by Ethan Begle, Technical Service
If you are new to Exapta or have been looking at all the different options to improve your JD single disc openers, let’s break down what Exapta offers and how we’re solving the issues we were faced with in our own fields. A great example is the OEM firming wheel being too wide to fit in the furrow, as it was more often riding on the sidewalls above the seed.
The Duralok firming wheels are the narrowest wheel on the market at just under a ½” wide. I have yet to come across a furrow in the field wider than ½” at the bottom of the furrow. The soil naturally wants to fall back to its original form, and the angle of the blade ideally creates a 5/16” wide furrow bottom. Blade flex in hard ground or loose soil, where the sidewall tends to cave in, makes the sidewall narrower, not wider. I suggest that when checking seed depth, you also look at the firming wheel; by brushing away soil to see if your wheel is riding up on the sidewall.
Thompson spiked closing wheels will help your closing pivot last longer. This is because it weighs 9.5 lbs. compared to OEM or other spiked wheels at 12 lbs. or more. The spikes do the closing action of crumbling the soil closed, so there is no need for lots of weight to pack it all in. This wheel is also ¼” wide which further eliminates packing and penetrates the soil easier than wider wheels. If you still have smooth closing wheels, consider the closing upgrade for more consistently covered furrows, as the spikes keep the wheel engaged in the soil instead of the issue with smooth bouncing. The wheels last a long time as you can see in the picture from a worn Thompson off a 40’ air seeder overlaid on a brand new wheel. This wheel has not yet hit the replacement point and could go 20,000 acres if conditions allow.
The Polyflex gauge wheel tire combines the durability of urethane and the flexibility of rubber. The middle part of the tire is hollow to give it the flex, but the lip holds up twice as long as rubber tires. The green urethane tires are completely solid and we find when soil gets sticky, the solid tires don’t shed that sticky soil. (As seen in the pic below, with green tires on the left and polyflex on the right) In tilled or fluffy soils, a light shower can be enough to make you park the drill early. This problem is more prevalent on the rear rank, where the front rank has disturbed the soil ahead. If you want to go years before changing gauge wheel tires, then the solid urethane tires are worth the investment. However, if you ever run into sticky soil conditions then the Polyflex will keep you in the field longer.
An easy upgrade that gets overlooked sometimes is the seed flap. Our Ninja flaps are extra flexible to prevent early breakage, which was a problem with Deere flaps until the new Pro series flaps were introduced. The purpose of the flap is to prevent seeds from blowing or bouncing out of the furrow. The key difference is the 20° bend downward that covers any gaps when the seed boot rides along the top of the furrow. Competitor flaps are so long that the firming wheel rides on the flap at times, and it is used to help firm the seed. The Ninja flap will last much longer because it’s short and flexible. Let the firming wheel do the seed firming.
At Exapta we have many more parts to fit your JD single disc row unit. I wanted to highlight the differences in some key improvements we offer compared to others on the market. We strive to help you understand field issues before selling parts. If you’re debating which company to purchase parts from, make sure they are explaining the field issue that the product will fix. We at Exapta would gladly talk about the questions you have and let you know if it’s the best value for your operation.