A nuanced topic. First, let’s look at gauge wheels on planters, then drills. (Your drill isn’t a true gauge-wheel design? Maybe it’s time to upgrade). For the last 40+ yrs, virtually all planters have had gauge wheels alongside the opener blades, and for a reason—that’s very close to where the
I’ve spent my working life as an agronomist (independent crop consultant), trying to improve no-till cropping systems and methods. I didn’t set out to manufacture or sell planting equipment—I arrived here out of necessity, in that one of the weak links in our no-till systems was the ability to get
Looks like it’s going to be a very soggy spring season for nearly all of North America —are you equipped to do a good job with seed installation in the mud? In handling wetter-than-desired conditions at seeding, Exapta has the experience and products to get the job done the best
One important reason why the Forges de Niaux 200s stay sharp longer: The Niauxs start out with ~3/4″ of bevel, vs ~5/8″ on the Ingersolls (see photo). That’s over 1.5° smaller angle (13″ vs 14.5°) at the edge, which is a significant difference for cutting ability and ease of penetration
One of our competitors touts their use of SeedXtreme bearings. Are they in fact better? The SeedXtreme bearing uses six seals per side (12 total), versus the typical two or three seals per side that are commonly used in ag bearings (such as gauge wheels and firming wheels). However, to make the
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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 money prototyping. We think the results speak for themselves. We have dozens of farmers who tell us how much
JD 50/60/90/ProSeries drill rebuilds and upgrades Don’t have the time or inclination to crawl around on your drill doing the necessary maintenance? Wanting UniForce, but hesitant to deal with the install? Give us a call, and we can recommend air drill rebuilder services for the Great Plains, with some ability
If you don’t already have your cover-crop rye and triticale seed purchased, now is a great time to get that plan underway for when your corn crop is harvested. The benefits and management techniques I’ve written about previously here still hold. The above photo is an observation from central KS this year, as to
Following up on my Dec 2013 newsletter: To keep more corn stalks standing (thus making it easier to seed into, as well as making them last longer), it appears that one of the most effective tools is to get the head slowed down sufficiently. For instance, at seven mph, 500 –
The pivots for the Case P-500 / NH 2080’s packer/closing arm have a bad tendency to pack full of dirt and stop moving, often requiring yearly removal and cleaning. Several producers have installed grease fittings to prevent this (see photo): “It seems to be working fine to grease it once really
An oft-discussed topic is the repair of the boot attachment holes to minimize the up/down slop (which is important for seed placement). But it’s crucial that this slop be addressed in a way that doesn’t cause plugging. One simple method that’s often touted (including by us) is to replace the OEM
Derek is Kansas native who grew up in a 100% no-till farming operation. From an early age the benefits of no-till were made known to Derek by his father and by attending no-till conferences. From there he furthered his passion for soils while at Kansas State University getting his agronomy degree. He has had the experience of working in various roles and sectors of agriculture from sales and consulting to management, which have all been within production agriculture. Derek has also worked in specialty ag markets such as turf and ornamentals.
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.
Current Product Engineer
He brings hands-on experience in no-till planting equipment, agricultural research, and design engineering. With a background in farming in NE Kansas and an engineering degree, he spent seven years at Kansas State University and three at Landoll Company. He’s passionate about solving engineering challenges and developing durable, user-friendly products.
