Planters for vegetable crops

DLMKA

Member
I'm looking for an affordable planter than can handle a large range of vegetable seeds. Mainly sweet corn but also be able to plant peas, okra, variety of edible dry beans, cucumber, squash, pumpkins, etc. The Deere 71 planters come up quite a bit and seem to be reasonably priced if you stay away from ebay and other places where the food plot guys hang out (deer hunters must have copious amounts of disposable income). I was offered a Deere 494 planter for a good price as well as a 490 planter both local. I'd rather have two rows but could take off the outer two units on a 4-row. Anything else I could be looking for? What makes the 71 such a great planter?
 
A 70/71 is popular because they are so versatile.Put
them on a tool bar at any row width desired.They are
also compact. They are popular with vegatable
grower,sugar beet,pinto bean,onion .....growers as
well.Easy to change gearing with a HUGE range of
population densities.They each use the same
plates.The 494 is 'obsolete' these days,the 71 is
still 'current'.
 
The 70/71 is self contained, you clamp the row unit on a 3pt
bar and it plants, any spacing, any tractor, very nimble and
mobile.

The 494 are about the same thing as far as the seed box; but
they take up shed room, they are set in the row spacing, they
are harder to manuver, they need so and so much traction and
hp to pull, they need hyd to lift...... Some of this can certainly
be modified, but sitting in the grove, they look like too much
work to use in small spots and plots.....

As far as actual planting, one like the other.
 
I run self contained Cole planters mounted on a 3
point tool bar for my veggies and flowers.
Sometimes 2 units and sometimes 3 units depending
on row spacing.
FYI Veggies for the house and Flowers for the $$$
 
I have a one row "Cole 12 MX", That I will no longer, need for my food plot. It was mounted on a 3 point one row cultivator. It has numereous plates. Located in Michigan.
If interested, contact me on the side, and make an offer.
Charles Krammin SW MI
 
I have seen plenty of 4 row planters cut down to make them into 2 rows. JD IH and AC all make planting units that can be mounted on a tool bar. The units are driven off the press wheel so all you need to do is sit it down on the ground and plant, Simple units with one chain to drive the planting unit off the press wheel. Now JD has the #71, AC has the #60 #70 and #72 units and IH had #56 (I think) units that could have runners or double disc openers witch are much better than the old runner type openers.

Now as far as planter plates JD uses JD plates AC uses AC and JD plates with a plastic adapter and IH uses IH only plates (don't know about the newer ones). What ever you get make sure its one that uses commend planter plates as they are easy to find and are cheep to buy. Bandit
 
I have 71 units and have used them to plant
many kinds of crops - corn (field, sweet, and
Indian), soybeans, milo, green beans, pumpkins,
cantaloupe, watermelon, peas, and even zinnias.
I highly recommend this model but like you have
already learned a person must "shop around" and
avoid eBay and other on-line sellers. In the
past five to ten years I have bought about ten
of these units for resale and have never paid
more than $75 per row. Granted, where I have
purchased all of mine (SE Colorado) these were
popular years ago for sugarbeets and truck
farms so used equipment yards have lots of
them.

Whatever you choose it would be wise to stick
with either a Deere, IH, or AC as plates for
these brands are still cheap and commonly
available. (Like another poster noted, AC
planters can use Deere plates with a simple and
inexpensive adapter.) This is especially
important for the various vegetable crops
you're wanting to plant with it. Brands like
Ford or Massey would be much more expensive to
get these specialized plates and filler rings
for, if you can find them at all.
 
(quoted from post at 18:21:25 02/25/15) Could I mount 71 unit(s) on the cultivator mounts on my Super A?
I don't think there's enough room to mount one on a belly tool bar and be able to lift it high enough, if you have a rear tool bar it would be no problem.

For the life of me I don't know why my brother never used any of the 71's he has instead of worn out 2 row 3 point JD he's been using. I've seen shoe opener and disc opener variatities on the 71's.
He uses a 4 row JD 33 planter setup to do the small stuff, some of it is so small it pellatized so the planter can handle it, letice, beets, radishes, etc... Only trouble with the 33 is the plates are cost prohibitive if you need to buy them for 4 rows and you need a bunch.
He uses a cole planet jr setup on 3 rows to plant his beans and peas, this is the one with the wobble disc and the plate with different hole sizes in it. Not much to say about it, it works and has done so for many years, there's always beans and peas to pick.
He also has a Cole 12 MX setup on single row for doing odd plantings here and there, usually punkins and the like.

Only trouble with the 3 planter I meantion is they are very picky about soil conditions and the amount of trash, they don't deal with any trash well at all.

We have a fleet of Farmall 100, 130 and 140's. One has a 3 point convertion on it that does all the planting and the 4 row cultivation, another one has the 3 row cultivator under it.
 
(quoted from post at 18:24:52 02/25/15) I have a one row "Cole 12 MX", That I will no longer, need for my food plot. It was mounted on a 3 point one row cultivator. It has numereous plates. Located in Michigan.
If interested, contact me on the side, and make an offer.
Charles Krammin SW MI

I can't email you or send a private message. My email is moechnig (at) gmail.com
 
As mentioned the Cole planters are hard to beat I have several of them and a JD 71 I use all work good.Also Allis Chalmers had self contained planter units similar to the JD 71 they work good AC made a variety of plates and with an adapter you can use JD or any plastic plates.
 
Best all around veggy planter ever built was the John Deere #33 unit planter. It can handle seed down to the smallest. Seed spacing is almost infinitely adjustable. Planet Jr planters work well, but don't offer much in the way of spacing adjustment.
 
Picture of my Cole Planter
a185237.jpg
 

Do you still have the Cole 12 MX fertilizer distributor? If so please call me at 850-572-two one eight two thanks OB OBrien
 

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