Great Plains | 411-633M | 10/21/2021
28
PL5500 Planter
Operation
Fan Adjustment
Adjust the fan to provide the meter pressure
recommended for the seed disk, seed, and seed
density. See the tables and charts in the Material
Rate manual for recommended values.
Make sure the correct seed disks are installed (see
seed rate charts), and the seed inlet gates are set for
the proper seed.
1. With the fan off, check meter pressurization
reported by the pressure gauge. Re
-
zero as
needed (page 75).
2. Determine
the
recommended
meter
pressurization based on your own notes or the
Material Rate manual.
3. Place the tractor in park and set the brakes.
4. Set tractor engine speed to typical field rpm. Lift
the planter.
5. Start the fan. Gradually increase fan speed using
the tractor hydraulic flow control for the circuit.
Using hydraulic flow and the butterfly valve (if
available), adjust meter pressurization to the
developed or suggested value from step 2.
6. Fill the meters.
a. For electric drive - Run a
FILL DISK
operation.
See
console
manual
for
instructions for your seed monitoring system.
b. For ground drive planters - Rotate the ground
drive wheel to fill the meters. Meters are filled
when seed begins emerging below two or
more openers.
7. With the fan running, place the tractor in park and
set the brake.
8. Walk behind the planter, remove several rain
covers, and check for seed in the meters by
looking through the clear disks.
9. Check meter pressurization. With the meters and
disks filled, air loss through empty disk cells is
reduced, and meter pressurization can change.
10. Begin planting. Troubleshoot any obvious
problems or console alarms.
11. During the first pass, note the average
populations reported through the seed
monitoring system.
If the population is only slightly low, the problem
can be skips caused by empty disk cells. If
slightly high, the problem can be doubles caused
by cells with double seed. A meter pressurization
adjustment may correct either condition.
If the reported seed population varies from your
desired rate by a significant amount, perform a
furrow check. See “
For serious rate variations, for which the source
of the problem and the solution are not quickly
determined,
see
12. Resume planting.
A small population difference between rows is
normal. A row consistently running lower or
higher than the other rows could indicate a meter
or seed sensor problem that needs attention. See
“
13. Continue to observe meter pressurization.
When oil reaches operating temperature, fan
speed can change. Expect to make periodic
adjustments to the fan circuit or butterfly valve (if
available) to maintain ideal meter pressurization.
Adjusting for Skips
If everything else is correct, and the overall average
population is running low, or there are gaps when
doing a furrow check, seeds may be falling out of
disk cells before delivery to the seed tube. Increase
meter pressurization to correct this.
Insufficient meter pressurization, or unusually rough
fields, can increase the incidence of empty cells. Be
sure to rule out other causes such as skipping
chains, meter starvation, or incorrect meter disks
before adjusting meter pressurization to reduce
skips.
Doubles
If everything else is correct, and the overall average
population is running high, or there are double seeds
when doing a furrow check, the cause may be two
seeds in some disk cells at delivery to the seed tube.
Decrease meter pressurization to correct this.
To decrease meter pressurization:
1. Adjust the tractor hydraulic flow.
2. Wait 5 to 10 seconds for the system to update
while you continue planting.
3. Continue making small adjustments until the
reported population levels out at the target value.