Too much down force restricts root growth and limits yield potential.
With 20/20® you can measure the excess weight being carried by gauge wheels. This excess weight can compact the seed trench and lock roots into a narrow “V”. Often, after soils dry the compacted “V” can split back open inhibiting plant development -- just like you can see in these photos.
Seed in Trench Closed
Seed in Trench Reopened
The Down Force section of 20/20 lets you measure (and manage) down force in three important ways:
- Average weight – see the average weight being carried by the gauge wheel. This is the weight not used by the double disk openers to penetrate the soil to planting depth.
- Margin – this is the amount of weight that could be removed from the row unit and still maintain ground contact and proper seeding depth.
- Ground Contact – this display tells you the percentage of the time that your gauge wheels are carrying weight. If the gauge wheels are carrying weight, you know that your disk openers are fully penetrating to the depth you set.
Learn more in our video about how we measure and manage down force.
Measure Down Force on Each Section of the Planter
We provide you with three down force sensors so you can measure performance on each section of the planter. That provides you with the information you need to adjust down force for each soil type and field condition.
Installation is easy. The smart pin or smart link installs in the depth adjustment linkage. Just remove the existing pin or link and replace with the smart link. Snake the wire around the seed tube and snap into the connector provided on the Row Unit Module or RUM. That connection sends weight information to the display in the cab.