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Valion Seed Tube Guards

Kit-Valion seed-tube guard (chrome alloy) kit, for Deere XP & ME5 (was V450) LEGACY P/N WAS V 450 - Valion seed-tube guard (chrome alloy) kit, for Deere XP & ME5
$52.22
Kit-Valion seed tube guard (chrome alloy) for pre-XP and Kinze 2000s (was V150) LEGACY P/N WAS V 150 - Valion seed tube guard (chrome alloy) for pre-XP and Kinze 2000 series
$53.59
Kit-Valion "oversize" seed tube guard (was V153) Valion seed tube guard w/ wings, *oversize* bolts, bushings; for JD pre-XP & Kinze 2000 shanks with holes drilled out to 3/8? COMPATIBLE EQUIPMENT: JD 1700, 7300, 7200 Series (Pre-XP), JD 7000, 7100 Series, Kinze 2000 Series " LEGACY P/N WAS V 153 - Valion (chrome alloy) for pre-XP and Kinze 2000s: Oversize
$53.59
Kit-Valion seed tube guard for Kinze 3000 (was V350) LEGACY P/N WAS V 350 - Valion seed tube guard for Kinze 3000
$43.37
“I run the Valions on my planter and I can confirm they will outlast JD guards 3:1. I can’t even get a full season out of the OEMs. I refer a lot of people to Exapta because of the Valions.”
Stan Claybaker, Claybaker Custom Planting
Blackwell, OK, Exapta customer since 2014 (Valions on JD 1770, 24 row)

All About Valion Seed Tube Guards

No Pinched Furrows

The Valion doesn’t form the furrow by pushing soil—it doesn’t drag below the blades, which would be very undesirable. Instead, the Valion keeps the lower edge of the blades at the optimum distance from each other so that the blades create a furrow of useful width, consistently, for uniform timing of emergence, resulting in higher yields.

Excellent Wear Life

Side-by-side comparison of Valions vs Kinze 3000s OEM seed tube guards on a Kinze 3140 16-row planter, covering 500 acres. This is from an Exapta customer in Hooper, NE.

“I’ve never seen as good of seed placement on my farm as I have this season [2013]. I had installed the Valion guards, seed-lock firming wheels, and Thompson wheels with the wedge/spring assemblies. Plus, new thicker opener disks, your [seed-lock] firming wheels, and, yes, I had the planter level. And our double-crop beans germinated well & evenly thanks to the equipment from your shop. I’m thankful for your ‘No-till store.’ ”
Louis Ehlers
Newton, KS, Exapta customer since '99 (Valions, Exapta seed-lock wheels, T-whls & wedges on 16-row JD 1700-series)

Extreme Durability

Valion™ seed tube guards from Exapta will eliminate seed tube wear and greatly reduce blade flex to create a properly shaped furrow and improved planting depth control. These guards are perfect for no-till or high-wear conditions, or anyone who is simply tired of replacing seed tube guards so often. While intended to limit blade flex, standard OEM seed tube guards can wear substantially in just a few hours of use (esp. older John Deere & Kinze). Our chrome Valions will outlast OEM guards by 2 to 4X, so that furrows are properly shaped and seeds placed at the correct depth continuously down the row, and all the way thru the planting season. (Valion Ultras—with tungsten carbide inlays—are discontinued for XP & ME5s, but still available for pre-XP and Kinze 2000s, while supplies last; these are a permanent fix, but not suited to rocky conditions.)

Liquid Capability

Liquid Capability Valions are also a slick way to apply liquids into the seed furrow (N/A on Kinze 3000 Valions). Here’s how to make this setup as trouble-free as possible, and more affordable and durable than competitor systems: Exapta’s Stainless Steel Liquid Tube Holders.

  • No drilling—installs with existing bolt holes
  • Secures plastic 1/4″ line for liquids
  • Keeps the small plastic line out of the blades
  • Prevents damage from stalks or tree limbs
  • Stainless steel for low corrosion
  • Thick-wall pipe
“Your Valions are AMAZING. I can’t understand why anyone would want to continue running the JD guards — regardless of what tillage system they’re using.”
Craig Stehly
Mitchell, SD, Exapta customer since '05 (Valions, Mojos, T-whls on 48-row DB88 and 32-row DB58 planters)

21″ Heat-resistant tubing puts connector alongside shank on Kinze 2000

Connector alongside shank on Deere XP planter unit.

Connector above shank.

“Valions are giving me significantly more than double the wear life of OEM.”
Tom Cannon
Blackwell, OK, Exapta customer since '03 (Valions & Mojo Wires on 16-row JD 1770 CCS)

Note: We prefer applying liquids via Keetons. We view Keetons (or in-furrow ‘seed-lock’ wheels) as crucial for consistent stand establishment in no-till, and keeping those devices clean can be more of a challenge when liquids are applied ahead of them – although this is entirely dependent on liquid rate, stickiness of the liquid, and soil properties. However, many people get along just fine year after year applying liquids ahead of Keetons.

Note: Blade thickness affects the wear of any seed tube guard. Thicker blades slow the wear tremendously, because the rigidity of the blade increases as the cube of the thickness. So, it’s a huge difference between 3 vs 3.5mm blades, and again between 3.5mm vs 4mm. We strongly encourage going from 3 to 3.5mm if you haven’t already done so. And yet we’re not so thrilled with 4mm blades (standard on Monosem’s ‘French’ row unit) on double-disc planters. The 4mm blades don’t cut soil and residue as well as the 3.5s (this is especially true on Monosems, where the 4mm blades have a shallower bevel; if you want to convert those planters to using 3.5mm blades with Deere hubs, call us for a special bolt to make this conversion work).

Valion Seed Tube Guards Videos

More Valion Seed Tube Guards Testimonials

Download Installation Instructions

Last spring we installed the new Valion seed tube guards on our 16R30 John Deere 1770 planter. We were very satisfied with the durability of the guards as well as the superior fertilizer placement. Previously we ran R-K Products guards and were very pleased. However, the Valion guard allowed us to keep a true V slot as well as place fertilizer below the seed. This helped get the fertility where it was needed, as well as keep the planter and Thompson wheels clean and working properly. After 2,500 acres the Valions showed little wear and will be able to run for multiple seasons.
Cole Mertens
New Raymer, CO
“The one thing I liked was the liquid fertilizer integration. We had built our own setup previously, it leaked and splattered all over the planter. I didn’t notice that with the Valion. When we were in hard, dry no-till conditions it seemed to keep the furrow from narrowing up.”
Brett Oelke
Hoxie, KS, Exapta customer since 2014 (Valions on 16-Row JD 1720 Planter)
“The Valion works really well. I was wearing out factory guards every year and we don’t farm that much. I checked Valions after one year and they still looked like new. I recommend them to anyone having trouble, keep up the good work!”
Ty Torkelson
Morris, IL, Exapta customer since 2013 (chrome Valions on 12-row JD 7200 planter)
“I’m a certified crop consultant who conducted my own independent comparison of seed-tube guards last season—after one season of use, here’s what I found: JD = .300″ of wear; Exapta [chrome] Valion = .050″. I like the starter fertilizer option through the Valion and highly recommend it to my customers.”
Daniel Harnisch
Freeman, SD, Exapta customer since 2011 (chrome Valions & Mojos on JD 1780 planter)

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.