Rebuilt Double Frame Drill Clears Trash, Folds Hydraulically

Rebuilt double frame drill clears trash, folds hydraulically PLANTERS Planters 13-2-9 "My rebuilt drill folds easier, and does a better job clearing trash than any drill on the market," says David Anderson, Dresden, Kan., who converted his 32-ft. three-section Crustbuster hoe drill to a "double frame", hydraulically-folded model. The drill, whose side wings fold vertically, originally folded forward by hand and had problems in the field, says Anderson. "The universal joint at the hinge wore prematurely, causing the outside seed boxes to plant unevenly. Also, the configuration and spacing of the drills' "C" shanks often caused trash clog-ups. To keep the shanks from plugging up, I had to disk ahead of the drill, which wasted soil moisture. "Adding a second toolbar ahead of the frame helped in several ways. It let me mount the outside seed boxes' ahead of the center boxes so I could fold the drill hydraulically, and it let me spread shanks out for better trash clearance. I rebuilt the original "C" shanks, lengthening them by 12 inches and straightening them for better trash clearance. The drill now plants all kinds of grain uniformly, works well in heavy trash, and is easy to fold." Originally, the drill was equipped with two rows of staggered "C" shanks with 10 in. of lateral clearance between shanks. When Anderson added another frame in front, he moved some of the shanks ahead. There now are three rows with shanks spaced 30 in. apart in each row. There's still 10 inches of lateral clearance between shanks, but the shanks are spaced further apart, front to rear, for better trash flow. Anderson cut off the bottom 4 in. of each "C" shank and replaced it with a 16 in. length of 1 1/4-in. dia. pipe. Then he welded an Acra-Plant drill point on the bottom of each pipe. "The rebuilt shanks let us raise the drill 12 inches higher, allowing thistles and weeds to pass through instead of clogging up like they did before," says Anderson. "The shanks double as seed delivery tubes, eliminating the need for boots. The rebuilt shanks have seeded about 4,500 acres with no breakage and the Acra-Plant points show hardly any wear." A pair of 24 by 4-in. hydraulic cylinders is used to fold the drill. The drill originally folded to a 17-ft. width. It now folds to 15 ft. 6 in. wide. Weatherstripping and latches, installed under the lids of the outside seed boxes, keep grain from leaking out during trans-port. Anderson put together a second rebuilt Crustbuster drill, which folds for-ward, for a neighbor. He says he'll build the drills on a custom basis. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, David Anderson, Box 132, Dresden, Kan. 67635 (ph 913 386-4464).

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