This year was our first attempt at variable rate seeding.  It was also our first year with Optimizer a product which provides the variable rate prescriptions among other data.  As always this spring we were in a rush to get things planted according to Mother Natures schedule.  The first three fields I tried it on failed, as it kept kicking off half of my planter whenever I got to a boundary or waterway.  I tried adjusting the auto swath out of boundary settings so that it would keep the rate unchanged, and even disabled auto swath around the field edges but still half of my planter next to that boundary would disengage.  Finally after talking it out over the phone a couple times it dawned upon us that the clutches weren't disengaging but the hydraulic drive itself.  So after the phone call I looked at my Integra display and sure enough there was a setting in the Equipment configuration for "Rate outside Field".  Here I could finally select the Rx Default rate that we had entered when loading the shape file / Rx from Optimizer.  This is what troubled us the most as we knew that rate had to come into play somewhere.  Once this was configured it worked great other than some of the seeding rates being too high / low for certain parts of the field.  We will be working with optimizer and another topic will be posted about that it.

Another thing I learned this spring was the two different control valve settings AgLeader uses to control oil flow / rate.  During spring testing and repairing a bad shaft speed sensor I was in this screen on the Integra.  I didn't realize that you only used one of these settings (PWM or Servo) and was double checking the numbers entered from my old monitor.  Well when I exited the screen I wasn't making sure that PWM was selected which was causing erratic meter / plate behavior on that drive.  White planters use PWM and once I realized this everything worked great.  Hope this can save someone some headaches in the future as the drop down menu doesn't really make it appear that you are actually selecting the mode and not verifying settings.  After reading about what each does this makes sense but to someone who is just trying to get the planter going in the spring this might help.  

Quick Note...disable logging during your spring planter testing.  I was testing drive chains and shaft alignments and experienced some frustration because I had logging enabled on the Integra.  I entered a manual rate of 5 mph to simulate.  Well after hooking up the implement switch I couldn't figure out why some of the clutches wouldn't turn on.  The problem was random and the issue changed rows which made it more confusing.  I finally realized logging was enabled making auto swath kick them off since I wasn't moving.  Only took me 15-20 minutes to figure this out.  Once logging was disabled I was able to see every row operate.  Should have known better to disable it from the beginning!

After browsing newagtalk one night I found a post about a system called EZ-Air by Deitering Brothers here in Iowa.  It allows one to change the singluation blower pressure on our White Planter from inside the cab.  Before this product, we had to get out of the cab and adjust the knob on the planter toolbar to do this.  The big reason we are excited about this is now we can see how the air pressure affects seed spacing realtime on the Integra monitor.   Info on this product can be found here: EZ-AIR White Planters

One of our White 8824 hydraulic drives was not showing up on the Integra monitor this spring as we removed it from storage.  After a couple hours of troubleshooting we found out that it was the shaft speed sensor on the White planter.  The agleader cable plugs into it for its shaft data.  It was kind of hard to troubleshoot.  We tested by putting a manual 5.0 mph simulation on the display to get the shaft to turn.  When we stood behind the planter the hydraulic drive, which was not being identified, was turning much faster.  Also noticed that we lost singluation blower air pressure once the clutches were turned on.  When the clutches were disabled, air pressure returned.  Note our planter does not have a PTO pump so both the hydraulic drive and blowers are ran by a single valve.  Once we identified the shaft sensor this made sense as the display was directing all available oil pressure to the shaft to get it to turn which robbed the air oil.  Another step we took in troubleshooting was swapping the seed command cables from channels 1 and 2 to see what effect it had.  

Just a quick note regarding moving a display from one tractor to another.  If for some reason you have to do so, the geosteer calibration information is stored locally in the geosteer hardware.  This info is not saved on the integra displays and you should be able to move them from tractor to tractor if necessary.

As we move farther into the world of precision ag technology here at Lewis Farms, I felt it would be a good idea to start blogging about the different things learned along the way.  Not only to help ourselves remember different tips and tricks but so others could read about it also.  Just a brief summary of what AgLeader technology we have added to our equipment lineup in the past couple years.

