“I’m hoping that you would have had your planter in the shop over winter … and you would have done your inspections on gauge wheel arms, gauge wheels, things like that,” said Eric Bossuyt, account manager with AgWest in Russell, Man.

Ideally, storing a planter in a shop makes inspections easier and keeps it out of the weather, but that’s not always possible.

Bossuyt added that operators should also inspect meter units to make sure seals are intact. Adding some graphite lube to the seed disc while they’re in there also helps to keep them spinning smoothly.

Hose connections should be given a close look to make sure they are secure and that no splits have occurred while in storage, especially if the planter was stored outside.

Bossuyt said ultraviolet light weakens plastic hoses over time when exposed to the sun and can lead to holes, resulting in vacuum loss within the system.

Preparing for downtime

No matter how well prepared you may be when planting season begins, malfunctions or breakdowns can happen in the blink of an eye.

Bossuyt said that a common trouble spot for growers at planting season is poor singulation.

This is often caused by a hole in a hose causing vacuum loss or worn internal parts on the meters themselves, whether your doubles eliminator is worn or the seed disc is having some issues if it’s too tight.”

“Maybe you’re getting surging with the V-drive. Stuff like that can cause missed singulation.”

It may end up being as simple as a misplaced wire or poor contact point, but it’s better to protect your seeding time in the field and check components later.

“That’s going to cause you downtime to try and diagnose what’s going on in the field,” added Bossuyt.

To prepare for these situations, he recommended having at least one spare row for the row unit to swap out individual parts if they malfunction.

“Every module, you should have one spare. That way, you’re not running to the dealership for one little finicky module,” said Bossuyt.

It’s easier to do a quick swap to keep running and the producer can always check on it later if the part is dead or if a contact point wasn’t connecting properly.

Bossuyt also said operators should check their on and off times every season to avoid misses in the field.

These can be caused by technology changes, such as a guidance system, which can lead to poor communication between equipment.

“The hertz might change and you might have frequency issues” said Bossuyt.

Getting started, setups

Before hitting the field, a test run closer to home is always a good idea in case a repair or a part swap-out is needed.

“Pull out the planter and simulate planting,” said Bossuyt.

“Run a few seeds out in the yard, fill it up, do whatever. You just want to make sure all your sensors are working, all your meters are running.”

Bossuyt said this is also a good time to check singulation and GPS timing and to ensure the on and offs are operating as intended.

Any fine tuning can be done in the field once you’ve confirmed everything is in good working order.

Ensuring good seed-to-soil contact should also be done once you’re in the field.

Bossuyt said the biggest thing equipment operators can do in this instance is to get out of the tractor cab.

“Not everybody wants to hear that, but we’ve got to get out,” said Bossuyt,

“We’ve got to be checking if the sun’s beating down and soil is drying up. We might need to adjust our depth or adjust our closing pressure, things like that.”

“I’m hoping that you would have had your planter in the shop over winter … and you would have done your inspections on gauge wheel arms, gauge wheels, things like that,” said Eric Bossuyt, account manager with AgWest in Russell, Man.

Ideally, storing a planter in a shop makes inspections easier and keeps it out of the weather, but that’s not always possible.

Bossuyt added that operators should also inspect meter units to make sure seals are intact. Adding some graphite lube to the seed disc while they’re in there also helps to keep them spinning smoothly.

Hose connections should be given a close look to make sure they are secure and that no splits have occurred while in storage, especially if the planter was stored outside.

Bossuyt said ultraviolet light weakens plastic hoses over time when exposed to the sun and can lead to holes, resulting in vacuum loss within the system.

Preparing for downtime

No matter how well prepared you may be when planting season begins, malfunctions or breakdowns can happen in the blink of an eye.

Bossuyt said that a common trouble spot for growers at planting season is poor singulation.

This is often caused by a hole in a hose causing vacuum loss or worn internal parts on the meters themselves, whether your doubles eliminator is worn or the seed disc is having some issues if it’s too tight.”

“Maybe you’re getting surging with the V-drive. Stuff like that can cause missed singulation.”

