Great Plains 3S-4010HDF Material Rate - Manual (Page 16)

Great Plains Mfg., Inc.
14 3S-4010HD and 3S-4010HDF
196-522B 01/29/2009
Setting Fertilizer Rate
The 3S-4010HDF fertilizer meters are driven from the
clutch shaft through a series of sprockets. This system is
independent of the seed meter drive, and is unaffected
by Drive Type. Fertilizer rate is adjusted by changing 1 to
4 sprockets on each drill section (3 or 6 pairs total).
Fertilizer application rates vary with fertilizer type, den-
sity and particle size. Relative humidity and field condi-
tions can also affect application rates. The chart on
page 31 is based on fertilizer with average particle size
and a density of 65 pounds per cubic foot. Initially set
rate according to charts, then calibrate the drill to your
material as described on this page.
Perform initial setup and calibration for the right drill box.
Once determined, set the center and left boxes to match.
Accurately obtaining the desired application rate requires
four steps:
1. Adjusting target rate for large differences between
material and chart density.
2. Setting Range sprockets (from chart)
3. Setting initial Transmission (Driver / Driven) sprock-
ets (from chart)
4. Calibration: checking actual application rate
Adjusting for Density
The fertilizer meter rate chart is based on fertilizer with a
density of 65 pounds per cubic foot (1.04 kg/liter). If your
fertilizer density is within a few percent of that, skip step
a through step e and use calibration to determine final
Driver/Driven setup.
For larger variances, particularly with very low densities,
pre-compensating can simplify calibration, by choosing a
different target chart value for the application rate.
a. Find your actual material density. Normally, this
reported on the container in which it was supplied. If
not, weigh a known volume and calculate it.
b. Find your material Density in the table at right, and
the Conversion Factor below it.
c. Adjust your target application rate prior to consulting
the Fertilizer Rate Chart.
d. Find the Adjusted rate in the Fertilizer Rate Chart.
e. Calibrate using the Adjusted rate sprocket setup.
Density: lbs/cu-ft
(kg/liter)
45.0
(0.72)
50.0
(0.80)
55.0
(0.88)
60.0
(0.96)
Conversion Factor 1.45 1.30 1.20 1.10
Density: lbs/cu-ft
(kg/liter)
65.0
(1.04)
70.0
(1.12)
75.0
(1.20)
80.0
(1.28)
Conversion Factor 1.00 0.93 0.87 0.81
Example: 64 row 7.5in drill
Your fertilizer has a density of 60 pounds/cubic-foot,
and you want to apply 140 pounds/acre. First, adjust
the density:
Example:
The adjusted 155 rate corresponds to either:
LOW Range 24T/12T Transmission, or
HIGH Range, and 12T/21T Transmission.
155 140 1.10
×
=
AdjustedRate TargetRate ConversionFactor
Ч
=