Case IH announced an Arizona media event the company will be taking orders for the new Precision Disk 550 Air Drill for delivery.

The row unit for the air drill features a parallel-link design provides a more stable "ride" for the row unit as it moves through the field, offering more precise seed placement, says Trent Nowasad, seeding equipment marketing manager. A variable down-pressure spring holds each row unit in contact with the ground, while the forward-facing seed tube is designed to minimize bounce. And a new closing system allows angle adjustments to help match soil conditions.

"This is the first upgrade of the air seeder in 10 years," Nowasad says. "We've enhanced capacity, accuracy and versatility of the machine."

The new machines feature higher capacity. 

"We've added 40 bushels of capacity to the 30- and 40-foot machines," Nowasad says. "For the 30-foot we've gone from 70 to 110-bushel-capacity; for the 40-foot we went from 100 to 140 bushels."

The row unit for the air drill features a parallel-link design provides a more stable "ride" for the rown unit as it moves through the field, offering more precise seed placement, Nowasad says. A variable down-pressure spring holds e ach row unit in contact with the ground, while the forward-facing seed tube is designed to minimize bounce. And a new closing system allows angle adjustments to help match soil conditions.

And across the platform the 550 has seen other improvements. There's a redesign to the bottom end of the tank to keep moisture out with a seed meter rain shield to minimize dust and provide easier cleaning and maintenance.

At the top of those bigger tanks is a new lid design.

"We have secured the lid with a rail guide system which can keep the lid safe," Nowasad says. "The user is no longer trying to lift a lid against the wind, instead you unlatch the lid and slide it forward on the rails. It stays flush to the tank."

An optional scale system brings added features too.

"With the scales you can auto-calibrate the drill during operation," he says. "The system knows what's in the tank and will maintain proper seeding rates."

A stationary calibration package is standard allowing operators to perform checks without the need to operate the unit in-field. An in-tank camera helps monitor tank fill and a rear view camera helps operators safely transport the machine.

New radial seeding tires are also standard for a better field ride. Those tires also help manage the machine's weight with that added capacity.

Nowasad says there are three spacing choices for the drill. There's a single unit 15-inch spacing popular for soybean seeding. And there are two split design choices. The first offers either 7.5- or 15-inch planting widths, which the user chooses depending on the crop. And there's a system with a 10- or 20-inch width choice. These choice options offer flexibility since air drills often do multiple chores from crop to cover crop planting.