1. Integra Displays
2. Auto Swath
3. Planter Clutches
4. Yield & Variety Mapping
5. Auto Steer & GPS
6. Variable Rate Prescriptions (SMS Software)

SOLD - PFAdvantage Monitor and combine kit we took off our Deere 9600 Combine.  Kit includes everything I believe other than the EMU as we didn't take that off.  Only reason we are selling is we upgraded to an Integra monitor.  Includes Flow Sensor and paddle Part 4000224.  Everything worked great when we removed it from the combine.  Make reasonable offer.

Cables Included:
PN: 2000408-1 Elevator FAN Speed 
PN: 2000974-1 PC Interface Cable (Pro Series)
PN: 2000452-4 Power Cable
PN: 2000403-2 Distribution Cable
PN: 2000402-1 Cab Cable
PN: 2000406-5 Flow Sensor Cable (16ft)
EMU Cutout template

Given I am unable to plant today due to the wet weather, I figured it would be a good time to post what I have learned so far using our White 8824 planter for the first time.  Once we got all the initial issues worked out it has been planting flat seed corn in the 97%-98% singulation range and rounds at 98% to 99.6%.  We are using an AgLeader Integra monitor.  I have been very impressed with this planter so far.

Notes & Tips:

• Singulation blowers are running anywhere from 2.5 to 3 depending on seed size.  The larger the seed the more pressure is required to keep it in the cell.  Most of our seed has been R2 / R3 and 2.5 to 2.75 has worked great.
• Forget the flat seed plates.  These were new this year and proved to be troublesome for us.  They didn't fit our meters correctly causing them to rub and not turn properly.  Only 92% to 94% singulation was achieved after planing the affected plates.  We did the seed test on the plates and our flats did not fit them very well.  Two flat seeds could fit in the cell which meant doubles and that correlated to what our monitor was saying also.  Note:  We use Channel seed and the drought last year could have affected the seed corn size some.  The size was very variable it seemed so this many not hold up for others.
• The small corn plate is working the best for us so far.  All types of corn seed...flat, rounds, & size / lbs.
• Our planter was used and after looking at how much the plates were touching the cutoff brushes we decided to reduce the amount of shims to 1 for most of the meters.  We shouldn't' have to change this until we buy new brushes.  New brushes normally require 3 shims.
• The seed shutoff on the rear of the meter should be wide open for corn and beans.  
• Rows 13&14 were not singulating as well as the rest and we found that the drive shaft was moving.  The shaft is held in place by collars with set screws due to the Trimble air clutches installed.  
• If half of the planter is not planting as heavy (ours was off 500 to 1000 bushels compared to the other 12 rows) change your meter calibration for that side.  We had calibrated it before the season but our test on that side must have been incorrect.  Everything was fine was I adjusted it to equal the other 12 rows / hydraulic drive.

Again, overall very impressed with what I have seen so far with this planter.  To get 99% accuracy out of the factory is pretty darn good.  We were able to achieve that with our Deere 1760 but only through the use of Precision Planting eSet meters.  Only negatives I have right now is the weight in gummy conditions and the folding mechanism.  Folding can be a little tricky if you don't have a completely level area to perform it.  Last, I have attached our operating sheet which we place in the tractor for this planter.  If it helps anyone else out there feel free to use it.  

Earlier this year we bought a John Deere 8410 tractor from a dealer and discovered it had warrantied rear tires on it.  They started failing once we removed the duals to start side dressing corn.  The dealer would not do anything about it so we decided to contact Titan directly.  We realized it wasn't their fault but figured it wouldn't hurt.

After receiving an email and phone call from the President / CEO directly we were introduced to one of their field engineers.  Never have I had a company respond to a situation as well as Titan did.  Needless to say they took care of us and want to make sure the Goodyear / Titan brand is regarded highly in the agriculture market.  I know all of our tires from this point on will be Goodyear & Titan.