Great Plains 2N-3010 Operator Manual - Manual (Page 21)

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Section 3 Adjustments
12/27/05 2N-2410 and 2N-3010 Folding No-Till Drill 196-126M
Great Plains Mfg., Inc.
Section 3
Adjustments
No-Till Seeding
To get full performance from your no-till drill, you need a
good understanding of coulter, opener and press wheel
operation.
Coulters. A no-till coulter is mounted independently and
directly ahead of each opener. The coulters cut through
heavy trash and make a groove in the soil. The coulters
are mounted directly on the box frame. Consequently, the
cutting depth of all coulters changes as the drill is raised
and lowered. The cutting depth of the coulters is controlled
by an adjustable hydraulic depth stop. Coulters that run di-
rectly in tire tracks can be lowered individually. Refer to
Coulter Adjustments, this page, for information on how to
make these adjustments.
Openers. Each opener is mounted on the drill with parallel
arms. This parallel-action mounting allows the opener to
move up and down while staying in-line with a coulter.
Opener double disks widen the coulter groove, making a
seed bed. A seed tube mounted between the disks deliv-
ers seed to the trench.The down force needed to cut and
widen the coulter groove is supplied by two springs nested
in the parallel linkage. Adjusting these springs changes
opener down-force. Refer to Opener Down-Pressure Ad-
justment, page 22, for information on how to make this ad-
justment.
Press Wheels. Attached to the rear of each opener is one
of several press-wheel options. The press wheels provide
two important functions.
First, the press wheels close the furrow, gently pressing
the soil over the seed. To provide consistent seed firming,
the press wheels are free to move downward from their
normal operating position. This system maintains press-
ing action even if the opener arm is lifted when the disks
encounter obstructions.
Second, the press wheels provide opener depth control.
The higher the press wheels run relative to the double
disks, the deeper seed will be placed. To maintain a con-
sistent depth, upward press-wheel movement is restricted
by an independently adjustable stop on each opener. Re-
fer to Press Wheel Adjustment, page 22, for information on
how to make this adjustment.
Coulter Adjustments
The drill is assembled so that when the coulters are at two
inches deep, the seeding depth is about one inch. This is
a good baseline setting for most seeding operations. As
field conditions warrant, you can change settings on the
entire drill or individual coulters.
Hydraulic Depth Control
The master field-lift cylinder on the left transport wheel is
equipped with a hydraulic valve that regulates coulter
depth. Figure 3-1 shows the valve and knob used to adjust
coulter depth.
Turn the knob clockwise to lower the coulters. Each clock-
wise rotation will lower the coulters about 3/32 inches.
Make depth adjustments with the implement slightly
raised. After adjusting the valve, raise and lower the imple-
ment several times and recheck coulter depth.
The depth stop regulates depth on all coulters. If the ends
of either box run higher or lower than the center, the field-
lift system may be out of phase or have air in it, or the
frame sections may not be level. Refer to Lifting the Drill in
the Field, “Operating Instructions,” page 17, Bleed Field-
Lift Hydraulics, “Drill Preparation and Setup,” page 11, or
Leveling Adjustment, page 34.
Figure 3-1
Left Transport-Wheel Cylinder with Depth-Control Stop
Raise Coulters
Lower Coulters
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