How to Choose a Corn Planter? A Buying and Usage Guide

Corn is one of China's important grain crops. It is now the spring plowing and seedbed preparation period, and only with good spring sowing can a bountiful autumn harvest be achieved. With the development of agricultural mechanization, the corn planter has become a new wealth-building tool for farmers to increase their input-output ratio in the process of planting corn. How to choose a corn planter? Correctly installing and using a corn planter is the first thing to master. The buying and usage situation of corn planters is introduced below, in the hope of providing help to farmer friends.

I. Buying a Corn Planter

As the agricultural machinery market gradually becomes saturated, the corn planter has become another new wealth-building tool for farmers to increase their input-output ratio in the process of planting corn. Faced with the various models of corn planters in our country, how the broad masses of farmer friends can choose a corn planter to sow better and faster is the issue of greatest concern.

1. Fully take into account the farmer's own circumstances when using a corn planter

Corn planters are suited to being driven by different models of agricultural machinery; when purchasing, farmers can fully take into account the horsepower of their own agricultural machinery and their own level of agricultural knowledge. Judging from the current situation of agricultural machinery users in our county using corn planters, when choosing and buying, farmers must base their decision on their own mechanical skill level, that is, their ability to control and maintain the corn planter. In practice, they should try to choose those corn planters that are simple in structure, easy to master, convenient to operate, affordable and durable; at the same time, they should observe the usage performance and buy those corn planters that match the conditions of their own tractor.

2. Fully take into account adaptability to local corn planting conditions

For a long time, the row spacing for corn planting has varied greatly across our country; even within a single natural village, the row spacing of planted corn is not always the same. Therefore, finding one that suits the actual situation of corn planting in our county is one of the bases for users' choice when buying. On the other hand, natural conditions vary enormously across our country, making the corn-growing belts relatively long and very scattered; the corn varieties planted also differ, and the farming levels of farmers differ considerably as well. Thus, consideration needs to be given to the method and convenience of use of the corn planter chosen, and models with good usage performance and product durability should be selected.

3. Fully take into account the local natural land conditions

At present, because rural areas in our country adopt a household contract management system with land allocated to each household, this inevitably results in land being divided for planting. Therefore, most plots for corn sowing are relatively small, the roads for agricultural machinery to travel in the fields are relatively narrow, and it is itself very difficult for machinery to enter the fields to work; when using mechanized corn sowing, choosing a model suited to local sowing is very crucial. A suitable model can, first, reduce the labor intensity brought by manual work; second, it can raise work efficiency and improve the seed emergence rate.

4. Fully take into account the quality of the planter purchased and the after-sales service situation

For the broad masses of farmers, the corn planter is a new product, so when buying, attention must be paid to whether the corn planter has an appraisal certificate from an agricultural machinery appraisal department at or above the provincial level. After learning about these certificates, when purchasing the machine, one should also grasp the usage situation of that planter in our county or in similar cultivated land, and understand the past sales volume and distribution of that planter model; if possible, it is best to consult old users before deciding whether to buy. The quality of after-sales service for the corn planter has an important influence on whether the planter can be used over the long term. To a certain extent, the quality of after-sales service determines the economic benefits of the corn planter.

II. Using the Corn Planter

After buying the machine, users should first read the “Product Usage Introduction” carefully and master the rules of use. When necessary, they can participate in the corresponding agricultural machinery technical training, truly achieving understanding of the principles and the structure; being able to operate and to repair; and knowing how to maintain and how to manage. In this way, they will be completely at ease when using it, achieving the goal of increasing production and income.

1. Before use, first carefully read the product manual and the relevant parts on the planter, have a clear understanding of the various performance aspects of the corn planter, and carry out specific operations according to the key points in the manual to avoid machine breakdowns. Before each operation, check whether the lubricating oil at the transmission parts of the planter is sufficient, whether the parts are connected tightly, whether the connecting bolts are fastened, and whether all rotating parts are flexible. If any abnormal sound is found during sowing operations, stop the machine immediately for inspection, check for the fault, and carry out necessary repair.

2. When sowing, the operator fills the sterilized corn seeds into the machine's seed bin, loads the seeds to be sown into the planter's vibrating seed tray, and at the same time checks the water supply source and inspects the connections of the entire set of equipment; after confirming there are no errors, the control switch can be turned on to carry out the sowing operation. When sowing, the seeds can be sown uniformly into soil at a certain depth at a certain row spacing through a series of operations such as furrow opening, seed metering, soil covering, and compaction.

3. Strictly follow the requirements of the product manual and carry out timely mechanical repair and maintenance.

“Prevention is more important than cure, and maintenance is more important than repair” is a basic principle for the use and maintenance of the planter. The specific contents of planter maintenance include: in daily work, checking and tightening the bolts at the relevant connecting parts; checking whether the planter's various insertion pins, split pins and other wearing parts are missing or damaged, and replacing them when necessary if they are missing or damaged; checking whether the connecting parts related to sowing are short of oil, and refilling immediately when necessary; checking the appearance of the planter implements, and repainting when necessary to prevent rust. The planter is an important means of agricultural production and plays an important role in our country's agricultural production. Through mechanized sowing operations, the quality of sowing can be improved, farmers' labor intensity reduced, agricultural production efficiency raised, and seeds saved. Especially in times of drought and little rain, after the planter carries out sowing operations, its characteristics of strong soil moisture conservation and good emergence further demonstrate the superiority of mechanized sowing technology, and have a direct influence on achieving increased agricultural production and harvest and increasing farmers' income.

For a long time, in order to enable corn to achieve the goals of high yield, high efficiency and high quality, many agricultural science and technology workers and farmer friends have carried out a great deal of research and made continuous efforts on this. Practice has proved that using a corn planter at the corn sowing stage can not only raise labor productivity, but also improve the emergence rate of corn, achieving uniform and strong seedlings, and thus truly achieving high corn yield. More importantly, using a corn planter can free the broad masses of farmers from heavy labor and let them devote more energy to labor export and economic development; it is a good thing that achieves multiple benefits at once. This buying and usage guide for corn planters is hoped to be useful to you.