Kim Woods•6 Apr 2018

REVIEW

Machine spotlight: John Deere 1890 air drill

Name: Machine spotlight: John Deere 1890 air drill
Brand: John Deere

Deere’s flagship no-till seeder sows any crop, at any depth, in any condition, as Kim Wood finds out

When it boils down to sowing on the clock into dry conditions in a zero-till system, the John Deere 1890 disc seeder has been winning plenty of friends.

Available in 9.1 to 18.2m widths, the 1890 has enough active hydraulic down pressure to dig in, and consistently sow seed at the correct depth right across the whole paddock.

The 1890 no-till air-drill features a three or five section drawn flexible frame with an overcentre fold for transport or storage.

Contour following, the wings flex 20 degrees up or 10 degrees down plus 108 degrees over the centre fold.

The 1890 is fitted with two ranks of 90 Series single-disc no-till openers.

There are two ranks of 90 Series single-disc no-till openers featuring 45cm disc blades mounted on a seven degree angle

The 45cm disc blades are mounted at a seven degree angle for aggressive action in high residue paddocks.

Relatively new to the stable is the updated John Deere designed air towers fitted with twist-lock lids for easy access to the manifold without tools.

Another highlight is the sensors on secondary hoses monitoring the rate of product flow across the drill from opener to opener, with in-cab alerts.

Real flagship

Hutcheon and Pearce sales representative, Myles O’Kane, said the 1890 had been a real flagship air seeder for John Deere for a number of years.

“It is well known for its seed placement, accuracy, and simplicity of operation,” he said.

“There are a number of sizes available in the 1890 machine – 9.1, 11, 12.2, 12.9, 15.2 or 18.2m to cover all scale of farming operations."

The 15.2 and 18.2m machines are in five sections while the remainder of the machines are in three.

Myles O’Kane, Hutcheon & Pearce, Finley, with the 1890 18m disc drill

“One of the key components of the 1890 drill is the air distribution system – this machine is well equipped with blockage sensors on every tube,” he said.

“This gives a beautiful even job and peace of mind in the cab while operating.”

The openers are gang mounted and hydraulically raised or lowered. There is a 1.35m spacing between the ranks of openers and 55cm of underframe clearance.

A patented active hydraulic down force provides an adjustable range of 75 to 180kg of down pressure per opener to penetrate hard soils and heavy residue.

The down pressure is easily adjusted with the pressure valve located on the front of the mainframe.

“There is enough pressure in those rams to lift the whole back of the bar off the ground for digging into flood damaged soils or those setting hard over summer,” O’Kane said.

“We are able to cut into them early in the season to get the crop in and get moving.”

New and improved opener

O’Kane said the 90-Series opener had proven to be popular among zero-till growers.

“John Deere has made significant improvements in recent times, including the spoked gauge wheel, which assists with cleaning mud and debris in wet conditions,” he said.

“There is still the option of the smooth-side and steel gauge wheels, depending on trash clearance and ground conditions. Spoked gauge wheels are popular now due to the trash and mud clearance, and longevity.”

The spoked gauge wheel allows mud and debris caught behind the depth gauge to flow through

The machine is reasonably easy to maintain with three grease points for the gauge and closing wheels.

“There is an adjustable point for spring tension and seeding depth,” O’Kane said.

“The great feature of the 1890 drill is the height adjustment in (6.4mm) quarter inch increments from half an inch through to 3.5 inches seed depth. It will pretty well sow any crop, in any depth, in any condition.”

The heavy-duty opener comprises a one-piece seed boot made from cast iron for extended wear. It is spring loaded against the disc blade to ensure accurate seed placement.

A nylon seed deflector keeps the seed at the bottom of the furrow for seed to soil contact.

There is 51mm of free travel in the opener to allow the seeder to follow ground contours without extra down pressure.

O’Kane said the operator has the option to lock one rank of the openers to sow on a 19, 25 or 38cm spacing.

“Pasture and hay can be done on 19cm while later cereals, brassicas and oilseeds can be sown at 38cm,” he said.

