GP/LP 3P600 or 3P606NT user thread

[ufg8rmike]

I'm guessing he doesn't believe you either......

Seriously? You have the right to defend the product you purchased but there’s 26 pages here discussing what a pain in the ass it is. When I’m about to drop 25k on something I’m gonna ask questions. No matter how you cut it, a superior design would involve a spring loaded drive wheel or suspension system vs being set in place. Then you wouldn’t even have to adjust it. Sounds like I hit a nerve.

 

[swat1018]

Don't intend to argue about it. The wheel has to be adjustable for a multitude of reasons, soil type and condition, for one. I've owned one for 14 years and planted several hundreds of acres with mine.

Buy a lesser machine, buy a GP, I don't care. There isn't a drill out there that you can hook on, pour seed in, and drive around your plots without looking back. They will all need tweaks for optimal performance. You can spend $150K for a planter, and trust me, it needs adjustments.

Good luck...

 

[Foggy47]

Seriously? You have the right to defend the product you purchased but there’s 26 pages here discussing what a pain in the ass it is. When I’m about to drop 25k on something I’m gonna ask questions. No matter how you cut it, a superior design would involve a spring loaded drive wheel or suspension system vs being set in place. Then you wouldn’t even have to adjust it. Sounds like I hit a nerve.

We sometimes debate things to death. Grin.....and many things are an ongoing discussion for many years. Always a new user learning how to use these implements. These drills were new to a few of us....and fun to determine how they work. Many of us have not had direct experience with a grain drill in the past....and many of us are using a minimum till drill as a no-till drill, so lots of discussion on these drills. At the end of the day....I don't think many are disappointed in the performance of these drills. Been a game changer for me. No harm in doing your due dillengence.....I did mine and I am happy with my drill.

I think you may find more Remlinger users in the southern states? May have seen a thread on them at one time here too. Do a search?

 

[Brian662]

It seems like from my recollection, most of the discourse around the center drive wheel has more been about whether you use that to set depth or use the packing wheels.
It seems disingenuous to say there has been 26 pages discussing what a pain in the ass it is, plenty of other good information here, mods, calibration info, etc.

 

[Foggy47]

It seems like from my recollection, most of the discourse around the center drive wheel has more been about whether you use that to set depth or use the packing wheels.
It seems disingenuous to say there has been 26 pages discussing what a pain in the ass it is, plenty of other good information here, mods, calibration info, etc.

I really enjoyed our drill discussions.....and I think we all learned a bit. I bet I changed my mind a half dozen times. I know that before these pages were said.....I could not find a decent review of a 3P500 or 3P600 drill. Nothing was to be found anywhere I searched.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

Had my sights set on the pull type model, however I’m limited to the 3 point due to storage limitations and overall width. I will be keeping the tractor and drill in a 40ft high cube shipping container. It appears the center drive wheel is a pain in the rear for more than a few reasons. Riding on this wheel can make the unit tilt to either side in uneven terrain lifting one side, and if the wheel ain’t spinning it ain’t planting. Seems the most logical solution would be for Great Plains to design a shock that would allow the to follow the terrain a bit better and maintain contact with the ground?

I'd take a hard look at the esch FP 605 or 607 if width is a primary constraint. I had a 5603 and it was a very nice drill, just slower to plant with than my 3p600. It planted better though. FP605 might be borderline for my tractor and its quite a bit more expensive than the used 3p600, but looks like a nice drill.

My only real gripes on center drive wheel are:
1. It is a PITA to adjust height on but like others said, once set it is good to go.
2. It does eat up some of the down pressure available to the row units
3. It is more sensitive to leveling and drill setup than a drive wheel design like the esch drills have

However, it doesn't rely on your 3pt not bleeding off or moving to keep the drill running at the right depth and I really didn't have any issues this year after fiddling to get it set up prior years. I have flat ground and no issues with "teetering" on the drive wheel.

 

[deepsleep]

You are definitely overthinking the drive wheel thing. I spent between 30-60 minutes playing around with the drill when it arrived, and had no trouble planting all of my plots. The only issue I had was the roughness of my woods plots, which is a work in progress, and would be an issue with any drill. My neighbor (who is my habitat mentor) and I studied it together as I bought it for him to use as well. We had an awful drought this fall at planting time and he keeps telling me "that drill saved us", as broadcasted plots germinated and died. I was originally going to get the pull type, but I have plots ranging in size from 0.07 Acres to 9 Acres, and the length of the pull type would be a huge hassle. Also, Foggy is correct in that the hydraulic top link is a must for adjusting on the fly, and also useful for a lot of other 3pt use.

 

[WKyGasDoc]

Hey guys, just finished up planting some small plots of sunflowers...How do you monitor your seed level (without climbing on the planter and looking) if you don't need a lot of seed to plant small plots. My gauge just shows the needle barely moving to slightly above E....Any tricks?

