JD 7000 planter overhaul

So I see my box of corn meters is in Dubuque this AM on a truck heading to JDSeller's place. So that part of the planter is in good hands! I have been out there a couple of times checking out the rest of it seeing is there any trouble spots I can take care of before I need the thing this Spring. I am not planning on using the dry fertilizer this year. In the past I have had issues with in furrow fertilizer being inconsistent and had stripes in my field. Last year I used a spreader and it did a good job. I only needed N per the soil test.

Not sure how well the fertilizer works on the JD7K but I will include it in my assessment anyway and say that it has very nearly new tubes coming from the fertlizer boxes to the openers. The augers in the box are very rusty. The PO left fertilizer in there which I cleaned out. The double disk openers do not turn by hand. Seem to be stuck.

On the planter side I started with the meters and sent them out to be worked on. I have a lot of drive parts in a box that go under the planter boxes. Looks like a small doughnut-like drive clutch held in place with a spring turns the meter. Thinking maybe I should replace the springs as they are rusty. All the gears look good but three of the six tensioners for the seed chain are gone and the rest have rollers that are well worn. Three of six chains are also missing. I may just replace all six chains to make sure they run smoothly. I can keep the three dirty ones for quick spares. I am not sure how to assess the double disk openers below the seed tubes. Should they turn easily by hand? That is as far as I have gotten in the assessment. Main drive, chains and sprockets all look good. I want to take a close look at any clutches. Slipping clutches were a plague to me in 2015.

Lastly, my monitor does not match my harness. I can get an adapter or a different monitor. I will look at it today but I think there is a round connector on planter and a rectangle on monitor.

Sounds funny but, today is my day off so I am going out to the farm. Any tips on getting this old planter in shape appreciated!

The diameter of the disk openers should be at least 14 1/2". Also if there isn't any bevel on the edge they're shot. At the front of the disks they should touch 2". Put a business card in the top and the bottom where the disks contact and measure. You may have to take them off and put washers on the shaft to make that measurement correct. 1 of the nuts that hold the disks on is left hand thread. Check the seed tube to see if they've been rubbing on the disk, if they have there will be a u-shaped spot at the lower side of the tube where it's been dragging, replace if you see that. I set the gauge wheels to where they just drag a little on the disks when you hold them up as if you're planting.

I completely rebuilt a JD 7000 planter about 10 years ago. I pretty much took the planter completely apart, including the marker system and rebuilt or replaced every worn out planter part. The PO had used baling wire in some places if he could and some parts were put in backwards which can take time to figure out. I had bought an operators manual, dealership assembly manual, technical manual, service manual, and parts manual. Had to use them all to do a total rebuild. Added Yetter no till blades/down force springs and trash wheels. Got most of my parts and equipment from Shoup's. I also had issues with the monitor and the cables/sensors. Had to add new connectors and some sensors and replace some fuses and lights. Need to be sure the packer wheel rubber is good and check out the bearings. The packer wheel metal inserts will wallow out and allow them to wobble. I replaced or rebuilt every one of them to insure a good bed around the seed. Also rebuilt the transmission as most of the bushings and chains were wore out. Rebuilding the marker cylinder system is a good idea as it gets a lot of dirt and grease build up and won't cycle correctly. Took me a while to figure out how to remove and rebuild but the manuals helped out. Eventually sold it for a good profit. New owner loved as it worked like a new planter for a fraction of the cost. Makes for a great winter project. Good luck.

Make sure you REALLY check out the closing wheel bearings, or you WILL be picking them up out in the field.

The new style gauge wheel bearings and adjusters are much nicer, aftermarket are not that expensive.

Cousin had 4 row jd 7000 dry box with no till conversion for years it was a good planter. We used dry fertilizer but it became hard to obtain in our area so he traded up to a six row liquid in 2005. We had little trouble with the dry box system. Main issue was clumps in the fertilizer. The augers are rusty because of the corrosive effect of the material (normal). The seed drop tubes on a 7000 have a tendency to plug in wet soil. Easily cleared with a long brush. Take the time to dial your planter in (depth, population etc) on the first round of the year.

Would be nice of it were possible to put it in the ground and drive a couple 100 feet. That would limber up some of the stuff and you could see from there. If you are in winter, or sounds like you have so much stuff apart, I understand might not be possible.

Would be easier then to see what is just stiff and what is worn.

Get the clutch fixed. Be sure the clutch was slipping, and not the wheels on the ground. If you have heavy down pressure springs, its possible the wheels were skidding. But tis common for the drive clutch to skip when driving fertilizer on these machines.

Paul

The disk on the left side of the unit is the one that has the left-handed bolt. Memory hint- picture the disk tightening the bolt when it is rolling forward.