Technology Is Key To Deere’s Mega-Planter

“As you look at a grower’s operation what you try to figure out is how to provide a value,” explains Rob Rippchen, division manager, marketing, John Deere Seeding. “You can do that through productivity, and you can do that through wider working widths, but you can also do that through technology. Those last two paired together can give the grower the ultimate planting solution.”

The 120-foot wide DB120 does not come with a row marker, instead relying on global positioning to manage the unit’s field movements. On board automatic guidance technology “gives growers the ability to get the guess row in the right place, as well as the opportunity to migrate to real-time kinematic subinch accuracy,” says Rippchen.

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“The unit is wide, but very high tech, and that has allowed us to take that next step in planter working width,” he continues. “If technology such as AutoTrac guidance and RowCommand planter row control was not available, you probably would not see a 120-foot planter.”

About The Planter

John Deere and Bauer Built Mfg. teamed up to build the DB120, which features 48 rows at a spacing of 30 inches.

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“The DB120 sets an all-new standard in the large-frame planter market. When hitched to one of our 9030 Series tractors equipped with a GreenStar guidance system, you’ve got a row-crop planting solution that’s 30 percent more productive than our 36-row, DB90 planter,” says Rippchen.

Depending on field conditions, Rippchen estimates the DB120 can plant 90 to 100 acres per hour when operating at 5 to 5.5 mph.

The DB120 is a front-fold, 5-section flex-frame planter with CCS RefugePlus bulk-fill, and Pro-Series XP row units for built-in productivity and precision. These new planters are outfitted with John Deere seeding technology, including 125-bu. seed capacity, SeedStar 2 monitoring and variable-rate seed drives, and pneumatic down force.

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