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Aricks Bushing Kits

All About Bushing Kits

Keeping the firming and closing arm pivots working properly can be a real hassle on the JD 50/60/90 drills. Even after Deere upgraded them circa 2009 to include seals, they still have a habit of packing full of dirt and not taking grease. But with the Aricks bushing kits from Australia, these pivots will run smoothly and you’ll never have to grease them again! The Aricks seals for the firming & closing pivots have a Teflon coating on the seal contact lip and are designed to run dry, unlike a competitor product from USA — and these Aricks kits have an extensive track-record since ’09 proving their durability and trouble-free nature. The bushings themselves are fiber-wound Teflon impregnated, and the steel sleeve has a hardened chrome finish, for smooth action, and proven to last at least as long as OEM (significantly longer in some conditions). These kits are hugely popular in Australia.

Note: On 50-series,* the firming arm has a pin welded in – this must be removed and a hole drilled in the arm at that spot, and requires a 50-series bushing kit as the sleeve length is longer than the 60/90-series.

*Doesn’t fit the earliest 750s.

Aricks Main Opener Pin Kit

The main pin & bushings at the front of the opener on the JD 50/60/90 drills (where the arm attaches to the rockshaft) is another wear item, and it’s critical to maintain furrow width. If these get sloppy, the furrow gets narrower and the boot and firming wheel no longer fit, and seed placement is awful. The first time around, simply rotate the pin by 180-degrees (loosen the bolt locking it in position; put a pipe wrench on the end of the pin). If this has already been done, and they’ve gotten sloppy again, the next step is to replace pins & bushings. Aricks’ main pin kits have been in the field since 2013, and proven to last at least as long as OEM in tough Aussie conditions, and sometimes significantly longer. Aricks front pin bushings are steel with a Teflon inner layer, and the pin has a hard chrome finish. Whether merely turning the pins, or doing a complete rebuild, be sure to retorque the retaining bolt to spec when finished; inadequate torque can result in the bushings spinning in the opener arm, ruining it.

“After 8 years & 20,000 acres: “They [the firming & closing bushing kits] were good the whole way through. I never had any problems with them at all. I would recommend them to anyone.”
Ed Whitechurch
Temora, NSW, Australia, (30’ JD 1890

Aricks Bushing Kits Videos

About Aricks Opener Main Pin Kit
How to Install Aricks Bushing Kits on John Deere 60/90 No-till Drills
How to Install Aricks Opener Main Pin Kit on John Deere 50/60/90 No-till Drills
“We rebuilt the drill this year and it’s been extremely impressive on the rebuild. We put on the better blades [Forges de Niaux], DuraLok firming wheels and the Aricks Main Pins/Bushings. We got to noticing our seed slot was getting very narrow and we just happened to receive one of your flyers that addressed that. We had a lot of slop in those bushings. We planted about 700 ac of soybeans this year and we are getting the best stands we’ve ever seen with this drill. I am very impressed with your products! We don’t mind running this older equipment if you can make it work. You guys [Exapta] have figured out some stuff that other companies haven’t yet. And, your service has been excellent. You have helped us out a lot.”
Jason Peters
Carthage, MO, Exapta customer since 2013 (JD 1560, 15ft on 7.5”)
“So far I think our best decision has been the bushing kits. I installed them all last spring and have not had one row give me any problems! I love not having to grease 104 fittings! Keeping the press arm and closing arm free of seizing up makes everything else work on these 90 series openers.”
Kory Hastings
Great Falls, MT, Exapta customer since 2017 (Duraloks, Ninja flaps, T-whls, bushing kits on JD 1895 43ft with a 1910 TBH cart)

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.