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John Deere Opender Blades

20% more wear-life than the next-best. The Forges de Niaux takes it to the next level with a unique steel and special heat-treat process. Same dimensions as OEM. Replaces John Deere Part number N283804.

$51.18

Now available: Forges de Niaux’s superior blades for Case-IH Precision Disc 500 / NH P-2080 / 2085.  Same dimensions as OEM, but with the greater durability of the Forges de Niaux!  Harder on the periphery, for 20% greater wear life.  Stays sharper longer.  (Note: We don’t stock these in our warehouse; all orders will incur shipping.)

$57.21

Blade sharpness is critical, and we were advocates of frequent blade replacement long before we ever started selling any opener blades. Dull blades hinder the cutting of straw and stalks—resulting in hairpinning, i.e., tucking the residue into the furrow with the seed sandwiched in the middle—as well as poor cutting of the soil itself. Attempting to overcome this requires more down-pressure and frame weight, sometimes a great deal more.

A few companies are selling aftermarket blades that are larger diameter than OEM, which is 18″. This is undesirable for a couple reasons: First, larger blades result in more hairpinning (unless you’re planning to cut a furrow 5″ deep). For seeding depths of 1.5 – 2.5″, you really want blades that are only 15 – 16″ diameter; 18″ is a bit too large already. Secondly, if you typically seed about 1.75 – 2″ deep (and this is where these drills work best), going to a larger blade will create more of a gap between the lower edge of the seed boot and the soil surface, causing more seeds to escape (and lowering the boot to the bottom hole may not put the boot at the proper spot either, depending on the exact blade diameter being used).

The edge of a Forge De Niaux blade.

Tough and Proven

20% more wear-life. The Niaux 200s also stay sharp longer. But the additional wear life on the Niaux 200s doesn’t impair their toughness, because the extra hardening occurs only on the outermost inch.

Derek Tjaden

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.

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

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.