| Thompson Wheels on Planters |
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Mojo Wires |
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"The Thompson wheels have been one of the best additions to our planter as they do a great job closing the seed slot in both extremely dry and extremely wet conditions. Having them on is often the difference in whether I can plant or not when the weather turns wet. Previously, the inability to fully close the seed slot with the stock JD rubber closing often left me setting at the edge of the field waiting for things to dry out. The T-wheels enable me to keep planting in these same conditions. Thompson wheels dig in and give us excellent seed slot closure in both wet and dry conditions, regardless of the volume of crop residue on the surface. And when conditions are wet at planting time, sidewall compaction is largely eliminated when using the Thompson wheels as compared to the JD rubber closing wheels."
Dietrich Kastens, Herndon, KS —Exapta customer since '08 (Thompson wheels & Mojo Wires on 24-row JD 1770 CCS planter) |
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"I love the Mojo Wires. Amazing—best stands I ever had, bar none. It looks like every plant came up within 15 minutes of each other. Perfect stands."
Tom Cannon, Blackwell, OK. Mojo Wires & Keetons on 16-row JD 1770 CCS.
"The function of the Keeton is greatly improved with the Mojo Wire. The extra pressure makes all the difference. In my opinion, do not use Keetons without them."
Jerry Cosper, Memphis, TX, Mojo Wires on 12-row planter. |
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"I put on one row of the Thompson wheels a few years ago, beside the other rows with [competitor] closing wheels. I'm putting Thompson wheels on the rest of the rows now—I don't need a drag chain as they do a better job of consistently covering the seed. I also like the wedge Exapta sells to toe-out the wheels, especially in situations when planting into cover crops with the root mass and all, in order to completely close the slot with little to no down-pressure."
Steve Groff, Cedar Meadow Farm, Holtville, PA —Exapta customer since '05 (Thompson wheels, toe-out wedges, and Mojo Wires on monosem/kinze planter) |
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"The Thompson wheels have been a real savior this year as the conditions we’ve had have been horrible for slot closing, especially with the solid rubber OEM wheels. The rubber wheels were either leaving the slot open or simply squishing the sides together creating a potential nightmare for germination if the conditions had gotten drier. The T-wheels have performed excellently in both mud and in dry conditions, and have handled the glut of residue extremely well. I was really pleased in dry conditions as the Thompson wheels (along with the Keetons and Mojos) left a near-perfect setup for even stand establishment."
Dietrich Kastens, Herndon, KS -- Exapta customer since '08 (Thompson wheels & Mojo Wires on 24-row JD 1770 CCS planter) |
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"I like the size of the bearings and the self-cleaning action. They're very trouble-free."
Kent Kinkler, Onida, SD —Exapta customer since '03
(Thompson wheels on 36-row Kinze planter)
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"On my planter, I run two Thompson spoked closing wheels [per row] and get along great. Make sure you use Keeton seed firmers. I use the firmers with a Mojo wire to stiffen them even more and really push the seed into the soil. After that, I like the fluffy crumbly dirt on top."
Alan Aufdemberge, Lincoln, KS (Thompson wheels, toe-out wedges, and Mojos on 12-row JD 1700-series planter)
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| No-Till Expertise |
"The Thompson wheels were wonderful—Neatest seedbed I've ever accomplished…I attribute some of [my perfect stands] to the Thompson wheels. I have nothing but praise for them."
Maurice Yordy, Eureka, IL —Exapta customer since '06
(Thompson wheels on JD 7240 planter). |
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“I’m very thankful that guys like you are willing to figure this stuff out, and to get your hands dirty. We toyed with no-till for many years, but could never get acceptable stands. Your knowledge changed that, and we are now confident in our ability to get stands in continuous no-till. Your products and information made the difference. Thank you.”
—Earl Clark, Carbondale, KS
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"The Thompson wheels did just what you said. They closed the furrow even though it was too wet to be out there. Our stands were excellent. I'm glad I tried them."
Tracy Bengston, Alta, Iowa —Exapta customer since '06
(Thompson wheels, toe-out wedges, and Mojo Wires on 12-row White 8000-series planter).
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"I appreciate everything you (and your guys) do for us as we try to keep moving forward in no-till while fighting machinery that is still largely being designed for conventional or minimum-till."
—Dietrich Kastens. |
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"I really like the Thompson wheels—they didn't leave a rut and closed really well. They were very consistent in closing the furrow, and a big improvement over the cast closers…I'm very happy with them."
John Nomina, Delphos, OH —Exapta customer since '03
(Thompson wheels on Kinze planter)
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"The Thompson wheels are everything you said they were. Much better closing than the cast [OEM] closing wheels"
Bob Leader, Brookston, IN —Exapta customer since '06
(Thompson wheels and toe-out plates on JD 7000 planter.)
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"I had 4 different brands of closing wheels for several years before going to the Exapta Thompson wheels. I like yours because of the thin blade—it goes into the soil easier for good crumbling of the sidewall. There's seldom any corn stalks getting stuck in them. It's a good closing unit."
Mike Phillips, Waseca, MN —Exapta customer since '03
(Thompson wheels w/ toe-out plates on 8-row JD 7100 planter)
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"The Thompson wheels worked exactly like you said they would. Nearly perfect closing in cotton and corn. We've had good service out of them. They're very trouble-free and well-made. They're the closest we've come to being able to plant in all conditions."
Jimmy Newby, Athens, AL —Exapta customer since '05
(Thompson wheels on 12-row JD 1700-series planter.)
