Planters 3ph flex 71 planters any good?

[Ford850]

I've been looking for a decent 2 or 4 row corn planter for a couple years. Seems like either borderline junk or the 3ph flex 71 planters on ebay, with not much between to choose from. What I'd like to know is, do the refurbished flex 70 planters do a decent job? They look like they might pull out of the ground or be difficult to get consistent planting depths on uneven ground. How fine does the planting surface have to be for them to work properly? Any feedback from those who have used them is appreciated.
Thank you.

 

[redlevel]

They are the best thing available right now for the small/weekend farmer/gardner. I have planted hundreds of acres of peanuts and soybeans on not very well prepared ground and gotten a decent stand. Even better stands planting corn, because it is just easier to get a good stand of corn (most of the time). Naturally, the better you have your land prepared, the better job you are going to be able to do planting.

When you buy corn seed, there is usually a section on the bag of seed that tells what particular plates you need for that particular seed. Many seed dealers even have plastic plates (which are fine) that you can buy when you buy your seed. As with most planters, there are basically two ways you determine spacing of plants in the row: one is the number of cells on the plate, and the other is your sprocket arrangement. The 71 planters have something that looks like a bicycle chain and sprockets that are covered on the right side of the planter. You need a manual if you are going to use these planters.

Short answer to your question: the 71's are probably your best option, but they are going to be expensive.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

I've been looking for a decent 2 or 4 row corn planter for a couple years. Seems like either borderline junk or the 3ph flex 71 planters on ebay, with not much between to choose from. What I'd like to know is, do the refurbished flex 70 planters do a decent job? They look like they might pull out of the ground or be difficult to get consistent planting depths on uneven ground. How fine does the planting surface have to be for them to work properly? Any feedback from those who have used them is appreciated.
Thank you.

At one point in their history, the #71 was as good of a unit planter as there was to offer. Plateless technology changed that. In their day, many of the major seed corn producers used #71's because of their gentle seed handling, consistant seed placement, and simple, easy to maintain dependability. Those features still remain.

I used #71's in a 4-row configuration for years. Since I quit putting out a corn crop, I made myself a couple 2-row "garden planters". I had best results with the use of "depth bands". They're essentially a depth gauge wheel that attaches to each side of the disc openers. Various diameter depth bands give exact seed depth. It also allows just a bit more down pressure on the row unit WITHOUT burying the seed too deep. I planted at speeds around 6mph with great results. (5mph and up is FAST for corn planting.) Depth bands (and their associated mounting hardware) are still available through Deere. Many parts are also available through Yetter Manufacturing. They actually built the #71 units for Deere. Once Deere dropped the #71 from their product line, Yetter bought sales rights and now sells the YETTER #71 Flex Planter.

In short, you won't find a better plate-type corn planter.

 

[Ford850]

Thanks for your suggestions and details. That's just what I was looking for. I hadn't read anything about the depth bands before either. I will look for a reasonably priced flex 71.

 

[thcri]

There is another company that is building the Flex 71 brand new yet today. I can't think of the name right now but maybe someone here will chime in. One thing nice about the Flex 71 is parts are still available through John Deere or this new company. You can a brand new one for around $1,200.00. These guys on Ebay pull these out of the junk yard and refurbish them. Which is ok as they are durable. But they make good money on them.


murph

 

[SCDolphin]

How many row planter that is new will 1200 dollars get you. It seems that the planter info is really lacking for the hobby farmer

 

[BobinIL]

The 71 planter units are marketed by Yetter 71 Series Planter Unit Economical, Dependable, Adaptable

There are a lot of them on ebay and a 2 row 71 planter is around $700.00 on ebay. I think a 2 row yetter runs almost $2000.00

I have a JD 71 that I made myself with the depth bands on it and it works great. They are very easy to use. I have about $500.00 to $600.00 in mine not including labor, so the $700.00 they are asking is not too far out of line.

I think IH made a model 295 that was a good unit also

 

[TNhobbyfarmer]

How many row planter that is new will 1200 dollars get you. It seems that the planter info is really lacking for the hobby farmer

That will get you only one unit without a toolbar. The best value is to get a used one or two row unit on ebay with the toolbar. The guys that sell them on ebay usually do a nice job refurbishing them. I bought one and am very pleased with it. In general one row units go for $400-600 and the two rows go for $800-1000. Shipping is very expensive. It's best to try to find one close enough for pick up.

 

[thcri]

That will get you only one unit without a toolbar. .

The price I was quoted included the tool bar.


murph

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Thanks for your suggestions and details. That's just what I was looking for. I hadn't read anything about the depth bands before either. I will look for a reasonably priced flex 71.

Here's a picture of mine. Note DEPTH BANDS on side of each disc opener. They're the pieces with the Deere part# label still on them. They were the trick to planting a consistant depth at moderate speeds. That requires more down pressure among other things. Depth bands maintained constant depth in varying conditions. Back in the day. (25 years ago?) the cost was around $25 per row for hardware to mount bands, $20 or so for the scrapers, and average of $40 per row for the gauge wheels. Best money ever spent on this planter.