Deere 7100 planter for beans?

I am thinking about a 30inch row soybean planter. Right now I am planting 38 inch rows(corn)with a 7200 deere planter and do not want to narrow it to 30's because my combine,chopper,corn picker and snaplage equipment would all have to be changed or replaced.I plant 90a of corn and 60a of soybeans.I have been splitting the rows to give me 19 inch bean rows but it is very slow. I also farm some bottom ground and have been having some white mold issues that my neighbor who plants 30 inch rows seems to avoid. I did combine a few 30 inch rows last fall and liked it. I was thinking of buying a 7100 four row planter and setting it up to notill beans. I would also be adding row cleaners. Anyone have a reason why I would not like this setup? I also considered a 7000 but all in my area are standard frame planters so it takes alot of work to change them to 30 inch rows(cutting the axle and and moving the mountings).I am on a budget so a six row is out of the question but a 4 row 30 will still be faster than what I am doing now. I thought about 38 inch row beans but am afraid I might loose to much yeild. I also like the idea of 30's as I might experiment with broadcasting a cover crop in them at leaf drop. Thanks Tom

You're between a rock and a hard place. To be honest, I would look for a 6 row planter set at 30" and replace a combine head, then get rid of the wide equipment. The payback would be sooner than you think with higher yields (30" rows will give you a 10-15% yield boost) and you'll only have one planter to fuss with. Picking equipment goes cheap around here, but the planter will cost you a few dollars, but shouldn't cost that much if you already have a wide row unit and are considering putting money into a second unit. The JD units are easy to change over to beans and have a easier learning curve than most planters. But one 6 row would probably save you more than you think and quicker.

Years ago I was 38 inch on everything. Never liked those wide bean rows.

Found an IHC 15 inch bean bar, 3pt. Worked well, corn on 38 wasn't bad.

Now I got a 30 inch corn planter, and the IHC was worn a bit, so just planted everything with the 30 inch 7000.

Been happy with that, last year in the worst flooding I've seen I got he best bean yields I've ever had - I've been fixing fertility issues - anyhow the 30 inch seems fine ESP in a white mold area. For spraying I have a tractor and sprayer set up at boy 35 inch spacing and it works well behind both planters.

Long way to say, it should work out for you. You really can't lose anything, the 7100 is going to be worth what you pay for it so not much lost, and I think you will like it.

Perfect is converting everything to 6 row 30, but I sure understand the $$$$$ deal, ESP the economy we are facing now. And, in 2 years I really haven't seen a better corn yield on 30 inch; we've had difficult weather to judge but, I donno?

Paul

I am already getting 180 bu corn and last year averaged over 200. A 7200 six row conservation planter will cost 12-15 thousand and a 4 row corn head will not work very nice on my contours with a six row planter.i would also need a 243 corn head for my 3940 chopper for snaplage and a 2 row 30 for cornsilage. We also bale lots of cornstalks and I do not like how with 30 inch rows you run the corn stalks down making them harder to dry out. I think it would take a long time to recover the 25,000 spent to change over on my size operation. Tom

I thought that once, but I have never looked back. The only thing I might do different today might be a planter for 15" rows, but I'm getting too old for that crap. Neighbor of mine is doing 15", and his yields are way up and weeds are down, but I still chop mine at 30" and I'm happy with it. Sam is using a rotary from a custom operator to chop, but another neighbor will combine his remaining acreage with a 30" head and he still doesn't lose any grain. And a 6 row is far faster than a 4 row to plant with, especially in 30" rows. The biggest thing I am saying, is that by combining the money you will spent on another 4 row planter plus the money you can get for your current planter, you can buy a 6 row unit, and save time planting plus increase your yields at the same time. Overall, the payback time is short, and pretty much a no brainer.

Around here drilled and 15" row beans was popular for awhile but most went back to 30" for beans. Couple of reasons come to mind. One is the expense of the extra planter that is only used for one crop. We have larger farms here and a 12 row is becoming a smaller planter so with the price tag of the size planters we have around here one planter does it all. I think that is the major reason 30" rows are more prevalent.

Second problem is the mold you have talked about though that is more of a minor problem. Advantages of 15" or narrower rows is quicker shading that reduces weed pressure and it's pretty well documented 15" rows do yield better. This spring I plan to rent a split row planter that can do 15" rows, if it happens, it's up in the air yet. Half of the beans will be 15" and the other half will be 30". Stay tuned!

Here they are 15 inch or 7-1/2 inch rows. Get a no-till drill. Do you raise wheat?