Temperatures are finally above freezing for most of our service area and the snow from the big winter storms has melted. I know the Bane-Welker stores are a buzz with manufacturer displays from the big trade shows and what key takeaways are from the most recent conference. I was speaking with a precision specialist about looking forward to the warmer weather, and he mentioned that he wasn’t quite ready to be busy yet.
He is right. We are in the season of “the calm before the storm”. The time we are all prepping the best we can for the potential unknowns of the 2026 planting season. To be honest, now is the time when the season is made, especially in ensuring your equipment is ready. During times where most growers are looking at parts, service, and precision upgrade solutions over purchasing new equipment, it is important that you know what top priorities are to set yourself up for a more flexible and maybe slightly less stressful planting season.
Meter Inspections
The seed meter is one of the most integral parts of the planter. Any issues with it can cause skips or multiples which raises costs for a minimal return on the investment of your crop. In the video below, Matt Jahnke, Precision Farming Specialist at Crawfordsville, walks you through vSet meter inspection. In the video, he highlights the wear point of the singulator and how to assess its wear utilizing the specialized tool. You want to make sure that the specialized tool, when inserted through the disc, catches the indicated point on the tool.
Matt also discusses how to adjust the baffle to work best for different crops, as the baffle location will need to be moved depending on the seed size. In regards, to the disc, when the graphite is starting to wear on it, evaluate the disc to see what shape it is in. To evaluate the disc, you will take the same specialized tool as before and make sure that the tool catches on the machined line when inserted into the holes, on the disc.
The last part that is covered is the seal. This, in Matt’s experience, is the most common point of failure on the meter. The seal when exposed to the elements can dry rot and lose its effectiveness. There isn’t a specific acreage or hour that has been found to cause this issue, but it could be a more frequent issue now that growers are keeping their equipment for longer periods of time. The seal most commonly fails in the corners where it is bent and can be identified by cracks. This seal is the only part that seals the vacuum system of the meter, so the meter will be less effective with singulation and population control, if this part is worn.
Impact of Singulation on Yield
Precision Planting conducted a study on singulation, utilizing data from 2018 through 2025. They purposely made skips, duplicates, and plugs in the disc on their vSet meter in order to measure how much singulation actually impacts the money in your pocket at the end of the season. After 8 years of the study, they have found that dropping from 99.5% to 95% seed singulation means that you as the grower lose $36.68 per acre.
See more details from Precision Planting at: https://www.precisionplanting.com/resources/research/corn-singulation-study
Seed Meter Testing
All Bane-Welker's Precision Farming Specialist have access to a seed meter test stand. With this stand, we can run your seed through your seed meters to check for any issues. It can identify vacuum leaks, singulation issues, bearing failures, and more. There are variable inputs for test lengths, speeds, and vacuum pressure which allow our specialists to find any potential issue with the seed meters before you do in the field. These test stands work for seed meters by any manufacturer, so call any of our locations today to get your seed meters tested.
Planter Wear Parts
Openers
In addition to the seed meter, there are several important wear items on the row unit that are necessary to check before planting season begins. In the video above, Matt Jahnke outlines all the important parts to check before the season begins. Here are the highlights from the video, the first is the openers, and it is important that on a 2000 series planter they are a minimum of 14.5 inches. Openers come from Case IH in two options: the standard, 3.5 mm thick or the heavy duty, 4.5 mm thick. Matt recommends the heavy-duty option if you have a hard time getting through an entire planting season before your openers are worn out.
Scrapers, Seed Shoe, and Seed Point
Moving down the row unit, the next wear items are the scrapers. This part is easy to check for wear. There is a bend at the end, and you just check that that that bend is there, and the end isn’t worn off to ensure that any scraper is good to go for the season. On the 2000 series planters the seed shoe and seed point are replaced as a pair. Unlike the 1200 series, there is not a gauge to measure wear. Just look at the back corner of the seed shoe to assess the wear. If the corner is sharp or bent, it is time to replace these parts. It is important to change this out as the bending can move the seed placement in the trench during planting.
Closing Wheel & Arm
As we continue to move down to the closing wheel and closing arm, the bearings are the main thing to check. There is a bearing in the closing wheel, so make sure that the wheel rolls freely and doesn’t feel gravely. For both shark tooth and regular closing wheels, they should be a minimum of 8.5 inches in diameter. In terms of the closing arm, 2025 and new models have bearings to improve the previous model years bushings. This improvement ensures that there is less movement in the arm for a longer amount of time. If you have a 2024 model year or older, there is an upgrade kit available that will switch the bushing and pin combo out for the improved bearing solution. Lastly, lift the arm to check the bearing and the air cylinder. If you feel any catches, this is sign that the seal in the air cylinder needs to be replaced prior to planting.
Parallel Arms
The parallel arms are important as they impact the effectiveness of the rest of the row unit. These parallel arms have eight poly bushings that wear out pretty quickly. Something that can impact the wear is how much load the arm has to carry. The smoother the ground is, the less the load. The bearings will still wear out but will take longer than our growers who have hillier farmland. You can test these bushings by picking up on the closing wheel and lifting to compress the spring. It can be hard to tell without lifting the row unit up and eventually start to oval the arm as the poly bushings wear out. It is advised that all 8 bushings are replaced at once. Matt has found a solution where two metal bushings can be pressed into the arm to give a more durable solution with a longer life before replacement.
The list of priorities above is no short list; however, it has often been said that there is only limited time to set up your success for the 2026 growing season. Bane-Welker is able to help you on all fronts to get you and your planter ready for planting season. If you are looking for some precision upgrades, our Precision Farming Specialists are happy to help you find your best promotion to fit your operation. Request a quote here. Additionally, our precision and service teams are happy to get your planter or tractor on the schedule for an inspection to ensure that your equipment is in optimal condition for the season.
