I have a fast-hitch Cole planter that is driving me crazy. I have been trying to use it for three seasons in my garden. I tried it again tonight and am about ready to turn it into scrap. I bought it used, but it is like new. It had been in a barn for many years. The problem is the covering wheels, which also drive the planter, will slide instead turning. This causes it to miss several feet of row and then it might work a little while again. I cannot get enough down pressure on the wheels , unless I walk behind and literally push down on the planter. I know it is supposed to work better than this. It is on a Farmall 100 (like a Super A). It seems the wheels are too high to maintain contact with the ground like they should. I have tried changing the planting depth but it didn't make much difference. I have a book, but it is for a 12MX and mine is older and the fast hitch is completely different. Any ideas? Surely I can plant a few rows of beans and sweet corn with it.
Cole palnter won't plant
- Thread starter Daniel H.
- Start date
Are they sliding because they are binding, or not making good contact with the ground? If not making good contact, try raising the front of the fasthitch, to drop the tail end of the planter down. If it's binding/jamming, try rotating the press wheels with the planter raised to see if that can help you isolate the trouble. Is the mechanism chain driven or shaft driven from the press wheels?
They were real popular, but the fact is a Cole planter is only a step above planting with a bag of seed and a hoe! (The factory Cub/Super A planters, that mount in front of the operator, are only a half step above, which is why there were so many Cole planters around offset Farmalls) See if you can find a single fasthitch IH 185 planter. They are WAY better than the cole.
Al
They were real popular, but the fact is a Cole planter is only a step above planting with a bag of seed and a hoe! (The factory Cub/Super A planters, that mount in front of the operator, are only a half step above, which is why there were so many Cole planters around offset Farmalls) See if you can find a single fasthitch IH 185 planter. They are WAY better than the cole.
Al
The planter should set pretty much level when in the ground. If the presswheel doesn't have enough ground pressure it will skip. The front of the planter is probably too deeply into the ground as well. There must certainly be some adjustment to level the planter. At least, raise the front bail of the fast hitch to get the nose up.
I have pined the bail under the floorboard to get it as high as it will go. Here is a picture if you are not familiar with the Cole. Notice the hitch is completely different from the newer 12MX. I have added an upright to engage the socket on the tractor to keep the planter from leaning. Thanks for your input so far.
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Directly behind the Fast-Hitch socket there is a piece of flat stock with several holes in it, standing vertically. It appears to be pinned in place with a single pin. It looks to me like sliding the flat piece down and repinning it in a lower position will change the angle the planter runs at.
There are shoes/skids on each side of the runner. They are carrying too much of the weight that should be on the press wheel. When the planter is in the ground in operating position, the runners should be on the ground but not carrying so much weight that the press wheel isn't firmly on the ground.
There are shoes/skids on each side of the runner. They are carrying too much of the weight that should be on the press wheel. When the planter is in the ground in operating position, the runners should be on the ground but not carrying so much weight that the press wheel isn't firmly on the ground.
Bill Hudson
501 Club
Folks,
Look at the pic of the planter and the pic of the brochure. Here's how I see it. 1)Don't remove the shields on the runner, they help control depth of planting (2.5 inches should be max, a little less is better). 2)Lower the fertilizer opener to control placement better. The fertilizer should be 2 X 2 (2 inches to the side and 2 inches below the seed). 3)Lower the press wheel to get firmer contact with the soil which will firm the soil around the seed. Now 4)you can fiddle with the adjustment on the front of the fast hitch. If you don't do 1 thru 3, adjusting the fast hitch is not going to be of much help. Boy, would I like to be there to watch it work! Good luck.
Bill
Look at the pic of the planter and the pic of the brochure. Here's how I see it. 1)Don't remove the shields on the runner, they help control depth of planting (2.5 inches should be max, a little less is better). 2)Lower the fertilizer opener to control placement better. The fertilizer should be 2 X 2 (2 inches to the side and 2 inches below the seed). 3)Lower the press wheel to get firmer contact with the soil which will firm the soil around the seed. Now 4)you can fiddle with the adjustment on the front of the fast hitch. If you don't do 1 thru 3, adjusting the fast hitch is not going to be of much help. Boy, would I like to be there to watch it work! Good luck.
Bill
Thanks for all the suggestions. I think it is one of those things you may have to see in person. The press wheels do not lower. I think the biggest problem is it is riding on the bottom opener and that's keeping the wheels up. I am going to keep playing with it, I keep think they couldn't have sold these for so many years if they don't work any better than this. I have tried moving the slides up and down and it doesn't seem to make a lot of difference in the rear wheels but it will change the seed depth.
Right now it is in the bottom hole. In fact the hole in the picture is the bottom one . It is really not pinned, that is a stop bolted to the vertical rod. The rod is free inside the tube. The rod moves up in the tube when the planter drops. If you try to lift it up, it will not come off the ground if you move the stop up.
Right now it is in the bottom hole. In fact the hole in the picture is the bottom one . It is really not pinned, that is a stop bolted to the vertical rod. The rod is free inside the tube. The rod moves up in the tube when the planter drops. If you try to lift it up, it will not come off the ground if you move the stop up.
Is it resting against the stop in this picture? Isn't the runner either on the ground or near the ground? Isn't the press wheel like 6 inches or more off the ground? It isn't going to work unless you get the press wheel solidly on the ground. Look at the angle of the skids on the runner. I have no doubt that they should be running FLAT on the ground. If they do, the press wheel will be where it belongs.Daniel H.":pihcz27a said:
Take it out in the field. Remove the stop from the flat part. Then leave the hitch up where it is in the picture. I bet it will run fine. Then you just need to figure out how to lift it, which will probably be obvious at that point.
Chris Todd
501 Club
This is along the lines of what Jim was saying about the piece of vertical flat stock with adjustment holes. What about the horizontal stock just under the socket that has 3 adjustment holes in it. Seems to me that the farther back you pin it would drop the tail wheel. :?:
Good Luck!
Good Luck!
Chris Todd":1e1eo9b9 said:
Can you put a pin in at the bottom, so when you lower the fast hitch, it forces the planter deeper in the ground?
I never understood why they didn't put some sort of down pressure springs on these things. Looks like they do on the newer ones.
One more thing: How's your seedbed? Runner planters don't handle clods, field trash, etc. as well as planters with disk openers. (Another reason to upgrade to a 184 or 185.....another good option would be a JD 71)
Al