out the door,” he said with a shrug.
He said manufacturers continue to aim bigger because large acreage farmers know they need to seed more acres per day. It’s straight economics.
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The new Seed Master cart has three poly tanks at 260 bu. each, plus a 40 bu. tank for inoculants and small seeds such as canola.
It adds up to 820 bu., enough to put a lot of hours between fill stops.
Each tank has its own individual load cells for weighing product, which is a big factor in determining the next fill spot and deciding if the right amount of product is being applied.
“The new cart is built for Auto Zone Control. It has a conveyor for loading. Right now, there’s no plan for an auger.”
There are 10 primary runs for seed and 10 primary runs for fertilizer, with total isolation between the two systems. Together, they can supply up to 100 double shoot openers, using two fans.
The cart features 10 zone commands along with four-tank overlap control. It uses a Dickey-john rate control IntelliAg display.
It has truck deck level loading for bagged product and a conveyor for tank loading.
Mann said the two-wheel cart hooks to the rear main frame of the drill and is available only as a tow-behind.
Large 30.5 x 32 radial bar lug tires at the rear of cart and on the rear of the drill carry most of the weight.
Front weight transferred to the drill frame helps prevent skewing on side slopes.
“With our drills, it’s pretty easy to upgrade to a tow-behind cart. If you have an older drill, you can easily adapt to the new 820 cart.”
It will have a number of standard features, including Ultra Pro Canola Metering and auto-overlap control.
Mann said farmers, researchers and manufacturers are beginning to understand the importance of plant placement within the row. Until now, all attention had been focused on seed depth.
“The Ultra Pro Canola Metering system gives you more uniform plant spacing within each row,” he said.
“This promotes better inter-row competition and stronger plants.
“We’ve been using it at three pounds of seed per acre and getting 55 bu. per acre, so we know it works.”
For more information, contact Mann at 306-721-3001 extension 118 or visit www.seedmaster.ca.
