56 McConnell Model 555 Potato Planter
131 Lockwood Model L06200-00423 Potato Planter
132 Dahlman Model PT Potato Planter
163 Acme 400 ST Potato Planter
206 Lockwood L06200-00403 Accumatic Potato Planter
Summary of McConnell Model 555 Potato Planter (Evaluation Report - PDF File - 0.74 MB)
Overall functional performance of the McConnell Model 555 potato planter was very good.
The seed metering system was very good, which resulted in few misses or doubles. Seed spacing was good. When set at a nominal spacing of 460 mm (18 in), 82% of the seed was spaced between 180 and 760 mm (7 and 30 in) with an average spacing of 465 mm (18 in). The coefficient of variation (CV) of single seed spacing was 31% at a speed of 8.6 km/h (5.3 mph). Acceptable seed spacing occurred at all speeds between 3 and 10 km/h (2 and 6 mph). Control of seeding depth was very good. Seed pieces were placed within 12 mm (0.5 in) of the desired depth. The closing disks were adjustable to produce very good hills with a uniform soil cover in all the soil conditions encountered.
Performance of the fertilizer metering system was good. Performance was reduced by the lack of available adjustment for low fertilizing rates. The application rate was not affected by field roughness, field slope, ground speed or fertilizer level in the hoppers. Fertilizer placement was good, with bands placed 50 mm (2 in) to each side of the seed. Opening disk adjustment was sufficient to permit the fertilizer bands to be placed below the seed level in all the soils encountered. No fertilizer calibration chart was supplied which necessitated calibrating the system.
Both the fertilizer and seed systems were convenient to adjust, service and operate. An adequate walkway was supplied for filling of the fertilizer hoppers but the seed hopper walkway was inadequate. No access holes were provided in the seed hoppers to enable the planter operator to break seed bridging.
A 65 kW (87 hp) tractor was adequate to operate the McConnell 555 in most soils at speeds up to 12 km/h (8 mph).
The operator's manual was good, and contained instructions on operation, adjustment, maintenance and safety. The McConnell was safe to operate if normal safety procedures were followed.
No major durability problems occurred during the test, although several minor problems occurred with the picker arms, hydraulic raising linkage and row markers.
Summary of Lockwood Model L06200-00423 Potato Planter (Evaluation Report - PDF File - 0.45 MB)
Overall functional performance of the Lockwood Model L06200-00423 potato planter was very good.
The seed feeding and metering system was very good, which resulted in few misses or doubles. Seed spacing was good. When set at a nominal spacing of 460 mm (18 in), 70% of the seed was spaced between 240 and 780 mm (9 and 30 in) with an average spacing of 490 mm (19 in). The coefficient of variation (CV) of single seed spacing was 28% at a speed of 9.4 km/h (6 mph). Acceptable seed spacing occurred at all speeds below 12 km/h (7 mph). Control of seeding depth was very good with seed pieces placed within 12 mm (0.5 in) of the desired depth. The closing disks could be adjusted to produce very good hills with uniform soil cover in all soil conditions encountered.
Performance of the fertilizer metering system was very good. The application rate was not affected by field roughness, field slope, ground speed or fertilizer level in the hoppers. Fertilizer placement was good, with bands placed 50 mm (2 in.) to each side of the seed. Opener adjustment was sufficient to permit the fertilizer bands to be placed below seed level in all soil conditions encountered. The fertilizer calibration chart was inaccurate necessitating recalibration for fertilizer commonly used in the prairie provinces.
Both the fertilizer and seed systems were convenient to adjust and service and were easy to operate. Adequate walkways were supplied for filling the seed and fertilizer hoppers. Access holes, provided in the back of the seed hoppers, were inadequate to enable the planter operator to conveniently break seed bridging.
A 65 kW (87 hp) tractor had adequate power to operate the Lockwood in most soils at speeds up to 10 km/h (6.2 mph).
The operator's manual was very good, containing comprehensive instructions on operation, adjustment, maintenance and safety. The Lockwood was safe to operate if normal safety procedures were followed.
No significant mechanical problems occurred during the test.
Summary of Dahlman Model PT Potato Planter (Evaluation Report - PDF File - 0.38 MB)
Overall functional performance of the Dahlman Model PT potato planter was very good.
The seed metering and feeding system was excellent which resulted in trouble free seed flow and few misses or doubles. Seed spacing was good. When set at a nominal spacing of 460 mm (18 in), 76% of the seed was spaced between 160 and 840 mm (6 and 33 in) with an average spacing of 440 mm (17 in). The coefficient of variation (CV) of single seed spacing was 38%. This coefficient was constant for all planting speeds. Control of seeding depth was very good with seed pieces placed within 12 mm (0.5 in) of the desired depth. The closing disks could be adjusted to produce very good hills with uniform cover in all soil conditions.
