Cyclo Power Requirements

Would a JD A be able to pull a PTO powered, 4-row, Case IH Cyclo planter? Assume well tilled, flat ground, stock running JD A.

I'm sure an A can pull 4-row planters in general, but I'm not sure how much power the Cyclo needs from the PTO.

Also, if anyone has a 4-row pull type planter they want to get rid of, I'd like to hear of it. This is for fun, so cheap, functional, and versatile is key. Stand accuracy I hardly care about.

The power requirement is minimal. More important is the hydraulic system is in good operating order to lift the planter. If the hydraulics are in good shape then the A
should be able to lift the planter. Keep in mind that operating on steep hills may pull down the engine RPM's which will affect the Cyclo system. I don't really like the power
pulse situation with a 2 cylinder JD. The Cyclo system needs to operate at a consistent RPM level for best results. Try it at your own risk.

Where are you located?

Good point! Colorado, near Brighton or an hour from Greeley if that helps for reference.

Planted many years with a 460 Farmall pulling a 400 Cyclo in SE Minnesota rolling hills. Totally full with liquid the 460 just could lift it. We planted deep because the kernels liked to bounce out. Had a later model that had extra holes drilled in the tubes down by the row units to help. Be careful it does not care what you are planting and will plant small pebbles as easily. Had to remove the extra little chains in the row units because we put the liquid right by the seed so that was part of our problem.

I can't imagine trying to use a cyclo planter without live PTO. Wouldn't six feet worth of seed fall out of the seed dimples every time you
clutched?

try Muth in RockyFord. As you probably know,pull type planters are rare in furrow irrigated country.Maybe you should consider a small 4 row 3 point 'unit planter'.Since you are on the eastern slope,it would be just a short jump across Kansas to the east where those older planters are plentiful.

Yes, what you say is very true. Each time the PTO is shut off all the seeds fall out of the drum pockets and it takes some distance of "phantom planting" to get the system primed again.

a 400 yes 800/900 no. i remember there were a lot of those old 400s had briggs&stratton engines rigged up on them to run the blower for tractors that
didnt have live pto. you could do the same thing. there were some farmers that teed a gas line from their tractor to the engine on the planter so they
didnt have to fuel the little engine all the time.

I didn't think about the drum not spinning when clutching and what that might do. The auxiliary motor is a neat idea! I'd probably deal with the dead spots in some other fashion, longer lead in or something, but I like the ingenuity for sure.

I have noticed pull type planters are rare, but I assumed they were simply old technology and people want 3-points nowadays. Is there a reason a 3-point works better with furrows over pull type?

I'm worried about a 4-row 3-point simply due to weight. I do have a mounted cultivator that will help with front end weight, but those 3 point 4 rows looks rather heavy for the A. A pull type seemed easier for weight, gauge wheels, etc. I'm wrong all the time though.

The thing I may enjoy the most about this hobby I've gotten myself into is the figuring it all out. It's like a big puzzle. I have zero farming history or resources to pull upon, so every simple thing I have to figure out. I like to say I fail everyday and love every minute of it (well, one day I didn't love, but that's not bad in the grand scheme of my silly farming scheme).

Oh, and thanks for Muth in RockyFord note. I didn't know about them until now.

If you are planting on ridges, the 3 pt will follow better and ride the ridge. A 4 row 3 pt might be too heavy. Only one way to find out...
AaronSEIA

Must be location, 3pt planters were rare around here, pull type a dime a dozen. Now a days the deer plot folk buy converted 3pt planters for big bucks, but most were
pull type planters someone cut and welded into a plot planter.

Dad ran a 4 row 3pt Case planter on an IHC 300 tractor with a Fast hitch, that was cobbled together but it worked well.

Paul