The Box Drill Machine Which Works Like An Air Drill

Great Plains has added a new 50-foot BD7600 Box Drill to its line of seeding equipment. The BD7600 is now available in widths ranging from 26 feet to 50 feet. With a box capacity of up to 3.8 bushels per foot, the 50-foot model can hold more than 180 bushels.

The Box Drill Which Works Like An Air Drill

Great Plains Has Added A New 50-Foot BD7600 Box Drill To Its Line Of Seeding Equipment

The BD7600 is now available in widths ranging from 26 feet to 50 feet. With a box capacity of up to 3.8 bushels per foot, the 50-foot model can hold more than 180 bushels.

"With the increased working width and box capacity, the 50-foot BD7600 brings productivity and efficiency together to improve producer profitability," says Sterling Steep, Great Plains associate product manager. "Whether producers require a basic ground drive unit or a technologically advanced hydraulic drive unit to overcome field variability, the new BD7600 50 ft. sets each operator up for success."

Since its inception in 1976, Great Plains has focused on innovating and developing box drills. Taking that a step further, the 50-foot BD7600 was designed to do more than just box drills. According to James Shurts, Great Plains' vice president of sales and marketing, the company had to focus on its core base with this iteration of the box drill. Great Plains investigated what it could do to blur the distinction between a box drill and an air drill at a lower cost.

The new 50-foot BD7600 is aimed at large-acre producers who want the technological features of air drills but the ease of use and low maintenance of box drills.

ENHANCEMENTS

The hydraulic drive, which was previously only available on air drills, is not only new to the BD7600 but also to box drills. The drive, in conjunction with Great Plains DrillCommand technology, enables producers to use variable-rate seeding, as well as some cost-saving section control features.

For manual section control and full variable-rate seeding with a prescription map, the DrillCommand technology has a simple, easy-to-use interface that works with most ISOBUS-compatible monitors. The new BD7600 has a heavy-duty box design that has been rigorously tested by Great Plains through over 8 million twist cycles.

The design allows it to be filled without the need for manual seed movement. A new split-box design allows for three different fertilizer-to-seed ratios to be used.

SYSTEM DE METERING

The metering system from Great Plains is at the heart of the BD7600 series planters, allowing the metering of large and small seeds, fertilizer, and cover crops through the same seed cup.

This is done to increase accuracy for both traditional and cover crops while also making calibration easier. Input gates located just above the meter control the seed flow to the meter wheels, which producers can use to turn off rows to change row spacing and aid in calibration.

"The metering system makes the BD7600 a great candidate for cover crop applications where farmers want to put in some small seeds like alfalfa, as well as some grass seeds," Stepp says.

THE COST AND AVAILABILITY

The price of the 50-foot BD7600 Box Drill starts at around $190,000 and rises depending on the configuration. The box drill is currently on sale and will be delivered in early 2023.