Source: CASE IH

Racine, Wis., January 17, 2013 — Redesigned from the ground up, the all-new Precision Disk single-disk air drills deliver best-in-class seed placement accuracy for an array of crops grown in diverse conditions and geographies. The new offering includes the Precision Disk 500T with an on-board bulk seed tank in 25-, 30- and 40-foot working widths and the Precision Disk 500 in 30- and 40-foot sizes, which are paired with a tow-between or tow-behind air cart.

At the heart of each Precision Disk drill is a completely new row unit, engineered to help Case IH customers achieve more even emergence and improved plant stand establishment when seeding crops like soybeans, wheat, milo and hybrid rice. The new design delivers accurate seed placement and depth control across varying soil and tillage conditions, as well as more consistent seed-to-soil contact. These drills can cover more acres each day with increased field speeds and quicker cycle times when moving from field to field. They also are easily adjustable and require less daily maintenance, allowing more time for seeding during those critical spring or fall seeding windows.

“Producers can seed with confidence with the Case IH Precision Disk 500 and 500T drills,” says Dale Simpson, Case IH Seeding Marketing Manager. “These drills have been thoroughly tested on more than 55,000 acres since 2009. They are designed to help producers maximize their acres seeded per day with increased operating speeds and exceptional versatility.”

Maximize Your Yield Potential

“The new Case IH single-disk row unit sets a higher standard for seeding,” adds Simpson. “Our agronomic design cuts through residue, opens a uniform seed trench, accurately delivers the seed and closes and seals the trench for improved germination and plant-stand establishment.”

Single-bevel 18-inch disks are set at a 7-degree angle to slice through residue and open a high-quality seed trench, even at shallow depths, while also minimizing hair pinning of residue in the seed trench.

The Case IH Precision Disk parallel-link row unit design helps ensure unmatched seed placement accuracy for improved emergence and stand establishment. Patent-pending variable down-pressure springs apply the right amount of pressure on individual row units to ensure better penetration across varying residue and soil conditions. In addition, the forward-facing seed tube design directs the seed, working in conjunction with the scraper, for more consistent placement in the bottom of the seed trench.

To close and seal the seed trench, the newly designed double-edged closing wheels, with three easy-to adjust pressure settings, eliminate air pockets and ensure good seed-to-soil contact. These new press wheels have been designed and tested to endure in the higher speed operations, variable soil and high residue conditions experienced by today’s growers across North America.

Hydraulic down pressure across the full width of the disk drill can be adjusted either manually or via in-cab display option. Three convenient presets help maintain ideal row unit down pressure for changing field conditions and making it easier to adjust “on the run.”

Increase Your Productivity 

Case IH Precision Disk drill owners can get more done each day because these drills provide the tire packages and walking-beam axle options that will allow you to “shift-up” when appropriate – while maintaining accurate seed placement across a wide spectrum of field and tillage practices.  

In addition, operators will spend more time in the field and less in transport, with some of the industry’s narrowest transport widths. Operators can quickly and easily move from field to transport mode, and back again. In addition, overall machine length and working widths make the Precision Disk drills easy to transport and improve field maneuverability.

High Versatility

Case IH Precision Disk drills provide seeding flexibility across multiple crops and conditions:

• Three meter-roller options provide accurate metering across a wide range of crops, including soybeans, wheat, hybrid rice, milo or other small grains.
• Single, easy-to-reach “T” handles select and lock in seeding depth with one adjustment – no tools necessary. Depth settings range from zero to 3.5 inches in 14 increments.
• Rugged, reliable frames hold up to changing field conditions, even going from no-till to conventional with minimal time-robbing adjustments.

“The main center-frame is oriented in a “V” to evenly distribute the weight across the carrying wheels,” says Simpson. “The orientation provides exceptional weight distribution, especially in softer soils, and it adds additional stability during transport.”

In addition, Case IH Precision Disk drills deliver an integrated, less complex precision farming solution with Advanced Farming Systems® (AFS) and the AFS Pro 700 display. Built on industry-compatible architecture, AFS can interface with a farmer’s existing ISO 11783 compliant equipment no matter what the brand.

Additional Model Features

The Precision Disk 500T includes an integral mounted seed tank, which makes it the first air drill in the Case IH lineup to have an on-board bulk seed tank. Available in 70-bushel capacity for the 25- and 30-foot sizes, and the 40-foot size comes with a 100-bushel tank. The close-coupled design of the 500T allows for work in small, irregularly shaped fields and easy transport, making it a perfect fit in areas where the dill and air cart “train” system just doesn’t fit operational needs.

The 500T offers optional AFS four-section overlap control to help producers reduce input costs and increase yields by eliminating overlap on turn rows and in odd-shaped fields. Two-section manual shutoff is standard, and a GPS four-section control is optional.

All Precision Disk 500T drill features can be managed with the AFS Pro 700 monitor. The AFS Pro 700’s convenient, one-page seeding display keeps all the necessary information close at hand. New flow sensors provide accurate population estimates for larger seeded crops. A bar graph shows target rates and seeding flow. GPS or radar speed inputs provide accurate seeding-rate information.

Alternatively, the Precision Disk 500 is available in 30- and 40-foot working widths. It uses an external seed supply air cart in either tow-between or tow-behind configurations, making it popular for operations looking for higher capacity, as well as those seeking the ability to apply a dry fertilizer product with seed. When paired with a Case IH Precision Air cart, the Precision Disk 500 features optional variable-rate hydraulic seed metering controlled through the AFS Pro 700 monitor.

“Our customers asked for more accuracy, more productivity and more versatility for improved seeding results,” says Simpson. “The new Precision Disk 500 and 500T drills deliver on those requests. Customers can improve their results with accurate seed populations, improved residue handling and seed depth control, uniform seed-to-soil contact and even emergence.”