Like all farm equipment these days, seed drills offer a much higher level of precision in the field than older machines. But that enhanced performance comes from significantly more complex systems, which aren’t always easy to understand or maintain correctly.
“That’s where I come into the scene, with 16 years of accumulated knowledge at Aricks,” says John Deere drill specialist and technician Logan Wemyss. “I’m here to teach guys about their drills, what to look out for, and how to ideally operate the drill.”
Wemyss has come to Canada from Australia for the summer to work with Thunderstruck Ag Equipment at Winkler, Man. That business is the North American distributor for Aricks Australia, which is an engineering firm based in that country specializing in designing and building aftermarket parts for 60, 90 and Pro Series John Deere drills.
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The company also has expertise in maintaining those drills for farmers in Australia, where growing conditions are often similar to those here on the Prairies.
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“I’m here all summer, based out of Winkler, Manitoba. And I’m offering free drill inspections to anyone in the Winkler, Manitoba, area. What I’m doing is giving an honest evaluation of the condition of your drill. I’m teaching you what to look out for, and everything you need to know about that drill so you’re set up for success in the future.
“So far, we’ve had high engagement and people are loving it.
‘There’s a lot of drills out there, and when they run right, they’re the best planter out there. The problem is once they leave the showroom, that’s it. People don’t know how to look after them. People don’t know how the moving parts wear down. And people are really struggling with calibration.”
Wemyss was on hand at the Thunderstruck Ag Equipment booth at the Ag in Motion farm show at Langham, Sask. in July. He spoke with Grainews about the upgraded aftermarket components Aricks Australia offers in Canada through Thunderstruck in Winkler.
“All of our parts are designed for the harsh, dry Australian conditions. Guys need parts to last. So we’ve essentially looked at every component on the opener and said ‘How can we make this better? How can we make this heavy-duty? We need it to last longer.’ And that’s what we’ve done.”
One of the parts offered by Aricks is not just an upgrade, but an add-on feature that further improves opener performance: a leading residue clearing wheel.
“The first big ticket item that improves performance significantly is a residue manager,” he says. “The job of a residue manager is to eliminate hairpinning, one of the most common problems (disc) drills face in adverse conditions.
“You’re increasing seed-to-soil contact, which increases emergence rates and increases yield. It’s a win-win on all fronts. We’ve got guys back home that won’t run drills without them. The difference is they come out stock, with no residue manager.
“The residue manager deflects the residue in between the rows. It gives you a nice bit of soil for the drill to create the furrow and completely eliminates hairpinning. You need to drive at the ideal speed of six to eight miles an hour. Drive too fast and you’re going to throw the trash straight into the next row.”
For those openers following in the tractor tire tracks, Aricks offers a spacer ring to add compression to the spring, increasing downforce to better penetrate compacted soil.
A heavy-duty seed boot made of hardened steel makes it more resistant to wear. An available thicker cover plate and T handle also provide for a longer service life.
“It’s significantly thicker than OEM,” he says. “There’s nothing else like this out on the market. This is the thickest, heaviest cover plate. We’re seeing guys get 100,000 acres out of this, easily.”
Aricks also offers a a hardened main pin and bushing kit with a larger washer to eliminate side-to-side play in the opener arm. There is also a complete non-greasing pin and bushing kit, using hardened material that eliminates the need for any greasing on the openers.
“If you install these three components, you don’t have to crawl under your machine and grease it, ever,” he explains.
Wemyss also recommends upgrading to some other components offered by other manufacturers, such as the Copperhead Ag closing wheel, which uses a toothed design to more aggressively move soil to close the seed trench. The OEM version is a smooth wheel, which he says is much less efficient.
“It is essential to have a cruiser wheel with these teeth. Standard 90 Series come with a circular, smooth closer wheel and it just doesn’t do the job. In hard conditions it won’t close the furrow. They bounce. They’re not ideal. By having a heavy tooth wheel it allows us to purchase the soil and close that furrow effectively.”
Wemyss can be contacted by growers in the Winkler area to arrange for a free on-farm drill inspection through Thunderstruckag.com. That website also has a detailed listing of the upgraded components offered by Aricks Australia.