“The disc size and angle caters for hard ground so the hydraulic down-pressure can be increased and have enough angle on the discs not to create too much soil disturbance."

The 1.35m depth between the openers allows for trash clearance in high stubble loads, while the high ground clearance is particularly useful in irrigation country when crossing channels and banks, O’Kane added.

There is 1.35m between the openers which are gang mounted and hydraulically raised or lowered

“A pressure valve on the front hydraulically adjusts the down-pressure so early in the season when the ground is hard after a hot summer, a reasonably high amount of down-pressure can be run,” he said.

“After the first rain, a lower down-pressure can be used, resulting in less wear on the machine and less weight on the tractor while sowing.

“Free travel (of 51mm) allows the opener to follow the ground in any conditions, from a cattle track through to a gilgai, to maintain seed depth.”

A 30cm cast closing wheel trails behind the press wheel – the closing wheel can be adjusted to run on top of the furrow or parallel. According to O’Kane, the closing wheel was designed for minimal soil disturbance.

“But there is enough down-pressure and width on the cast wheel to push the dirt over the soil for seed to soil contact.

“Depending on soil conditions in a no-till application, a high closing wheel pressure can be run while in a conventional or reduced till application, the operator can decrease the closing wheel pressure to get a nice scuff over the top of the seed."

Smart tech ready

With the RelativeFlow blockage system, operators can see the flow rate of seed and fertilizer from the cab

O’Kane said the 1890 is a single shoot machine with seed and fertiliser in the same slot.

“This keeps it simple throughout the air distribution system, allowing the operator to make sowing smooth and consistent,” he said.

With the RelativeFlow blockage system, operators can see the flow rate of seed and fertiliser from the cab. The blockage monitoring system operates through the Greenstar 3 2630 display screen, and sensitivity levels can be adjusted if desired.

Multiple run-page alarm behavior options are available for each section.

“There are two options – you can have primary blockage on each tower or full row secondary blockage,” O’Kane said.

“The second option is more expensive, however the costs are quickly outweighed by misses or skips throughout the field resulting in a loss of income and increased weed competition.”

The 1890 disc seeder is compatible with AutoTrac and iTEC Pro, the next step towards complete tractor automation.

This 18m 1890 drill is being pulled by a 470hp tractor

iTEC Pro co-ordinates tractor and implement functions with end turns, positioning both machines correctly for the next pass, all hands free. O’Kane said the technology allows the tractor to work at optimal speeds and efficiency, and helps reduce operator fatigue.

“Growers are starting to see the advantage of total turn automation with iTEC Pro,” he said.

“The operator can program up to 20 functions such as tractor speed, lifting and disengaging the implement, engine revs, and complete the turn specifications, including skip row, light bulb or direct U-turn. The operator simply presses the screen to confirm the turn to the left or right, and the tractor will do the rest.”

Turns can be previewed in advance and adjustments made on the go so the machine and implement perform consistently on headlands or internal boundaries.

“It does require set up through mapping the boundaries using GPS however, once it is set up for the first time, it will work automatically for tillage, seeding or spraying,” O’Kane said.

“ITEC Pro results in a faster, more efficient operation – with the new R Series tractors and Gen 4 4600 CommandCentre screens, it is becoming more popular. It gives the owner peace of mind as it allows the operator to be more competent through the use of the technology.”

The 12m machine folds to 5.6m wide for transport while the nine and 10m models fold to 4.4m.

Sows in all conditions

O’Kane said the 12m machines are the most popular models in the southern Riverina.

“The 12m version fits in the 12.2m controlled traffic application and needs up to 300hp while the 18m requires over 450hp,” he said.

“The 1890 has been well accepted for a number of years – large scale growers can sow on the clock into dry conditions or moisture.”

The single-disc no-till openers can be set on 7.5, 10 or 15 inch row spacing

Tyre options include singles on the outer wings and duals on the centre section of the 9m machines; and on the 12m machines, duals on the outer wings for increased flotation.

Unfolding time for the three section machine is about 60 seconds and three minutes for the five section machine.

The John Deere 1890 no-till air drill is priced from $139,525. For more information, visit www.hutcheonandpearce.com.au