It may end up being as simple as a misplaced wire or poor contact point, but it’s better to protect your seeding time in the field and check components later.

“That’s going to cause you downtime to try and diagnose what’s going on in the field,” added Bossuyt.

To prepare for these situations, he recommended having at least one spare row for the row unit to swap out individual parts if they malfunction.

“Every module, you should have one spare. That way, you’re not running to the dealership for one little finicky module,” said Bossuyt.

It’s easier to do a quick swap to keep running and the producer can always check on it later if the part is dead or if a contact point wasn’t connecting properly.

Bossuyt also said operators should check their on and off times every season to avoid misses in the field.

These can be caused by technology changes, such as a guidance system, which can lead to poor communication between equipment.

“The hertz might change and you might have frequency issues” said Bossuyt.

Getting started, setups

Before hitting the field, a test run closer to home is always a good idea in case a repair or a part swap-out is needed.

“Pull out the planter and simulate planting,” said Bossuyt.

“Run a few seeds out in the yard, fill it up, do whatever. You just want to make sure all your sensors are working, all your meters are running.”

Bossuyt said this is also a good time to check singulation and GPS timing and to ensure the on and offs are operating as intended.

Any fine tuning can be done in the field once you’ve confirmed everything is in good working order.

Ensuring good seed-to-soil contact should also be done once you’re in the field.

Bossuyt said the biggest thing equipment operators can do in this instance is to get out of the tractor cab.

“Not everybody wants to hear that, but we’ve got to get out,” said Bossuyt,

“We’ve got to be checking if the sun’s beating down and soil is drying up. We might need to adjust our depth or adjust our closing pressure, things like that.”

The standard Gold Star Customer Care program for tractors offers buyers a three-year, 3,000-hour warranty. During that period, all factory-prescribed regular maintenance is included, meaning such things as fluid and filter changes.

As well, the company will provide a similar tractor within 48 hours if yours goes down for an extended period.

Now, Agco has just announced it will offer a similar maintenance program on S Series Massey Ferguson tractors. The MF Always Running maintenance program will offer the same basic features as its sister line’s Gold Star program.

MF Always Running combines a three-year, 3,000-hour factory warranty, scheduled maintenance and a 48-hour loaner commitment into one standard program.

”(It’s) designed to simplify ownership and help ensure consistent uptime without additional contracts or up charges,” Agco says.

Updating the MF tractor line to the S Series has been a multi-year project for Agco, culminating this past year with the flagship 9S Series models finally being delivered to Canadian dealers. The 9S Series offers tractors up to 425 horsepower.

“MF Always Running helps take the guesswork out of tractor ownership,” says Derek Reusser, senior marketing manager of tractors for Massey Ferguson North America.

“By building warranty coverage, maintenance and dealer-managed support into the tractor, we are giving operators confidence that their equipment is ready when timing matters most.”

Maintenance and service through the MF Always Running program is co-ordinated through a local MF dealer.

So the entire electrical system, including the brakes on heavier trailers, needs to work. Here’s a look at what you’ll find when you pull the wheel hubs off, and what you need to consider doing to keep trailer brakes in good condition.

Why it Matters: With winter approaching, farmers may be racing to get equipment maintenance done before the snow flies in earnest.

First, you need to understand how they work. When electrical current runs to the brakes from the towing vehicle, that causes an electromagnet in each trailer hub to slide outward along a short shaft and attract itself to the inside of the rotating drum. As the drum turns, it pushes the magnet toward the rear of the trailer. The magnet is connected to a lever arm, which forces the brake shoes outward into contact with the drum, providing friction and, therefore, braking.

Because the magnet also comes into contact with the drum, there is an additional wear surface on the drum, one on the face where the magnet rubs against it and the other where the shoes touch. And the magnet, too, is subject to wear, just like the drum.

When removing the drum to inspect the brakes, be prepared to catch the outer wheel bearing, which will fall out from behind the nut as you slide the drum off. Keeping it out of any dirt on the shop floor will save you some work later on cleaning and repacking it when reinstalling.

