Three Cyclos Merged Into Hybrid Drill Planter

Three cyclos merged into hybrid drill planter PLANTERS Planters 11-2-9 "It combines the narrow row spacing of a drill with the metering accuracy of a planter," says Phil Deal, Taylorville, Ill., of the "hybrid" planter he created by merging three International Cyclo planters. The first-of-its-kind machine plants conventional or no-till in 24 rows spaced 10 in. apart, and, by using the center planter, will plant corn in 8 30-in. rows. "I designed it for double cropping soybeans directly in wheat stubble. Since it's used like a drill, it doesn't have any row markers," Deal points out. Deal hasn't weighed the planter but acknowledges that "it's heavy." He had a problem with wheel bearings initially but discovered he could replace original IH bearings with Deere field cultivator bearings, which he says are heavy enough to do the job. Deal mounted the planter units, row openers and Yetter moldboard plow coulters on a reversed and shortened Cyclo frame. He reinforced the original tongue to handle the added weight and equipped the pto shaft with an overriding clutch so the blowers can coast to a stop.

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