Beans planted

[DrRod]

I know what you mean. I always wondered why anyone would need an electric grease gun and then I learned that planters and other large implements can have hundreds of grease zerks. And it all has to work at the right time.

 

[smstonypoint]

I don't know what any of that means, but they were here less than an hour. In that hour the hopper was filled from a nurse trailer, the planter was unfolded and put to work, then folded back up, seed spacing and depth were checked and finally, howdy dos were offered and away he went to the next field.

Out of curiosity, I looked up some estimates of field efficiency factors for planters at http://store.extension.iastate.edu/Product/Estimating-Field-Capacity-of-Farm-Machines-Machinery-Management-PDF. These factors adjust the theoretical capacity to allow for turning, machine adjustments, checking/filling seed hoppers, and other activities while in the field. For example, the estimate for a 24-row planter with 30" rows is 60%. Such a planter traveling at 5 mph has a theoretical capacity of 5mph *60 feet/8.25 = 36.36 acres per hour and an estimated effective capacity of 36.36 acres/hour * 0.6 =21.8 acres/hour.

The data source dates from 2001, so newer "computerized" planters likely have higher efficiency factors.

Steve