John Deere 694AN

3020G

Member
I have a John Deere 694AN planter that is in good shape with the larger boxes that I would like to hang on to but if I can't make it work for me it may have to go down the road for a 7000. FIL bought 4 double disk fertilize openers for it and a set of boxes off of a 4 row wide. I'm looking for the smaller boxes and two more openers for fertilizer. With fertilize openers should I try to find a set of DD openers to go on the row unit it's self? Also are there any other tricks I need to know to get it to work for me instead of fighting it all spring. Looking to plant corn and beans with it next spring.
 
There is no reason it should not work and the big seed boxes should be fine on it. I would not even think of replacing with a 7000 series. I personally would not own one. My planter was a 494 and then 494A.
 

Do you have any tips for working ground infront of it with the runner openers?

Planter hooked behind my 4020:
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At the farm I bought it at:
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Many years ago I saw a 694 that they took a fertlizer box for a 4row and cut it in half and made ends out of plywood for the two end rows. I have a pair of the boxes you need here but my plans are to take a 494a and cut it down into a 294a and I want those boxes for it. You would not be sorry if you got a 7000 planter but I understand budgets and the size of an operation might not make that practical. There has been lots of corn planted with 494 and 694 planter and they did a good job. The biggest advantage to a 7000 is better seed spacing and placement also seed corn companies do not grade their seeds near as good as they did years ago and that will cause stands to vary. Tom
 
I have had 2 or 3 494A's and a 1240 and a 4 row and a 6 row 7000. The 7000 has the older planters beat by a mile. More consistent population and depth.
 
That I DO NOT BELIEVE, in not prepared fields possible but not in properly prepared fields.
 
I had the harrow that mounts to front of planter so it worked the ground last time over while planting. Mine were 4 row units.
 
The depth control wheels on the 7000 make it a much better corn planter.

The finger units make it much easier to use with the seed corn that isn't graded as carefully these days, as well as just so easy to dump in seed and plant, not match up 'pretty close' on plates.

Nothing wrong with a 494 they were very good planters of the 1950s and 60s, but certainly a 7000 is a much better planter for corn.

Soybeans don't care so much, makes not so much difference there. Although, if you put Kimze or JD seed meters in a 7000 you have a much more precise bean planter that will save you in seed cost as you can more easily control population per acre. With that addition the. The 7000 saves you on bean seed cost.

In my soils, runner planters went away just as soon as disk openers were discovered..... my wet clay soils are just a mess with those runner style. That is a 'here' and 'there' thing tho, I understand runner openers work good enough in different soils than we have.

But, anyhow, not meaning to run down the planter. Was ahead of its time and still can serve quite well a half century later!

Paul
 
That same plate if in a 494 or 7000 can only measure out the same and the 7000 has a longer drop for more seed bounce. and if field is smooth as should be the depth will be no problem, now if you have a lot of ridges and valleys then the depth control on openers could make a difference. I would want that field nice and level with no ridges and valleys, that I don't believe is a properly prepaired field.
 
(quoted from post at 21:15:56 11/30/17) That same plate if in a 494 or 7000 can only measure out the same and the 7000 has a longer drop for more seed bounce. and if field is smooth as should be the depth will be no problem, now if you have a lot of ridges and valleys then the depth control on openers could make a difference. I would want that field nice and level with no ridges and valleys, that I don't believe is a properly prepaired field.

How did you work ground in front of the planter? Moldboard, Disk, Disk, Disk, Field Cultivate? Is that to much or to little ground work?
 
If you can score a 7000, do so. It will probably be cheaper andmake you more money quicker than a -94 series. It will plant more uniformly and faster than a -94, and with a conservation unit, it will make
you a believer in no-til. I haven't had a plow on in some 20 years, and continuous corn yielded 199.8 bpa dry this year. However, I was kind of disappointed. My goal was 200 bpa.....
 
The 7000 uses a finger pickup meter that includes a seed belt that delivers the seed to a tapered seed tube for much more accurate planting than the 494 was ever capable of. As far as your perfect seed bed in most areas that is nothing but a set up for massive soil loss due to erosion unless your land is perfectly flat. Tom
 
Very little no till corn in my area, soy beans and wheat yes. Every year I see examples of no till corn failyer.
 
Usually fall moldboard and then field cultivator. A field cultivator with harrow on back twice over will smooth out ground to where you will not notice a variation in depth with that 694A, lengthwise and crossways and field will be level and smoth and no variation in depth and no roughness to make bounce that causes uneven planting. And if spring plowing cultimulcher instead of field cultivator. And where some say you can go faster with a 7000 I could plant as fast as I wanted to travel with that 494A, And the 7000 was made as a plate planter that took the same seed box internals as the 694A. I don't think I would like a plateless as they seem very complicated. And a lot of plate planters still in use dating to horse days. And when 7000 series were new at Deere Days I stood next to a new in showroom 7000 And could not reach the seed boxes to check them unless I used a step ladder
 
(quoted from post at 23:02:08 11/30/17) If you can score a 7000, do so. It will probably be cheaper andmake you more money quicker than a -94 series. It will plant more uniformly and faster than a -94, and with a conservation unit, it will make
you a believer in no-til. I haven't had a plow on in some 20 years, and continuous corn yielded 199.8 bpa dry this year. However, I was kind of disappointed. My goal was 200 bpa.....
I already own the 694AN but the 7000's in my area that are 6 row 30" planters are selling for $3,500-5,000. I would like to have one but I'm just trying to get started farming and the price tag on those is cost prohibitive.

(quoted from post at 07:06:11 12/01/17) Usually fall moldboard and then field cultivator. A field cultivator with harrow on back twice over will smooth out ground to where you will not notice a variation in depth with that 694A, lengthwise and crossways and field will be level and smoth and no variation in depth and no roughness to make bounce that causes uneven planting. And if spring plowing cultimulcher instead of field cultivator. And where some say you can go faster with a 7000 I could plant as fast as I wanted to travel with that 494A, And the 7000 was made as a plate planter that took the same seed box internals as the 694A. I don't think I would like a plateless as they seem very complicated. And a lot of plate planters still in use dating to horse days. And when 7000 series were new at Deere Days I stood next to a new in showroom 7000 And could not reach the seed boxes to check them unless I used a step ladder

I like the 7000 series planters but mine is paid for and useable, and I'm a little bit of a cheap.. How many acres a year were you covering with the old 494A? Do you have any suggestions for planting corn or soybeans with mine. Grandpa had one just like this years ago but he's forgotten everything he knew.
 
I cannot remember but I know I was loosing farm ground. Did not have enough to start with for full time farming and then renting problems then came nurshing home bills and there went part of the farm.
 
I have what you need, Two good end boxes for fert. and have the fert. disk openers also. But they are off from a shoe type 1250. I bought it for the plate less parts for my 1240. If you can pick them up, would be best for me. I'm in central Michigan just off 127. Hope this can help.
 

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