 

[Foggy47]

Hey guys, just finished up planting some small plots of sunflowers...How do you monitor your seed level (without climbing on the planter and looking) if you don't need a lot of seed to plant small plots. My gauge just shows the needle barely moving to slightly above E....Any tricks?

I have a similar need to check the box (es) when operating my 3P 500 drill. One reason I installed a rear step on mine. At 79 years of age.....there is No WAY to jump up on that wallboard via those steps supplied with the drill. Not gonna happen. Until I got the second walk-board....I had to bungee a small ladder onto my drill in order to get up on the walk board (a genuine PITA).

With my rear step installed......checking the seed boxes and / or loading the hoppers is easy. The pic below shows how I moved the steps furnished with the drill to a more rearward location.....then drilled some new holes in the drill's frame and re-bolted those steps. Then I bolted some used grate material (found at a steel supplier) using some U-Bolts. IIRC- those u-bolts are attached via a small section of angle iron that I welded to the inside of the GP steps. The result is a huge gain in function for me.

In this picture, I had not yet moved my foam markers to the lower location on the new walk-board / step. Not sure I could be happy without having this lower step on my drill. Thank me later - Grin.

PERHAPS some engineer from GP could take a clue here and incorporate this second walk-board into their otherwise fine product? That would serve to help allot of folks. Send royalty checks to P.O. Box BR 542, Deertopia Proving Grounds, MN. Grin.

Also, especially when planting "green" those foam markers really help to locate where you have been drilling seeds for the next run. In small "twisty" plots it gets difficult to know where you have been.

 

[Foggy47]

Just reflecting on another engineering upgrade I would consider for these small drills. I would offer an "accessory" kit that could be bolted to the drill. It would consist of 4 detachable "jack stands" that would enable the entire drill to rest on a concrete floor (or other surface) without putting pressure on the openers or press wheels. Perhaps caster wheels could be installed on the 4 supports if it were correctly engineered. That way you could roll the drill to a storage location.

I keep my drill on an old "railroad" cart. It allows the drill to be rolled to the back of my pole barn. (shown in above pic). Finding a HD rail-road "platform truck" is not easy.

EDIT: Just saw a nice HD platform truck on FB Marketpllace. That site proves me wrong quite often these days. Lots of interesting stuff there....and a good look up feature.

 

[omicron1792]

You are so innovative @Foggy47. Cool how you engineer or reengineer things.

 

[Foggy47]

I showed this in my land tour....but here are some helpful "mods" done to my drill.

1. I have 4 suitcase weights - two handing on each side of my drill. I don't "need" them....but I do use my drill as a no-till drill....and the extra weight does not hurt.
2. Foam markers. I made some brackets to hold the reservoir from some odd material I had laying around off an old boat hoist. The rest ofr the plumbing came with my foam marker kit.
3. Second rear step. Nice addition.
4. Remounted the compartment for the seed manual on the side as I needed the factory location for the foam tank.

 

[WKyGasDoc]

Great Ideas....guess I just gonna have to look inside when I think my seed is low....On another note, I am gonna get one of those foam markers , my jerry rigged one is just undependable.

I would love for a second step attachment to be available . You guys are awesome...

 

[Foggy47]

Great Ideas....guess I just gonna have to look inside when I think my seed is low....On another note, I am gonna get one of those foam markers , my jerry rigged one is just undependable.

I would love for a second step attachment to be available . You guys are awesome...

I just looked......and there is all kinds of grate material available on FB Marketplace. Get a width that fits that step, drill some holes...bolt it on....and experience a far friendlier drill.

 

[Foggy47]

Great Ideas....guess I just gonna have to look inside when I think my seed is low....On another note, I am gonna get one of those foam markers , my jerry rigged one is just undependable.

I would love for a second step attachment to be available . You guys are awesome...

If I had more ambition, I could easily make kits like that for a fair price. It really only takes a few holes drilled, a couple of bolts, and some J bolts or U bolts. Done.

 

[WKyGasDoc]

btw Foggy, where did you get your foam marker? Agristore has some but the UTV one was like 550$ yikes

 

[Foggy47]

btw Foggy, where did you get your foam marker? Agristore has some but the UTV one was like 550$ yikes

I really do not remember....but may have been agri-supply. I bought mine on sale at Christmas time....and I think I paid about $300 for mine. Not sure I ever saw it that cheap again.

 

[swat1018]

Hey guys, just finished up planting some small plots of sunflowers...How do you monitor your seed level (without climbing on the planter and looking) if you don't need a lot of seed to plant small plots. My gauge just shows the needle barely moving to slightly above E....Any tricks?

Yea, I put my wife on the walkboard!

 

[Foggy47]

Yea, I put my wife on the walkboard!

Pretty good solution. Then, I got to thinking.....those small wireless camera's and a cell phone would likely provide a good look without leaving the drivers seat.

 

[WKyGasDoc]

so a bluetooth camera!! hmm, I have a old GoPro...