Exapta Solutions’ new UniForce hydraulic down-force Replaces the OEM springs on each opener with hydraulic cylinders to apply uniform force to the opener throughout its range of travel, for greatly reduced hairpinning of residue and much better holding of opener depth.
UniForce overcomes the biggest limitation of these drills, which is lack of effective down stroke as the coil spring relaxes slightly (the spring has only a small range — 0.25 inches — of optimum pressure).
UniForce benefits:
- Reduce/eliminate hairpinning
- Get consistent depth
- Better use of frame weight
- No loss of transport clearance
The big coil spring on JD 50/60/90 drill openers is a major downfall of that design, Exapta Solutions says. If the spring relaxes when the opener goes into the slightest depression — such as a wheel track — it loses downforce and fails to cut the straw & stalks (hairpinning) and makes a shallower furrow, even if mulch cover is minimal.
To compensate, the operator runs, or should run, extra hydraulic pressure on the JD spring system to torque the rockshaft harder and compress the springs more. This results in excessive pressure on the gauge wheels & soil for many of the drill's openers, just to keep the ones passing through the slightest depressions in the ground at, hopefully, the proper depth.
“Many farmers are well-aware of the limitations of the Deere no-till drills, especially the hairpinning and poor soil penetration in even the slightest depression of field terrain — and I have yet to find a field that’s level as a floor, which is about what those openers need to function well all the way across the drill,” says Matt Hagny, founder and president of Exapta. “The problem isn’t so much the swing-arm design of the opener as it is the angle at which the big coil spring operates — even the slightest relaxing of that spring causes a big drop in downforce on the opener.”
Exapta’s new UniForce hydraulic downforce system cures this design pitfall. Single-action cylinders maintain a completely uniform force across all the openers of the drill, and uniform force throughout the entire range of travel of the opener.
No modifications of the opener are required to install Exapta’s UniForce. The down-pressure is adjusted by a single valve located on the drill frame, or by a switch in the cab (optional equipment). The UniForce’s hydraulic flow requirements from the tractor are relatively low, although an accumulator is available as optional equipment for older tractors pulling the drill in terraces.
UniForce fits all JD 50/60/90-series box drills & air drills. For more information, go to www.exapta.com, or call 785-820-8000.
