Deep Furrow Air Seeder

Ever since Deere stopped making its HZ hoe drill, farmers who summer fallow or farm hilly ground have had to rebuild the machine, or rely on big drills designed for Midwest conditions. A new split packer, deep furrow air seeder designed by a Washington company provides an alternative.

Coombs Mfg., of Spokane, says its new rig, which is compatible with all major air carts, offers a number of features:

-- A 3-section drill frame that can flex on hilly ground.

-- Independently mounted boots and split packer wheels that provide individual depth control for accurate seed placement.

-- Spring-loaded rock trip.

-- Hydraulic fold for fast, easy transport.

"It's a compact unit that works well even on the hilliest ground and keeps seed depth consistent," says David Coombs. "We recently bought out the agricultural division of Calkins Equipment and used their expertise to design the rig. Like the HZ, it's equipped with boots that dig 6-in. deep furrows in order to reach moist soil. The split packer wheels press soil in against the seed trench.

"However, our rig offers many benefits over the HZ. It has much more capacity so you don't have to refill as often. It works great with air carts so the weight of the seed is kept off the frame, reducing stress on it. The depth of the boots can be controlled by adjusting a spring-loaded pin. Spring pressure on the boots and packer wheels can also be adjusted. Each packer wheel is made up of two halves, and they're designed so that they can rotate in opposite directions in order to dislodge rocks.

"We built two 36-ft. wide prototypes last year and they worked great. We plan to offer other sizes in the future. The boot-packer wheel units can also be retrofitted to existing tillage implements."

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