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DuraLok vs competitors & OEM (firming wheels on JD 50/60/90 drills)

At Exapta, we take performance very seriously. We spend a lot of time analyzing what needs to be accomplished and how best to accomplish it. And a lot of time and $$ prototyping. We think the results speak for themselves.

We have dozens of farmers who tell us how much cleaner our DuraLoks run in the mud compared to OEM (sometimes being the difference between being able to go vs being parked). Since our DuraLok was introduced, a competitor who has been in the aftermarket seed-lock wheel business for many years decided that he too needed a urethane wheel like ours. But our DuraLok performs better because it’s narrower—including better seed firming (especially in very firm long-term no-till, and better mud shedding (see photos). (The narrowness also avoids any additional packing of the sidewall, which can make the furrow more difficult to close.) And, our higher-density urethane will have a longer wear life. Plus, our sleeker hub doesn’t collect mud and vines as much.

Photos sent from a customer.

Comparing to JD rubber-tire firming wheels (what Deere has been using since ’05), the DuraLok flexes enough to always stay aligned to the furrow and get the seeds firmed, whereas the Deere’s rigid rim often causes it to ride up on the sidewall and not get all the seeds firmed. Furthermore, when it’s really hard and somewhat dry, the rubber tire lets the seeds indent the rubber, rather than the seeds being pressed down into the firm soil—the urethane in the DuraLok is dense enough to not allow this to happen, so the seeds get embedded in the soil more thoroughly.

If you haven’t yet tried the DuraLoks on your JD 50/60/90/Pro-series drill, you owe it to yourself to try a couple rows and see for yourself!

Chris Horton

Chris Horton brings 25 years of management with him. He grew up on his grandparents farm in Reno County Kansas where they mainly grew wheat and cattle feed. He worked on feed lots as a pen rider and cow-calf operations before moving to Southern California where Chris started a new career in the transportation and transport logistics, eventually managing the western region for a large commercial vehicle leasing company. Chris moved home to Kansas, to manage a local Farmers Coop and then eventually the service dept for a tractor dealership. The opportunity to join the Exapta team came up, and he knew he wanted to be a part of this team.

Bob Pagel

Sales & Service Representative

Prior to joining Exapta, Bob Pagel was an Agricultural Territory Sales Manager for Ritchie Brothers, serving parts of MN, WI and IA. He continues to support his family farm in SE Minnesota.

Jon Zeller

Current Product Engineer

Jonathan Zeller joined Exapta excited to return to working with no-till planting equipment. He supported research of no-till planting and other ag related projects for 7 years with Kansas State University’s Agricultural Engineering Department after getting his engineering degree. He later worked 3 years for Landoll Company, LLC. where he gained experience in a design engineering role. Jonathan grew up on a small family farm in NE Kansas working with row crops, hay and cattle. Jonathan enjoys solving engineering problems and improving or creating products to be robust and easy to install and service.