Twin Row Corn Planters

For my Blog I am going to compare three different types of twin-row corn planters.  For my research I will be looking at Kinze, Monosem and Great Plains brands.

Kinze 3660 Twin-Line

The Kinze 3660 is offered in a 12 row and 16 row configuration with 30 inch spacing. I will be comparing the 16 row configuration.  This planter offers a central fill hopper capable of holding 110 bushel of seed.  This planter offers EdgeVac vaccum metering system with hydraulic seed rate control.  The Kinze 3660 requires 5 hydraulic remotes with a hyrdrualic pump requirement of 55 gallon per minute. This corn planter can be found HERE.

Monosem NG Plus Twin Row

The Monosem NG Plus is offered in 2 row up to 24 row configurations with 30 inch spacing. I willn also be comparing the 16 row configuration.  This planter is available with individual hoppers as well as a central fill system like the Kinze.  It is available with either one or two 50 bushel hoppers.  This planter offers vaccum metering system with electronic seed rate control.  The Monosem NG Plus also requires 5 hydraulic remotes with a hyrdrualic pump requirement of 50 gallon per minute. This corn planter can be found HERE.

Great Plains YP-1625

The Great Plains YP-1625 is offered in 12 and 16 row configurations.  This is one of the original twin-row planters to be produced.  This planter offers 82 and 105 bushel bulk hopper configurations.  You can also set hoppers from the seed companies directly on the planter and draw off of that.  You are able to carry 400 gallons of liquid fertilizer with all combinations except for the 105 bushel hopper.  Great Plains uses Air Pro seed metering with electronic seed rate control.  This planter requires a 165-275 min. H.P. tractor with 5 hydraulic remotes. This planter can be seen HERE.

Conclusion

In conclusion all of the planters are very similar.  Equipment manufacturers are always in a copetition though to see who can out do the other.  Each one of these planters have an advantage over the other. The Kinze 3660 offers a 110 bu. bulk seed hopper, the biggest of the three.  This means less time refilling with seed and more time planting.  The Monosem NG Plus series of planters also has its advantages.  It offers the widest range of sizes from 2 to 24 rows.  This appeals to the smaller farmers who are interested in twin row and cannot justify a large planter.  Last but not least the Great Plains offers an advantage when it comes to seed handling. The option to use bulk boxes such as a Pioneer Pro-Box simplifies the handling process.  You simply use a fork lift to set the empty box off and set a full one on.  This takes a lot of steps out of seed handling, decreasing the chance for spilling or damaging seed.  All in all twin-row planters have come a long way and will only continue to improve as technology does.