Great Plains 3N-3020P Operator Manual - Manual (Page 32)

3N-3010P and 3N-3020P
196-248M 4/23/2010
30
Adjustments
No-Till Seeding
To get full performance from your no-till drill, you
need a good understanding of coulter, opener
and press wheel operation.
Coulters
A no-till coulter is mounted directly ahead of each
opener. The coulters cut through heavy trash and
till a small strip so the openers can penetrate the
soil easily. To maintain even seeding depth, the
coulters must cut below the openers.
The coulters are mounted directly on the box
frame. Consequently, the cutting depth of all
coulters changes as the drill is lifted and lowered.
The cutting depth of the coulters is controlled by
an adjustable hydraulic depth stop. Coulters that
run directly in tire tracks can be lowered individu-
ally. Refer to “Coulter Adjustments,” page 31, for
information on how to make these adjustments.
Openers
Each opener is mounted on the drill with parallel
arms. This parallel-action mounting allows the
opener to move up and down while staying in-line
with a coulter. Opener double disks widen the
coulter groove, making a seed bed. A seed tube
mounted between the disks delivers seed to the
trench.The down force needed to cut and widen
the coulter groove is supplied by two springs nest-
ed in the parallel linkage. Adjusting these springs
changes opener down-force. Refer to “Opener
Down Pressure,” page 33, for information on how
to make this adjustment.
Press Wheels
Attached to the rear of each opener is one of sev-
eral press-wheel options. The press wheels
provide two important functions.
First, the press wheels close the furrow, gently
pressing the soil over the seed. To provide consis-
tent seed firming, the press wheels are free to
move downward from their normal operating po-
sition. This system maintains pressing action
even if the opener arm is lifted when the disks en-
counter obstructions.