Growers have historically had to make some difficult planting and seeding decisions due to weather. Operators have been forced to plant in wet conditions that are far from optimal in order to plant within the optimum planting window. Those operators have experienced poor performance from wet soils working in between the depth gauge wheel and the opener disk and not having a way out. This creates the possibility of the depth gauge wheel or opener disk to seize up and drag through the soil.

The spoke gauge wheel is a solution for operators who plant in these conditions to allow the mud and debris that get caught behind the depth gauge wheel to easily flow through the wheel and continue providing superior depth performance.

The spoke gauge wheel is designed for optimum performance. Its features include serviceable, stamped inner and outer rims. The wheel also has cast spokes and bearing hubs for increased strength. This allows smaller spokes, creating larger open surface area for mud and debris to flow more easily than competitor’s wheels. Another improvement over the closed gauge wheel is a snap ring bearing retention. The wheel does not need to be taken apart and the bearing does not need to be pressed out. Simply remove the snap ring, replace the bearing, and place the snap ring back.

Heavy trash fields from no-till environments have also tested very well with the new spoke gauge wheel. Some growers provided feedback of crop residue getting inside and jamming up the gauge wheel and opener. This spoke gauge wheel has shown exceptional performance within these areas as well. These wheels are compatible with both 90 Series openers on seeding tools and planter row-units.

Below is a chart that demonstrates a competitive advantage over MudSmith™ wheels for mud and residue flow:

MudSmith

John Deere

Percent Improvement

Open area

51 in.²

73 in.²

43 percent

Rim height

¾ in.

9/16 in.

25 percent

Spoke width

1-3/8 in.

¾ in.

45 percent

The wheel is serviceable along with the other parts.

·         AA86055 – Complete wheel assembly

·         A101570 – Inner wheel rim half

·         A101571 – Outer wheel rim half

Not compatible in dual gauge wheel applications.

MudSmith is a trademark of MudSmith, LLC South Dakota.