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| Thompson Wheels on Drills |
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"I ran a Thompson wheel next to the stock cast closing wheels on our JD 1990 CCS drill for one season. In heavy residue the stock wheels simply bounce over the top while the T-wheel runs smoothly and gets the slot closed. We will have T-wheels across the whole drill for next season [2010]. . . . You can’t beat the T-wheels on the JD 1990 drill when planting in muddy field conditions as they get the slot closed and keep the drill running."
Dietrich Kastens, Herndon, KS —Exapta customer since '08 (Thompson wheels on JD 1990 CCS drill)
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Comparing aftermarket spoked closing wheels: "Before I bought both wheels, I thought I would like the weight and thickness of the [competitor] wheel better than the lighter thinner Thompson. Both wheels obtain similar results when the soil is dry and the residue is less, but as I get into more moist soils and heavier/bigger residue, the Thompson wheel is the only one to accomplish the job...The stock JD wheels bounce terribly, and try to smash the seed trench closed, so furrow closing is poor. The [competitor] is an improvement since it has the dimples instead of being round like the stock wheel. Bounces less and does a better job of crumbling instead of smashing, but still smashes. Much better furrow closing versus the stock wheel but still leaves furrow unclosed some. The Thompson because it is thinner and more aggressive, crumbles the furrow closed and I don’t notice bouncing or the furrow being left unclosed...I would never run the current version of thse JD stock wheels again. I am also confident that I would buy T4s only next go round."
Josh Lloyd, Oak Hill, KS —Exapta customer since '05 (Thompson wheels on one rank of JD 1890 air drill)
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"I am very pleased—in heavy clay soil, the Thompson wheels still crumbled the soil to close the seed trench. The Thompson wheels get away from the soil ribboning and are a great improvement over the Deere cast closing wheels. I have no problem recommending the Thompson wheels."
Robert Stevenson, Kenton, MB —Exapta customer since '07 (Thompson wheels on JD 1890 air drill).
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"I have had Thompson wheels on my 750 drills for 5 seasons now, and absolutely zero problems so far. The bearing changing chores of closing wheels went to zero when I got rid of the JD wheels."
Jon Hagen, Goodrich, ND —Exapta customer since '04 (Thompson wheels on pair of JD 750 drills)
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"Soybean spacing was terrible with our CCS drill until we put the Diffusers on. We'd have clumping of seeds, then a big skip. We put Diffusers on two rows, and the difference was very obvious—the spacing was definitely better, and the placement was better. All the seeds were in the bottom of the furrow, instead of partway up the sidewall, and so on. The Diffusers reduced the bunching of wheat seed, also. Watching them in operation, the seeds line themselves up single-file as they spiral down the grooves in the Diffuser."
Lennie Blain, D.S.&R. Cordel, Cawker City, KS —Exapta customers since '03
(D-Cup Diffusers and Thompson wheels on JD 1990 CCS drill)
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“I was very pleased with the Thompson wheels—they were superior in all conditions. We left a few old [JD] ones on to see a comparison. It wasn’t hard to see the advantage of the Thompson wheels.”
Rod Lanier, Lethbridge, Alberta —Exapta customer since ‘07 (Thompson wheels on JD 1890 air drill).
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"I'm quite impressed—the Thompson wheels provide superior closing to the original John Deere wheels, especially in wet sticky soils or in high-residue conditions…Sometimes it's the difference between seeding and not seeding—the Thompson wheels and SDX firming wheels complement each other and let me start seeding more quickly after a rain. The Thompson wheels really shine with small-seeded crops such as alfalfa, canola, and mustard, which don't have as much push to get through the compacted ribbon created by the JD closing wheels…I've seeded 20,000 to 25,000 acres with the Thompson wheels and had good wear—they should last another couple years."
Brian Hildebrand, Skiff, Alberta (Thompson wheels on JD 1890 air drill) |
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"When planting in wet conditions, the Thompson wheels do not lay a ribbon of mud in the seed slot like the old JD solid wheel, and do a good job of crumbling the trench wall without packing the wet soil. This is 3 seasons with them on the drills at 2000 acres per year—they have very little wear on the points and still no bearing trouble. That single, very large bearing works. Thanks for a good product."
Jon Hagen, Goodrich, ND —Exapta customer since '04
(Thompson wheels on pair of JD 750 drills)
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"We really like the Thompson wheels: We were able to run in far wetter conditions than we have in the past, and it's doing a nice job."
Alan Aufdemberge, Lincoln, KS —Exapta customer since '08 (Thompson wheels on JD 1860 air drill)
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“The smooth JD cast wheels won’t close the furrow when it gets hard and dry. But the Thompson wheels will penetrate and close the furrow. Crumbling versus smashing the furrow shut makes a big difference, especially if soils are wet.”
—Alan Mindemann, Apache, OK Exapta customer since ’01
(Thompson wheels on JD 1890 air drill)
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"I really like the performance of the Thompson wheels. I ran the [competitor's heavy closing wheel] on 2 rows and ran 2 rows of Thompsons side-by-side this past year. The [competitor] definitely bounced more than the Thompsons in all conditions. The thin design of the Thompsons, and the angle that the closing arm holds it, allow for very little down-pressure also. It seems like the Thompsons just 'pull' the dirt into the slot, whereas a heavy wider wheel still has to 'mash' the dirt to get it into the slot. I think you have a great wheel in the Thompson design—keep it up!"
—Jordan Reimnitz, Armour, SD, Thompson wheels on JD 1860 air drill |
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