Old planter hiding in the briars???

[HCJtractor]

Another potential implement restoration---this old 4 row Allis Chalmers planter has been sitting for who knows how many years. It sits on our hunting lease which we have had for 20 years. The old farmers son says he doesn't care if we reclaim it, so it is ours for free. My question is whether it is worth the effort. I need better pictures, but this is all I have now. I thought about removing one of the planter units and inspecting it more closely. And if I do restore it, I would probably make it a 2 or 3 row. I know nothing about planters, but it obviously is pretty rusted up, but the hoppers would be pretty simple to repair or replace, it seems. What should I do and what should I expect??

 

[blueriver]

Nice find ... redo the entire unit and make 2 two rows ... one for yourself and sell one.

 

[farmforwildlife]

Great find! They were some of the better seed plate planters made. I own two AC planters. Both cut down from larger units. One is no till. If you keep it as a 4 row you can load two hoppers with sunflowers and two with millet for example. This will give you 4 rows of each at each turn. Great for dove fields. You can do the same with soybeans and corn. Seed plates can be bought from Lincoln AG. Buy john Deere plates with the AC adapter.

 

[flusher]

The frame and the rubber on the press wheels look OK. The seed containers look repairable. Should be a pretty easy job to get it working. Unless you have lots acres to row plant, I'd make a pair of two row planters out of this one. I use a JD71 two-row to plant 6 acres.

Good luck.

 

[Briar Hill Brittanys]

Man, I wish I had em. Can't beat the price. Look like A/C 600 units. They're tough as a $2.00 steak, simple, easy to set-up. There's a bearing on the pinion gear, and for the disc openers that can be found at bearing supply houses. If you disassemble them, one side of the disc openers has right hand, and one side has left hand threads. You can still find some cast parts. I don't have a before picture of the ones I refurbbed, but here's a couple of after pics. Before I started, they looked alot like the ones in your pictures. Mark

 

[HCJtractor]

Thanks for the info and pictures!! I will go down this weekend and pull it out of the briars and maybe remove a single unit to start checking it out. I will post my progress and maybe ask for more help. This should be a nice winter project.

 

[flusher]

Man, I wish I had em. Can't beat the price. Look like A/C 600 units. They're tough as a $2.00 steak, simple, easy to set-up. There's a bearing on the pinion gear, and for the disc openers that can be found at bearing supply houses. If you disassemble them, one side of the disc openers has right hand, and one side has left hand threads. You can still find some cast parts. I don't have a before picture of the ones I refurbbed, but here's a couple of after pics. Before I started, they looked alot like the ones in your pictures. Mark

Nice work:thumbsup:

I like the steel detachable chain drive on your A/C planters. My JD 71 uses the standard roller chain which has to be covered to prevent clogging.

 

[HCJtractor]

I removed one of the planting units from this 4 row planter. It is a pull type, with another bar out front with coulters that open the soil. I assume this means it is a "no till"? I also assume I can forget about that section and simply mount this unit on another bar and add 3 pt. attachment hookups. THat would be fairly simple. Does that make sense?

I also need to look at each unit, but I probably will make a 2 or 3 row out of this. Pulling it with a 70 horse Kubota, which would be better? What is the normal spacing used for corn or soybeans? This will be for food plots. Most plots are fairly small, under 1 acre.

I think this is in pretty good condition. When I turn the wheel, everything moves. The seed plate looks new. It just needs a good cleaning up. I probably will go ahead an sandblast it, but I expect it would work as is. What should I replace? The springs are shot, and the coulters are a little worn. Overall, it's just rusty. I will start breaking it down. So here is what I have now. What seed plate is this? Are others available? Are parts available and where?

 

[Briar Hill Brittanys]

There's a picture of an A/C no till planter here, Allis-Chalmers planter Planters/Row Units | TRI-COUNTY EQUIPMENT Auburn, KY . Is that what the mounting looks like? You can mount the unit planter on a seperate toolbar, sans the no-till coulter. As to 2 or 3 rows, that'd be up to you. They don't take alot of HP to plant with. As for row spacing, crops are spaced for maximum yield, and the harvesting equipment being used. Since your harvesting equipment will have 4 legs, row spacing doesn't much matter. :laughing: Still you want the most yield. Corn is typically planted in rows from 30"-38", soybeans 15"-30". That plate is an Allis Chalmers, and looks to be a soybean plate. You can get other plates here, Lincoln Ag Products, and also an adaptor to use John Deere plates. Also look on ebay. I found springs for the units I reworked, at a farm supply store. Once I had it all apart, put the pieces in an electrolysis tank. Painted, I couldn't reuse the old hardware. Got some parts from these guys, Allis Planter Parts . Careful about sandblasting the seed hoppers. HTH Mark

 

[HCJtractor]

Thanks Mark! Your info is most helpful. I need to drag this thing out into the light of day. It is so buried in briars, it is hard to see the front bar holding the coulters. I guess there is no reason to restore the no till feature, as we always plow and disc anyway.

Tell me about the electrolysis tank. I am not familiar with that. I understand the process, but am not familiar with applying it to rust removal and restoration. I realize sandblasting can damage thin metal and that different media can be used. Will electrolysis eliminate the need to strip old paint and remove the rust by blasting? Whatever method I use, I will have to hire it done, as I do not have a compressor big enough to power a blaster. I wonder if there is a company locally that offers your method. Cost of course is an issue. (or is to my wife!)

By the way, I admire your restoration! Got any "before" pictures?