GREAT PLAINS

Manufacturing, which celebrates 30 years of service this year, introduces dozens of new products. Started as a grain drill company, Great Plains now offers planters, drills, sprayers, conventional tillage and vertical tillage equipment. Headquartered in Salina, KS, Great Plains products are sold across the United States through 2,000-plus independent dealers and are exported worldwide.

60-ft. planter

A 60-ft. planter, the 2425 Yield-Pro, can plant single rows in a choice of 15-, 20- or 30-in. spacing, as well as twin rows on 30-in. spacing. The planter also features a floating hitch design that provides the flexibility to meet challenging terrain, and it folds to a transport width of 14 ft. 10 in.

The new planter is equipped to handle two 82-bu. bulk poly hoppers or two bulk seed boxes. And like other Yield-Pro planters, the YP-2425 uses air to move the seed from the hopper to the singulating meters. An optional pull hitch, rated to pull a 2,000-gal. fertilizer cart, can be added to apply in-row or between-row fertilizer at planting.

The planter, available in four models, ranges in price from $125,900 to $163,000.

Disc-o-vator

Great Plains offers new one-pass field tools with its 8000 series Disc-o-vator line, comprised of seven models with working widths from 26 to 52 ft. The models offer increased strength and reliability, a new frame design and increased residue flow with a four-rank, five-row Max-Mix shank pattern.

The new models feature 24Ω in. of under-frame clearance. The improved shank spacing and an added rear bar also have improved the clearance around the tires and walking beam. The Max-Mix pattern coupled with the coulter option in place of the standard disc gangs can level the ground at working speeds of 7 mph or more.

The seven models range in price from $34,186 to $76,979.

Disk harrows

New 3000 and 4000 series disk harrows in six models range in cutting width from 23 to 36 ft. The disk harrows also feature 6-gauge disc blades with a 20° angle on the front gangs and an 18° angle on rear gangs, spring C-shank bearing standards and 23 in. of wing flex (14 in. up and 9 in. down). A full line of options allows growers to customize any model to their specific application and conditions.

The 3000 series disk harrows range in price from $31,470 to $37,482. The 4000 series models start at $39,433 and go up to $43,197.

Verti-Till models

Great Plains offers two Verti-Till models that provide one-pass seedbed preparation in a variety of situations, including corn after corn. The Verti-Till 4360 and 6360 come in working widths of 12 and 18 ft., respectively. Using a combination of coulters and chisels along with a Buster Bar and semi-mounted seedbed conditioner, the Verti-Till maintains soil density, dislodges root crowns, buries residue and leaves the surface level enough to make one pass in the spring and plant.

The Turbo coulters feature 20-in. discs on 7½-in. spacing followed by a set of parabolic shanks with 7-in. winged points on 36-in. spacing. While the winged points lift root crowns and fracture soil, a set of chisel splitter shanks start the leveling process and ensure uniform fracture below the surface.

The Buster Bar continues to level and break clods while the semi-mounted seedbed conditioner finishes the process to leave a level surface.

The company also offers independent depth control of coulters and deep shanks, as well as a pair of walking tandem wheels to maintain a constant working depth over varying field contours.

The 4360 sells for $36,301, and the 6360 sells for $45,835.

Grain drills

Heavy-duty grain drills in the new 10 series feature up to 500 lbs. of down force per opener for proper penetration. Each of the six different units in the 10 series lineup is built around the new 10HD opener, which combines precise seed placement with the strength to handle tough conditions. The drills feature a 15-in.-diameter, 4-millimeter-thick planter-style blade for improved trash clearance and penetration.

Opener discs are offset ½ in. to ensure proper trench formation and penetration in hard ground. Cast blade separators protect the seed tubes and provide disc stability in all conditions. The large-diameter blades, planter seed tubes and singulating meter make these row units accurate yet provide narrow row spacing only available on drills. Growers have a choice of center rib, double V or double wedge press wheels and Singulator Plus or Precision Planting finger pickup meters.

Available in planting widths of 15, 20, 30 and 40 ft., the drills offer single-row spacings of 7½ and 10 in., as well as 15-in. twin rows. Bulk seed capacity is 2.4 bu./ft. on all models.

The drill units range in price from $25,320 to $118,126.

40-ft. stack fold planter

Great Plains introduces a 40-ft. stack fold planter with the versatility of 10 different row-spacing configurations and the productivity of a bulk seed hopper. Growers have a choice of single-row spacings from 15 to 40 in., as well as twin-row configuration from 30 to 40 in.

The planter features the Yield-Pro capability of using a standard bulk seed container. The planter comes with an 82-bu. poly hopper as an alternative. Heavy-duty down-pressure springs provide up to 500 lbs./row to penetrate residue and packed soil. Hardened cast-iron blade separators and 4-millimeter offset blades aid in the accuracy and cutting ability of the planter. All models stack fold to a transport width of 25 ft.

This planter is available in 10 different model configurations. Prices range from $73,560 to $103,560.

For more information, contact Great Plains Mfg. Inc., Dept. FIN, 1525 E. North St., Salina, KS 67401, 785/823-3276, or visit www.greatplainsmfg.com.