Trash Wrapping In Residue Managers

My corn is 4 to 5 inches tall. I have 15-inch Martin residue managers mounted on a Case IH 900 no-till planter. I have trouble with corn stalks wrapping around the spoked wheels. I try to split the old rows but it does not always work. It is slightly wet but not excessive. The trash is heavy. Any ideas?

—Tim, bil1_58413@yahoo.com

Add internal scrappers (deflectors) to eliminate trash wrapping. Martin offers these for tough, abnormal conditions. The part number you need is ITD 15-inch set. This includes one right hand and one left hand deflector, plus mounting hardware. Make sure the spike wheels are 15 inches because this part will not fit with 13-inch wheels. Normally on Case IH planters, the 13-inch wheel is used unless you’re 100 percent no-till. Otherwise, you can get by with the 15-inch wheel.

—David Moeller, 
moellerag@se-iowa.net

Plastic Backing Plates

Has anyone had any experience with plastic backing plates for a John Deere finger pickup from Precision Planting? I used a set for more than 500 acres. They became grooved and wore out.

The replaceable bumps were quickly gone and they’re about as loose as you can set them. I’d appreciate any information from people who have used them.

—Plains Drifter, palmer@kearney.net

I used the experimental backing plates on two rows and had a similar experience. I used a 12-row planter and the monitor showed these two rows were consistently high in population after 450 acres. Supposedly, graphite is eating…