Salina, Kan. (Nov. 26, 2018) — Salina-based Exapta Solutions announced several and upgrades and improvements to its seeding and planting equipment lineup, which are detailed below. 

• Design upgrades to its chrome Valions for JD XP/MaxEmerge 5, pre-XP, and Kinze 2000-series row units, for greater strength and more trouble-free fluid delivery. These Valion models have been strengthened by adding material to areas found to break occasionally, and by eliminating (or moving) features that concentrate stress. 

These Valions now also feature a protective bump ahead of the fluid delivery channel, to protect the plastic tubing from abrading away or smearing shut.

“While our chrome Valions have been quite successful at giving farmers double or triple the wear life vs. OEM, there were a couple things that we found to improve," says Leah Lanie, Sales Manager for Exapta. "The chrome Valion for the XP and ME5 is now truly ready for the extra stresses of hydraulic downforce. Farmers who apply liquid via the Valions will appreciate the protection afforded to the plastic tubing with our new protective bump on the bottom edge of the Valion.”

• Exapta Solutions announces a much-improved cleaning wheel for Aricks row cleaners. The new Trailblazer cleaning wheel features a better shape to help eliminate gouging of the soil, with no loss of residue-moving ability. 

Exapta is the exclusive distributor of Aricks row cleaners in North America. However, the long, straight fingers of the Aricks cleaning wheel was causing too much soil disturbance, Hagny says. Exapta solved this dilemma with the Trailblazer, which fits directly onto the Aricks row cleaners. All new customers of Aricks row cleaners in North America will automatically get the Trailblazer wheel.

• Exapta Solutions announces a significant upgrade now available for the John Deere 50, 60, & 90-series no-till drills: Blades that stay sharp longer. 

Forges de Niaux of France spent 8 years developing this blade process. Extra hardening of the outer portion of the blade offers superior wear life, and has proven to be at least 20% longer than the next-best option, the company says. 

The extra hardening lessens towards the middle of the blade, for no loss of strength. And the blades have a deeper bevel than some competitor blades, at about 3/4 of an inch vs. 5/8 of an inch, which makes them both sharper at the outset, and ability to hold a bevel longer.

“We’ve always fought to get the Deere no-till drills to cut residue adequately. Hairpinning of straw and stalks has been a major weakness for them," says agronomy consultant and Exapta founder Matt Hagny. "And no one enjoys changing the blades, so we’re quite pleased to be able to offer the Forges de Niaux 200s for them.”

“Blade dullness on these drills is a big issue, especially if straw is damp," Lanie adds.