High Yield, Twin Row Corn Planter

High yield, twin row corn planter PLANTERS Planters 12-3-7 It works great for planting high populations of corn used for silage, says John Joost about the "twin row," double toolbar planter he built 10 years ago on his farm near Stevensville, Mont. Joost uses the rig to plant twin rows 4 in. apart on 30 in. centers. He built the planter by combining 2 International 4-row planters, models 185 and 225. Both are 3-pt. mounted, ground driven toolbar planters. Joost combined the two planters into one by placing one planter in front of the other and welding in rods to connect their toolbars. Seed openers on the rear planter are 4 in. to the side of seed openers on the front planter. The "twin row" planter allows Joost to double his plant population to a whop-ping 72,000 seeds per acre. According to Joost, such high populations result in a 33% higher silage yield than is possible with conventional planters. He feeds the silage to 130 dairy cows. "The `twin row' planter lets us go after high silage yields," says Joost. "Single row planters don't work as well for high populations, because in a single row, the plants are too close together. With twin rows, there's more growing space for each plant." To combine the two planters into one, Joost removed the model 185's hitch, then positioned its toolbar and planter units behind the model 225. To connect the planters, he welded two sets of 4-ft. long, 2 x 2 in, bars between the toolbars. Each set of welded-in bars is 3 in. apart, and 2 ft. from the end of the toolbar. He then mounted a 3/4 in. rod on the top link of the front planter's 3-pt. hitch, welding the other end of the rod to the rear planter's toolbar. "This rod keeps the rear planter's toolbar from sagging, so that both planters lift up evenly for transport," says Joost. Contact: FARM SHOW Follow-up, John Joost, 3356 East Side Hwy., Stevensville, Mont. 59870 (ph 406 777-5528).

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