LETHBRIDGE – Spring servicing of air seeder carts and drills has become more complex and important with each new model and its new technology.
However, barring any leftover fertilizer hardened to the consistency of concrete in the tanks, most air carts have become easier to service, say the companies that build and sell them.
Don Wentz of Alberta’s Reduced Tillage Linkages, along with the Canola Council of Canada, hosted this year’s grower air drill seeding seminar in Lethbridge Feb. 19.
“Producers make huge investments in their equipment. Modern seeding equipment is a lot more complicated than a drill or set of discers. So servicing needs to address both the common mechanical needs of the machines and the agronomic issues they can create if they aren’t set or serviced properly,” Wentz said.
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Producers should think about how to protect expensive seed on its way to the soil, said plant researcher Bob Elliot of Agriculture Canada in Saskatoon.
“You clean your seed or buy certified seed. You do a germination test. You do a vigour test. You treat your seed. Then you smash it into a hard surface or two on its way to the seedbed?”
Elliot said producers must avoid aggressive handling that can damage seedcoats to ensure even germination at the rates they calculated before entering the field.
Doug Moisey of the canola council told producers attending Saskatchewan Canola Growers meetings in Saskatoon that “speed kills.”
He said excessive speed while seeding hurts seedbed placement and plant establishment, but seed travelling too fast inside air tubes and through drill distributors can be just as bad because it causes seedcoat breaks that allow disease to enter.
Other crop industry advisers agreed on the risks of seed damage.
Flax breeder Paul Dribnenki of Viterra said producers seeding flax often don’t realize that pushing too much air through their seeders can damage small seeded crops.
Pulse crop agronomist Garry Hnatowich of Novozymes in Saskatoon said worn or improperly set seeding equipment can result in significant damage to pulse crops through splitting and desiccation of plant inoculants from excessive air flow.
“Nobody wants a plugged (seed drill), but running too much air will do a lot more damage to your yields than stopping to figure out why your machine isn’t flowing seed and fixing the problem,” he said.
Karen Foster of 20-20 Seed Labs in Nisku, Alta., said producers should check their seeding systems for wear or improper settings by taking seed from the calibration bags and examining it for damage.
“If there is damage, find out why and fix it before you waste a bunch of seed and lose yield to something you can control,” she told producers attending the Lethbridge event.
Wentz said under ideal conditions most seed can accept the rigours of being hurtled from the metering rollers through the distributors and onto seed boots.
“If seed is very dry or you have damaged or worn sections of the system, you can do a lot of damage. Examine those systems and run some grain though to see what happens to it,” he said.
Ross McKenzie of Alberta Agriculture said producers using coated urea prills that allow the slow release of large levels of seedrow-applied nitrogen can also run into problems if air rates are too high or equipment damages the coatings.
“Suddenly you have very high rates of available nitrogen burning your crop, if those (prill coatings) are damaged,” he said.
Tim Bishoff of Vanee Farm Centre in Lethbridge told producers they should check each air tube or liquid nutrient run, seeding tool shank, opener and packer for damage or wear.
“Did you see any stripes (of uneven plant growth) in your fields last year? The only thing that causes those repeatable patterns is your seeder and you,” he told producers at the Lethbridge seminar.
“Product, seed or fertilizer will flow to the path of least resistance in your system. Pinched tubes, worn deflector plates or distributors, anything that isn’t equal, will cause uneven distribution,” he said.
For systems such as those on Flexicoil-CNH air tanks that rely on seed cart tires to provide field travel information to the computer systems, setting the proper tire pressure is critical to accurate seeding rates, he said.
Steve Detrick of John Deere Air Seeding Systems said a complete seal on all connections, hatches and lines is required to maintain steady metering of seeding products.
He said carts and tools of all brands should have each connection where plastic meets steel checked for secure fits.
“You can spend a lot of money overseeding some really pricy canola in a heck of hurry, all because your rates were variable due to poor seals and unequal pressure between tank and manifold,” he said.
Bishoff said producers should check product metering rollers for damage caused by small rocks or hardened fertilizer lumps.
Manufacturers suggest that producers inspect all blocked runs to ensure they are tight and secure.
Bishoff said many producers when preparing to go to the field will find small items that are not fully functional and choose to leave them, hoping they begin working once the carts are filled with product.
“I often see those little agitator shafts above the meter (rollers) seized. Those are critical items. You need those loose and functioning when humidity gets higher or when product begins to stick,” he said.
Other simple issues for most carts are the low-no pressure hydraulic return lines. These lines allow oil to move back to the tractor without pressure.
Typically they are made of soft compound rubber to allow for daytime heating and expansion. However, this leaves them prone to kinks and crushing. There must be no pressure on these connectors so they operate freely and can be released by a mating coupler at the tractor or in the hydraulic line.
“Otherwise you can kiss those seals in your fan motor goodbye,” Bishoff said.
Producers should initially seed an acre or less with the machine roughly set and then do the calibration, said Detrick.
Tanks should be examined for minor cracks and steel tanks with polymer liners should be inspected for peeling poly that could enter metering rollers or block product runs.
“Listen for leaks. Pressure it up and listen everywhere,” he said.
Wentz said greasing shouldn’t be the last thing done before going to the field.
“It’s a good chance to climb all over the machine and look at it while you still have the chance to go to town and get parts or fix something.”
Because most units are stored outside or in unsecured buildings, rodents and even spiders can block air lines.
Detrick said on occasion tanks even suffer “the odd bullet hole from hunting season.
“Most of these things are easy to fix if you catch them before you are supposed to be in the field.”
