A very small, two row John Deere planter
A planter is an agricultural farm implement towed behind a tractor, used for sowing crops through a field.[1][2] It is connected to the tractor with a draw-bar, or a three-point hitch. Planters lay the seed down in precise manner along rows. Seeds are distributed through devices called row units.[1] The row units are spaced evenly along the planter.[1] Planters vary greatly in size, from 2 rows to 48, with the biggest in the world being the 48-row John Deere DB120. The space between the row units also vary greatly. The most commons row spacing today is 30 inches. [1] On smaller and older planters, a marker sticks out half the width of the planter and draws a line in the field where the tractor should be centered for the next pass. The marker is usually a single disc harrow disc on a rod on each side of the planter. On larger and more modern planters, GPS navigation systems and things like auto-steer for the tractor are used.
Older planters commonly have a seed bin for each row and a fertilizer bin for two or more rows. In each seed bin plates are installed with a certain number of teeth and tooth spacing according to the type of seed to be sown and the rate at which the seeds are to be sown. The tooth size (actually the size of the space between the teeth) is just big enough to allow one seed in at a time but not big enough for two. Modern planters often have a large bin for seeds that are distributed to each row.
See also
- Grain drill
- Kinze Manufacturing, Inc.