Cub 174 planter set up

[Mht]

I have just obtained a 174 planter to use with my cub. It is complete and in good condition. Included are several deep fertilizer knives and several different hopper and base combinations that I have not identified and inventories yet. I intend to set the planter up on a cub dedicated to just the planter and a fertilizer distributor. I will be planting a large personal/ small commercial garden in the North Carolina piedmont with clay loam soils. I have yet to determine exactly how to set up my planter ie with a furrower in front of the runner or disc hillers to throw up some loose soil for the runner to plant in. Any advice and or pictures of your setup would be appreciated. From my research it appears that the Richmond hopper due to its smaller size and the fact it will use the more modern lustran plates would be the best choice, thoughts on this would also be appreciated. Lustran corn plates are readily available and I know they can be used for seed other than corn. If anyone has numbers off a corn plate that works well for something else that information would be greatly appreciated. Sorry for the long winded post but I’m sure I’m not the only one with planters on the brain right now

[tst]

if you go to the pdf manuals section off the quick links, pick farmall cub and then attachments, all sorts of info for planters, part #s are most of the time in the end of the manual with parts breakdown

[Mht]

I’m definitely making use of the manuals. They are invaluable for working on these tractors and equipment. No manual can replace real world experience and that’s what I’m hoping to access. I’m sure we have some members that have knowledge through trial and error of what works well for them in their gardens. In the mean time I’ll be cleaning and restoring my new haul of planter and fertilizer parts. It’s probably time for some new anodes in the electrolysis tank

[Jim Becker]

Your questions about seed/fertilizer placement are best answered by local sources. How does your soil drain? How much rainfall in the summer? etc. Find out what works locally and the planter can be set up to accomplish it. I'll guess drainage is more of a problem than drought and you will be better off planting in/under a ridge than planting in a furrow.

You need to sort out your hoppers and bases to make sure what you have to work with. The Richmond hopper (or the later style combination hopper that uses the same plates) is a good choice unless you get into really small seeds (carrot, lettuce, etc.). But there is no "right" answer. You need to size the plates according to the seed. Even the same crop will use different plates in different years because of variation in seed size from year to year. The planter Operator's Manuals have a good section on plates and long lists of what was available. They are also listed in the parts catalogs. Start there.