Any tricks to planting straight rows?

JBMac · May 12, 2009

After seeing Bill"s pics, I"m pretty embarrased by my rows. I have a very small farm, 30 acres, with most dedicated to hay. In the back field, I did plant 5 acres sweet corn and Okra using an old (50"s) Cole two-row, set up with three sweeps. My rows are so crooked a snake could break his back crawling down one! Most of my soil is sandy, so I don"t think that helps much. Look forward to the replies.

John

cj in wisconsin · May 12, 2009

You get more plants in the crooked rows, so you are simply being more efficient with your land. LOL

rustyfarmall · May 12, 2009

It's all in your hand/eye coordination. Pick out an immovable object on the far end of the field and set your sights on it.

JoeM(GA) · May 12, 2009

Like Rusty said, pick a far off object and look only at it, if you look down or around, you'll get off course. I'm the worst, my Dad used to step off a row width and stick a white post up for me to sight on. Worked every time. It is a talent, I just don't happen to have it!

Anonymous-0 · May 12, 2009

I get straighter rows with my MF-135 than my JD-4020. The all hydraulic steering of the 4020 wanders. Its not enough to hold the steering wheel steady to get a straight line.

I separated the marker and lift hydraulics on the planter, so the marker can be on the ground when the planter drops and gets me 20' more of marker to follow the next pass.

To make the planter follow the tractor more accurately, I use a trailer hitch ball instead of a pin and clevis hitch. That way the markers and rows units dragging can't steer the planter tongue.

With my JD 7000 4 row narrow, the marker can't be made short enough to be at the middle of the tractor so the mark it makes is the far wheel and I can see that mark much closer to the tractor to the point I pick which of three ribs is in the mark and hold the guess rows so close most of the time that picking with a 6 row combine never notices the guess rows.

Then like below, I set my sights on a distant object the first pass and head toward it all the way across the field.

Some have mounted a pair of stubs on the tractor, one at the front of the hood, another near the steering wheel, both centered so you line them up and then line them up with the marker down the middle. I've not tried that, I do much better with the wheel in the marker track.

Gerald J.

bruster · May 12, 2009

Growing up on JD tractors, it was easy to line up a point ahead of you by lining it up with the muffler. You could do the same with any tractor having an up right exhaust or even the rad cap on a 9N.

I DO like cj's answer though! Makes the nit pickers think twice!!

JD70D · May 12, 2009

Drive straight!

fregienewbee · May 12, 2009

Very funny,cj. I must be very efficient too. Maybe the deer willget dizzy following my rows and let the corn grow enough to get them through the winter.

Larry in Michigan

thurlow · May 12, 2009

Never understood what difference it makes; had hundreds of acres that were terraced; it's much harder to follow a terrace without getting the rows too wide or too narrow than it is to make 'em straight.

greenbeanman in Kansas · May 12, 2009

For laying out short rows of 200 feet in length I used a magnetic CB radio antenna on the hood to sight with. I aligned with a flag. You can see the antenna on the hood in the photo.

Fairly straight bean and blackeyed pea rows.

Dick L · May 12, 2009

When I was a kid my dad drove around looking at other farmers work and would make comments on how crooked some rows were also how straight they drove fitting ground as well. When I started fitting ground at 8 years old dad would stop and chew me out for driving crooked. He said to sight over the radiator cap at a tree, rock, tall weed or whatever you could pick out in the distance that would cause you to be in the right place at the other end. He told me that looking close to the tire would make me dizzy. When planting corn with a two row planter on a side hill he would move the front tractor tires over on the high side of the marker mark to compensate for the planter to track down. At 70 some I still sight ahead even mowing lawn. If I mow a large yard in lands I get upset with myself if I have a tapered center. I pace off and mark both ends of a field I am going to plow so my dead furrows are straight.

It only makes a difference if you choose to have it make a difference. Most people would not even notice if you drive/plant straight in this day and age.

Coloken · May 12, 2009

You got to line up TWO objects. Make sure they aren't a bird or rabbit.

in-too-deep · May 12, 2009

Record Point A on the GPS computer, then, type in a heading of 0 degrees for straight north, 90 for east, 180 for south, or 270 for west. Start tractor towards Point B at the other end of the field. Engage AutoSteer. Pour yourself a cup of coffee and marvel at technology.

John T · May 12, 2009

The way I did it was to get set up straight n true on one end of the field,,,,,,,,,,,,,,find a tree or post or some definite landmark at the other end where youre headed,,,,,,,,start driving dead towards it AND NEVER TAKE YOUR EYES OFF THAT LANDMARK YOU CHOSE N DRIVE STRAIGHT TOWARDS IT N NEVER LOOK AWAY OR TO THE REAR ETC.

John T

MSJ from MN · May 12, 2009

The trick that works for me is to not "try" to drive straight. Meaning if you concentrate on it to much you kind of psych yourself out.

That theory works especially good for me when i'm cultivating.

