Nodet Vacuum Planter Does It All

Nodet Vacuum Planter Does It All PLANTING EQUIPMENT Planters 6-1-32 If you grow sugar beets, cotton, sorghum or sunflowers ù in addition to corn and soybeans ù you can plant them all with the new Nodet vacuum planter, introduced by WIC, Inc., of Halstad, Minn. "It's the first and only planter we know of that will plant virtually any row crop with precision seed depth and spacing accuracy ù at speeds up to 8 mph," says Chuck Holmquist, general manager of WIC. He notes that, "other row crop planters on the market are designed to handle only one or two crops without a lot of changeover and readjustment. With the Nodet, one planter does it all ù and with the same precision-accuracy you get in the best corn-soybean planter, the best 'sugar beets only' planter, or the best 'cotton only' planter." Developed in France, the Nodet has been sold in Europe for the past 12 years. Several years ago, an Illinois-based firm tried unsuccessfully to sell the idea of mounting new Nodet planting units on older-model Deere and, other plate-type planters. "We're marketing a totally new concept ù new Nodet units on new toolbars, all designed and built from scratch as a package unit," explains Holmquist. "We hope to have prototype pull-type units, with folding wings, in the field this spring." Holmquist cites these additional key features of the Nodet planter: • Change plant population in seconds. To make a population or seed spacing change, you simply flip a lever. •Accurate planting depth, seed spacing. Operating off a pto driven vacuum fan, the Nodet accurately places seeds a pre-set distance apart at travel speeds up to 8 mph, says Holmquist. •Low maintenance requirements. Because it has few moving parts, up-keep costs are low, says Holmquist. The Nodet is currently available in 3 pt. toolbar models in sizes up to eight 30 in. rows. A 12 row toolbar model (30 in. rows) will be introduced soon. Its outside three rows on each side fold for transport. "Cost of the versatile Nodet runs about 10 to 15% higher than similar size Max-Emerge or Cyclo planters," Holmquist points out. "We're not claiming the Nodet is better than the Max-Emerge or Cyclo in corn, but we do think it's just as good. In all other row crops, including soybeans, we think the Nodet will outperform all other planters on the market." For more details, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, WIC, Inc., Box 26, Halstad, Minn. (ph 218 456-2191).

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