Inspect the inside of the drum and ensure the wear surfaces where the magnet and shoes contact it are smooth and there isn’t excessive wear. If there are wear grooves, you’ll need to replace or resurface it. The shoes should be changed if you replace or resurface the drums.

Check the shoes for material thickness. Check the magnet for wear as well. On the face of new magnets are four shallow holes that serve as wear indicators. If they are no longer visible, replace the magnet. Apply special braking system grease to the bar the magnet slides on and the lever pivot point. Don’t use regular grease.

If there is a lot of wear on the brakes, simply replacing the entire backing plate assembly and fitting a new drum may be the cheapest and easiest option.

Inspect the two wheel bearings, the inner and outer, and repack them with fresh grease. (You can use ordinary grease here.)

Don’t over-tighten the axle nut when reinstalling the drum. Start by spinning the drum by hand as you tighten the nut to where it just stops the drum from turning, then back the nut off until the drum turns freely. That seats the bearings. The sweet spot for securing the axle nut is where the drum turns freely but has no free play, meaning you can’t wiggle it on the axle.

Remember to adjust the shoes after installing the drum. That is done by sticking a screwdriver (or special brake tool) through a slot in the rear of the backing plate and turning the adjuster mechanism. Turn the adjuster until the shoes touch the drum, then back them off about five or six notches.

Also, remember: the rule of thumb on brake repairs is, whatever you do to one hub, you should do to its partner on the other side of the axle to ensure even braking on both sides.

Leading up to mid-September, canola prices dropped like a rock. Producers planning to sell some canola for cash flow when it was nearly $18 a bushel changed their minds when prices retreated by well over a dollar.

While harvest pressure can contribute to a price drop, it’s also true that some commodities can have their best prices at harvest time. Lentil prices have been particularly strong.

While grappling with marketing decisions, it’s also the time to consider weed issues. More herbicides with different modes of action are now available for application ahead of freeze up for residual control of next year’s weeds. Kochia control is at the top of the list in many regions with this weed resistant to an expanding list of herbicide groups.

Spraying in October can be troublesome with the possibility of freezing temperatures. Plus, you need to be sure of your plan for what is going to be seeded where. On the other hand, fall application is often more effective, particularly for products that need moisture for activation.

There’s lots of time for soil testing to guide fertilizer application decisions for the next growing season. Unfortunately, that doesn’t tell you the best time to buy next year’s fertilizer and the best time for nitrogen may have been back in July. Alberta Agriculture’s farm input price survey shows urea at $700 a tonne in July and it’s higher than that now.

Fertilizer market analysis has proven even less reliable than grain market prognostication, often passing for hype rather than analysis. Urea last year peaked at about $1,150 a tonne in November and then declined steadily all the way to seeding and beyond. Buying before winter was a costly decision.

Usually, buying in the fall or winter is a good management decision, with nitrogen prices typically increasing as seeding approaches. Last year was one exception.

Alberta Agriculture hasn’t posted its survey prices for August yet. In my region as of mid-September, I see urea prices approaching $800 a tonne. Will that look like a bargain or will it look expensive by the time seeding rolls around? Urea was as low as $550 in October 2020 and reached a peak of $1,350 in April 2022.

Along with soil testing, fall is a good time to send away seed samples for testing. No use cleaning grain that has a germination, vigour or disease issue. It’s great to get seed cleaned well ahead of the spring rush. Last-minute seed cleaning creates unnecessary stress.

Of course, ahead of cleaning your own seed, it’s good to know what crops you’ll be growing and whether you want to upgrade any of your varieties. Decisions, decisions.

As always, clean-up and maintenance can be performed on harvesting equipment before putting it away and it’s great to have that done ahead of another year.

In years when harvest drags on for months and when a huge percentage of grain needs to be dried after harvest, that takes precedence over planning and other fall work. This year, most will have time to catch their breath and carefully consider actions and options for the next growing season.

However, it’s human nature to procrastinate. As well, analysis can lead to paralysis.

Kevin Hursh is an agricultural journalist, consultant and farmer. He can be reached by e-mail at kevin@hursh.ca.