Brokenwrench · May 12, 2009

It takes alittle work, but measure out to the center of each pass. Take a 12 pack of beer, place six cans on each end, evenly spaced out. Head straight for the can. When you get to it, pick it up and drink it. Repeat this thru the first six rounds, til the beer is gone, and by then you won't care how straight the rows are anyway

hot rodder · May 12, 2009

FIL always said you got more bushel to the acre with crooked rows than with straight

greenbeanman in Kansas · May 12, 2009

I think my uncle used to do that.

Once when one-waying he came back around the field only to find the rear implement wheel laying in the furrow.

I'll take crooked and know what is happening with my implement any day.

steveormary · May 12, 2009

Or a cow. Lined up on a bush at the far end of the field. 1/2mile rows.Turned around to see how straight my rows were and had a big curve in the field. Oh well. Dad couldnt see to drive but he could sure tell if the rows were not straight.

steveormary

Mike Aylward · May 12, 2009

That is the way I do it, John. I have several fields that I have to start planting in the middle of them due to not having a straight side. Dad used to say "look at something at the other end and drive straight to it". He also never looked right ahead of the tractor at the marker track (nor do I). You look toward the end of the field. Dad planted with a B John Deere for years and was known for having the straightest rows in the neighborhood. Once he got a tractor with power steering he said it was harder to drive as straight because it was easier to "bob". Hope this helps. Mike

Dan-IA · May 12, 2009

If you are using paintbrush to save your pictures, I suggest selecting your picture and using EditCopy To instead of FileSave As. It removes that white space.

Allan in NE · May 12, 2009

John,

For some silly reason, a two-row planter is the hardest there is for planting a straight row. I always figured it was because there wasn’t enough drag on the tongue.

Especially so, if the hitch has a clevis type hook up. That darned thing gets to crab-walking back and forth and the marker is then amplified in it's arc.

Ask anyone who has ever planted taters. :>)

Allan

cadet trooper · May 12, 2009

I look back to see if the planter is still back there or it actually went down all the way. Maybe some people aren't being honest of some of the boo-boos they've had not looking back. My cousin used to have some of the straightest rows in the county but revealed one time of getting a tree limb somehow caught in the drive mechanism and ran the chain off (before monitors)and had to go back quickly after dark and fix it.The boys do the same now and I said you inherited your dads skill and they said it's all done from the console while we're on our laptop drinking coffee. WOW!

John T · May 12, 2009

Yep it even works for you guys in the SHOW ME STATE HUH LOL I get in like a trance n never look at NOTHING except for the landmark at the other end of the field n drive straight for it never take my eyes off it. Hope to see you again at GOG March 2010 in Davenport Iowa my old friend

John T

Goose · May 12, 2009

A cousin of my father's was an alcoholic and had bottles stashed in every building on the place.

One spring when I was about 13 and his son about 17, we were planting corn with an old horse drawn two row lister that had a short tongue to pull behind a tractor. One of us had to drive the tractor and the other ride the lister to raise and lower it on the ends.

One afternoon "Bob" and I got into one of his dad's bottles in the machine shed. The next morning, we were afraid to go out to the field and see what kind of rows we'd made the previous afternoon. Turned out those rows were as straight as if we'd strung every one with a string!

RAW in IA · May 12, 2009

When I was a kid dad wire checked the dcorn and the big trick was getting it straight crosswise. Always had at least one jog in it whenwe plowed crosswise. ( I know there are some her saying WHAT??)

Anonymous-0 · May 12, 2009

In starting a field the first rows will be crooked, but the next rows will be straight. Draw a straight line in you mind of the crooked rows, and drive straight to the end of the crooked rows, relax and it will be straight, dont try to hard to make them straight and it will work out.

fixerupper · May 12, 2009

I'm going to add something to John T's good advice. Look across the field, but also drive by the seat of your pants, meaning, keep your butt right over the mark as you drive. You don't have to look down to do it, you just kind of "feel" it. Jim

dwrk · May 12, 2009

Doesn't matter here, with our terrain we don't have any square fields so we just plant the outside rounds and then start on the longest side. Try to make the rows straight here and you'll just end up wasting more time on point rows.

Dick L · May 12, 2009

What I said didn't mean you can't turn your head and look back any more than you can't look out your side window or mirrors while driving down the road in your car or truck and stay in your own lane..

Mark - IN. · May 12, 2009

I quit drinkin and the rows got crooked so I went back to drinkin. They look good to me now, thats for sure.

Mark

Anonymous-0 · May 13, 2009

Does the corn grow better in straight rows? Pick a tree or post for the first pass and head for that,everything thereafter will be satisfactory.

greenbeanman in Kansas · May 13, 2009

Oh I know, but if I turn to look back the tractor always makes a crooked row for me. My uncle simply didn't look back as he always seemed to have a stiff neck which didn't allow him to turn his head well.

In motorcycle safety classes one is taught to turn their head to check for traffic behind them and not to rely on what is shown via mirror.

Any tricks to planting straight rows?

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