John Deere says its new 23 metre 1870 air seeder will allow producers to plant more acres quickly and accurately.
Subscribe now for unlimited access to all our agricultural news
across the nation
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
This latest addition to the 1870 air seeder line-up, which includes 12 and 17m models, incorporates many new features to improve seed and fertiliser placement and increase productivity.
Marketing manager for John Deere’s Seeding Group, John Peters said the seeder integrated the latest in precision placement, depth and pressure control, and other enhancements.
“The new 76 foot (23m) model 1870 offers a time-saving 36 per cent increase in seeding width, better residue flow capabilities, and improved seeding and fertiliser placement and control.
“Also, with the new retractable openers for easier servicing and improved transport, customers will gain more productivity when seeding small grains and oilseeds,” he said.
“When combined with a John Deere aircart and used on rolling, undulating terrain, this is one of the most accurate, productive air seeding systems available.”
The 23m 1870 is a five-section seeder with 305 millimetre row spacing compatible with 430 bushel tow-between and 430 or 550 bushel tow-behind John Deere seed carts.
It features increased frame height and 1422mm of spacing between each rank, which is nearly 508mm more space compared to other seeders, to help move residue through without clogging.
The 1910 Air Carts have been updated and feature a new Air Power 2 dual fan option that delivers up to 249 kilograms of total product per 0.40 ha across the full width of the air seeder, using two independently controlled fans.
The cast aluminum design and increased fan size allows higher-capacity performance especially when operating on slopes or hilly terrain.
The new 1870 also features a floating front hitch and wings with a range of 25 degrees of flex.
High-flotation tyres placed inside the high-clearance frame are standard and provide better ground following and drill-to-soil contact, which helps improve accuracy of seed placement when covering hilly, undulating terrain.
Another exclusive standard feature is the TruSet depth and pressure control which lets the operator monitor, set and adjust trip force and packing pressure, from the tractor cab and also makes side-to-side frame levelling easier.
Operators can set target seeding depth and adjust it on-the-go, saving time and making it easier to fine-tune settings due to changes in field and soil conditions.
“Another new feature on this machine is our own Relative Flow blockage system that allows the operator to monitor the relative flow rate of both seed and fertiliser from the cab,” Mr Peters said.
“Sensors on the primary and secondary hoses and an easy-to-read display help ensure proper seed and fertiliser flow across the drill, from opener to opener.”
The 1870 has independent hydraulic controls and state of the art openers for consistent seed placement and fertiliser separation.
Fertiliser can be banded 150mm deep and seed tubes can be adjusted in 7mm increments.
A new cam lever on each opener makes it easier for the operator to adjust seed depth across the entire seeder.
Folding and transport is also easier and more manoeuvrable with the 23m 1870 folding in two minutes and the retractable openers narrow the folded width to a slim 7m.
The ability to retract the openers also makes servicing easier and the use of greaseless bushings and long life components cuts service time in half.
John Deere has also included a “bump up” and “duck down” feature that allows customers to increase ground clearance by 100mm to clear obstacles like railway tracks and duck down by 152mm to clear low hanging power lines or overpasses.
And to help speed up planting and headland turns, full-rise of the seeder has been optimised to 7.5 seconds.
“From the strong, lattice structure frame to the retractable openers to the integrated software technology, the all-new 76 foot 1870, combined with our updated 1910 Air Carts, help producers plant small grains and canola faster and more accurately than ever before,” Mr Peters said.
“This air seeder is the most significant addition to our air seeding portfolio in recent years.”