?? Planting in tire tracks

Depends. Soft or damp freshly tilled soils may allow tractor’s rear tires to track a little deeper? If so, then tractor’s rear tire bar tread can compact soil & leave a distinct bar track which can cause a planter row unit to bounce along. The bouncing action can vary the depth accuracy of the row unit. So perhaps it’s best to give those units a little deeper depth setting.

Could you put a track eliminator on the planter. Rawson makes a zone till set-up with. No till Coulter. It would help your situation but getting tires off row would be best.

cwhit wrote: Beans wouldn’t bother me but there’s no way I’d do it in corn. I use a 12-23 Kinze and the planter tires run over some of the bean rows but am able to adjust depth to compensate. We won’t even let the floater tire spray rigs on corn rows. But you’re north of me just enough to in that BETTER dirt so that might be a little more forgiving.

SteveM C/IL wrote: cwhit wrote: Beans wouldn’t bother me but there’s no way I’d do it in corn. I use a 12-23 Kinze and the planter tires run over some of the bean rows but am able to adjust depth to compensate. We won’t even let the floater tire spray rigs on corn rows. But you’re north of me just enough to in that BETTER dirt so that might be a little more forgiving.     I'm still south of Rt 16 but it may be a little better than yours.Actually,I think I have a little of every soil type know to man,from black to chalk. I kinda like the cab for working dirt. The A/C and radio are plus's. I may have to just go with the 8070. Time saved planting would more than offset switching out. We'll see. Haven't pulled the trigger on the planter yet. Hardly a necessity,just a convenience.

One of Illinois’ ice age glaciers stopped & melted (terminal moraine) in a 10-20 mile wide ban that runs almond the south side of IL Route 16. Yes, the soil types within that ban vary wildly. A few high yield black soils (Drmmer#152/Flanagan #154,Virden#50/Herrick#46) to lighter complex soils (Oconee#113/Darmstadt#620).
Here’s Shelby County soil maps info. Skip down to page 141-143 to see crop productivity index numbers per each soil type (bushels/acre). Remember that although it says this soil survey was completed in 1988, it began decades prior, so yield numbers will look very low versus today’s yields. Relevant comparisons are still.fairly accurate though.
https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_MANUSCRIPTS/illinois/shelbyIL1996/shelbyIL1996.pdf

Was up measuring the 220.Looks like about the last 10in of the out side of rears would be on the row. They can only move in about 2in per side which doesn't really help and then you can't get the brakes apart if needed.

What’s the 12-30 planter brand? Model? Does it have floating row residue managers - Yetter? Martin? If so, then the teethed wheels on residue managers will help smooth out tire tracks.
Here’s an interesting idea. I’ve not used it. It may have application to wider tire tracks? It may also help on narrow row setups when tracks can not be avoided?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mbc6sQYUPIs

Edited by AC7060IL - 03 Mar 2019 at 6:43pm

If you are going from a 6 to a 12 row Steve, you’ll love the 12.

My experience has been that, the tire tracks will come up first, with very little, if any, loss of stand.

Up date....the planter didn't seem to mind planting in the edge of tractor tracks. Had good emergence in both corn and beans. The whole thing was quite a learning curve and still not got it mastered  but more confident about next season,Lord willing.