Performance of the fertilizer metering system was good. Performance was reduced by occasional feeding problems and exposure of the feed chains to rain. The application rate was not affected by field roughness, field slope, ground speed or fertilizer level in the hoppers. Fertilizer placement was good, with bands placed 130 mm (5 in) to each side of the seed. Opener adjustment was adequate to permit the fertilizer to be placed below seed level in all soil conditions. The manufacturer's fertilizer calibration chart was inaccurate which made it necessary to recalibrate the applicator.
Both the fertilizer and seed systems were convenient to adjust and service and easy to operate. An adequate walkway was supplied for filling the seed hoppers but the fertilizer hopper had no walkway.
A 60 kW (80 hp) tractor had adequate power to operate the Dahlman, in most soils, at speeds up to 10 km/h (6 mph).
The operator's manual was fair, containing instructions on operation, adjustment, maintenance and safety. The Dahlman was safe to operate if normal safety procedures were followed.
Several minor durability problems occurred with the picker arms and one castor wheel spindle had to be replaced during the test.
Summary of Acme 400 ST Potato Planter (Evaluation Report - PDF File - 0.65 MB)
Overall functional performance of the Acme 400 ST Potato Planter was very good.
The seed metering and feeding system was excellent, which resulted in trouble free seed flow and few misses or doubles. Seed spacing was good. When set at a nominal spacing of 460 mm (18 in), 72% of the cut seed was spaced between 220 and 860 mm (9 and 34 in), with an average spacing of 450 mm (18 in). The coefficient of variation (CV) of single seed spacing was 36%. This coefficient was constant for all planting speeds. The overall CV was 64% for cut seed and 66% for whole seed. Control of seeding depth was very good, with seed pieces placed within 12 mm (0.5 in) of the desired depth. The covering discs could be adjusted to produce excellent hills with uniform cover in all soil conditions.
Performance of the fertilizer metering system was good. Performance was reduced by occasional plugging of the flexible drop hoses and exposure of the feed screws to rain. The application rate was not affected by field roughness, field slope, ground speed or fertilizer level in the hoppers. Fertilizer placement was good, with bands placed 130 mm (5 in) to each side of the seed. Opener adjustment was adequate to permit the fertilizer to be placed below seed level in all soil conditions. The manufacturer's fertilizer charts were incomplete, making it necessary to recalibrate, to suit prairie application rates.
Both the fertilizer and seed systems were convenient to adjust, service and operate. No walkways were provided for filling of the seed or fertilizer hoppers.
A 100 kW (135 hp) tractor had adequate power to operate the Acme 400 ST in most soils, at speeds up to 10 km/h (6 mph).
The operator's manual was good, containing instructions on operation, adjustment, maintenance and safety. The Acme was safe to operate if normal safety procedures were followed.
Durability problems occurred with one castor wheel, and one cup chain jammed in the seed tube after jumping off a sprocket.
Summary of Lockwood L06200-00403 Accumatic Potato Planter (Evaluation Report - PDF File - 0.67 MB)
Overall functional performance of the Lockwood 403 Accumatic Potato Planter was very good. Performance in wet fields ranged from good to very good.
Performance of the electronic seed flow control system was very good, resulting in trouble-free seed flow to the picker bowls. Both seed hoppers emptied evenly. Seed spacing was good. When set at a nominal spacing of 460 mm (18 in), 54% of the seed was spaced between 230 and 690 mm (9 and 27 in), with an average spacing of 475 mm (19 in). The coefficient of variation (CV) of single seed spacing was 26%. This coefficient was fairly constant for all planting speeds. The overall CV was 64% when planting at 10 km/h (6 mph). Control of seeding depth was very good. The covering discs produced fair hills in most soil conditions.
The planting mechanism was very convenient to adjust, service and operate. No access was provided to enter the seed hopper for cleaning.
A 60 kW (80 hp) tractor would have adequate power to operate the Lockwood 403, in most soils, at speeds up to 10 km/h (6 mph), but a tractor with at least 100 kW (130 hp) is recommended. This size of tractor would provide better maneuverability and adequate floatation to carry the large hitch weight.
The operator's manual was very good, containing instructions on operation, adjustment, maintenance and safety. The Lockwood was safe to operate if normal safety procedures were followed.
The Lockwood transported well at speeds up to 25 km/h (15 mph) although transport ground clearance of 70 mm (3 in) was inadequate.
Operator visibility of the two outer pick wheels was very good, while visibility to the rear was poor. Maneuverability was very good, but use of tractor wheel brakes was often required on headlands.
No significant mechanical problems occurred during the test. |