FB137A Questions

I got a John Deere Van Brunt grain drill not too long ago to plant wildlife food plots (corn, sunflower, and sorghum) but do not know how to operate it. This is a FB137A with three hoppers, grass, grain, and fertilizer. I have some pics below to help explain my questions. if anyone can help me get this thing going, I would greatly appreciate it.

Most importantly, how do you engage the lever at Number 1 on the pic below? It has a spring connected to it but with the drill sitting still, it does not lock anything in for operation. This I believe will release the disks down to begin trenching for the seed. Is that correct?


Secondly, I am not sure what the lever and indicator is for shown in Num 2.

Third, there is a lever with a wingnut lock at Num 3. This one seems to set the feed rate for the grass bin. Is that correct?


In the pic below, the lever shown near Num 4 seems to be the feed setting for the grain bin. Is that correct? There is another one of these half way to the other side of the drill


And Is the lever at Num 5 for the fertilizer? There is one on each side of the drill. Luckily, I will not likely be using the fertilizer bin because it appears not to have all of the components near the feed outlets.


I also have some other pics below if others are interested. The last few are pics of the seeding rates for grain that is being planted which may be helpful to others that need this info.

Welcome to YT
Lever in photo raises/lowers disk. Rubber tires must be moving forward when lever is pulled to raise disk. I can't determine from your photo what number 2 is, no 3 is sets seeding rate on small seed box.

Number one is the Power lift, attach a rope to it and pull it while in motion to raise and lower openers. Number 2 is the clutch on the drill shaft that pulls the seed meters in gear. Number 3 is the lever that adjusts the rate in the small seed box. Number 4 is the lever that adjusts the rate for the large seed box. Number 5 adjusts the fertilizer rate. Most of the fert boxes on these drills are the same way. I had a neighbor give me a FBA117 last week, had been sitting in a barn for 20yrs, Spend 2 hours greasing, loosening everything up and took it to the field and drilled 4 acres of oats. Buy a book for it, They are worth there weight in gold for grain drills. Hope it was some help.

Thanks [b:0b40ccdd62]TNFARMKID[/b:0b40ccdd62]: all very helpful. Can I get the manuals from this forum?

Thanks [b:0b40ccdd62]Tx Jim[/b:0b40ccdd62]: Is the handwheel that is part of the powerlift, to adjust the depth of the disks? ,

(quoted from post at 14:19:31 04/21/17)
Is the handwheel that is part of the powerlift, to adjust the depth of the disks? ,

Click to expand...

You're welcome. Yes the handwheel adjusts the depth of disk plus pressure rods on each disk can also be adjusted for depth & raising height.