Farm Equipment - Deutz-Allis 385

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Deutz-Allis 385

Printed From: Unofficial Allis
Category: Allis Chalmers
Forum Name: Farm Equipment
Forum Description: everything about Allis-Chalmers farm equipment
URL: https://www.allischalmers.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=30687
Printed Date: 04 Nov 2025 at 9:27am
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Topic: Deutz-Allis 385

Posted By: Ryan Renko
Subject: Deutz-Allis 385
Date Posted: 13 May 2011 at 8:13pm

I have heard nothing but great comments on this planter. Some say it is still one of the best planters ever made!! Was this Allis Chalmers technology that was gunna be a orange planter or was this something Deutz had going on?? Ryan

Replies:

Posted By: MACK
Date Posted: 13 May 2011 at 9:03pm

It is the old AC design. I have a 8 row and like it. Parts are the draw back. MACK

Posted By: tbran
Date Posted: 14 May 2011 at 1:39pm

We ran the prototype - orange - had 78 and 74 units inbetween. Dave Murray _ still with Agco- was the project engineer. Unit had some problems early on - mostly scrapers not heavy enough in sticky mud. First openers wore out too quick and were thickened on leading edge. Landoll came out with a cast aluminum hopper bottom that was almost a necessity. Unit needed a White air system to be nearly perfect. Later units also had alternate leading edge coulters to prevent side draft. Problem with unit was AC had 80% market share in no-til market which was only 20% of the total market. Lou Swoverland was the head of planters - drove him nuts when they (Deutz) woild not give him a frame to go after the 15" row double crop market - instead they went after the 80% of the market they had NO market share in. Miserable failure - sold the planter to Landoll and went with White. The lack of a narrow transport narrow row planter plagued both planters till recently - White has a central fill unit . May the Quadradisc RIP. Len Schriver wrot the marketing specs for the QD unit BTW - you should have heard him chew on the DA guys.

Posted By: David(Stockbridge)MI
Date Posted: 14 May 2011 at 2:35pm

Just bought one a couple weeks ago. Planted about 15 acres in last years soybean stubble with out a problem, Planted 12 acres in last years corn and it never missed a beat. Only sprayed with round-up / 2-4 D, thought I would see how this no till realy works. Next time I will knock down corn with a disk because it was hard to see the marker lines very well.

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Posted By: Ryan Renko
Date Posted: 14 May 2011 at 8:04pm

Thanks for the inside scoup tbran!! I hear nothing but great things about the 385. I wonder about repair parts?? Ryan

Posted By: Russ-neia
Date Posted: 14 May 2011 at 8:05pm

David, once you are on an established row pattern, just leave the stalks standing so you can plant between the rows (less residue in your way). Then leave the markers up and use the old rows as your guide mark. That's the way people here without GPS do it.

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Posted By: Wil M (NEIA)
Date Posted: 14 May 2011 at 8:09pm

Never did ask the model number of the planter I was helping Jim rob parts off of out in the rain today but it was a green DA planter. Was mostly picked over but there was a few good parts left on it yet. Jim thought it was a low houred planter.

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"Yet there are soulless men whose hand and brain tear down what time will never give again." Anderson M Scruggs