In many parts of the country, this planting season provided a great reminder about how easily windows for fieldwork open and close. If — rather than spending a day or two preparing your planter — you’d prefer to be in the field planting next spring, take the time now to properly store your planter.
Sure, there’s plenty to catch up on after you put those last seeds in the ground. But if you stick to a plan and work with your Case IH dealer, you can put your planter to bed in short order. Plus, you’ll help maintain your planter’s accuracy and efficiency, while preserving its value.
Many storage practices apply to 2000 and 1200 series Early Riser® planters. But remember: 2000 series Early Riser planters rely on significantly fewer moving parts — no drive chains to remove and store, etc. And you won’t need as many tools to get the job done either. Let’s get started:
- Your operators manual is your best resource for storing your planter. Refer to it often.
- Fold planter markers. Install storage locks on carrying wheel hydraulic cylinders and drawbar hitch cylinders.
- Properly inflate tires.
- Disconnect hydraulic and electrical lines. Cover connectors to keep them clean.
- Remove and clean seed meters. Inspect parts for wear. Reassemble meter covers to meter housings.
- Store seed disks on a flat surface to prevent damage. Or store them by hanging them through the center hole. Identify seed disks to ensure they are returned to the same meter housings when placed back into service.
- Empty and clean bulk hoppers and seed boxes.
- SpeedTube® units: Remove belt and clean out all debris. Inspect components for wear and ensure the belt moves freely. Clean optical sensors, and reinstall SpeedTube components before reinstalling into row unit.
- Drain and flush liquid fertilizer tanks. Disconnect and clean components for storage. In freezing climates, fill the system with a 50/50 mixture of water and nontoxic, noncorrosive antifreeze.
- Drain the water from all compressor tanks.
- Coat exposed hydraulic cylinder rods with grease to prevent rust.
- Clean ground-engaging parts and inspect for wear. Replace as needed. Coat with grease.
- Follow proper procedures for handling farm chemicals, clean granular chemical hoppers. Reinstall hoppers to their original row units.
- Clean and lubricate the planter. Use touch-up paint as necessary to prevent rust.
- Inspect electrical harnesses and hydraulic hoses. Make necessary repairs where worn or damaged.
- Clean and inspect the vacuum system.
- Check and retighten hardware.
- Remove and charge battery. Store indoors and off the ground.
Once you’ve completed these critical storage steps, you can park your planter with the peace of mind that you’ve done all you can to ensure the value, longevity and readiness of your Early Riser planter.
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