750a A very different approach

[cows sh#t me to tears]

Getting everything through Aricks Australia. They're only 60km east of me I think Colin works in with exapta as well. They stock his gear and he theres. He can supply and install exaptas hydraulic down force kit. Think he said he did 4 or 5 drills before this season... it's about $835au per unit.
I'm really looking forward to seeing how well his gauge wheel axles go. I dont know about anyone else, but this is a major part that let's jd down. And one they haven't changed on their pro series.
It had got to the point where I could move the adjuster handle more than half way on some and the wheel wouldn't move. Colin's solution doesn't require changing the arm that attaches to the shaft unless it is really really bad. Should have photos next week. Easier than trying to explain it..

 

[cows sh#t me to tears]

Bit more replacement bits today. Had only done one side of the metering gears last time. So decided to do other side today. Pretty happy I documented it here last time so it makes it easier to remember just what I bloody did.
Anyway, the sneaky cùnts still tried to trick me .Got it all apart ok, but I didnt remember having an issue with the bigger gear

I dont remember having to knock it apart to last time.....so I had a look at other set and theres meant to be a hole here to drive the roll pin out through....

not sure how the hell they even got it together the first time

That's bettererer

 

[SilliamWhale]

Last month we did the rebuild of our drill again. Know the feeling of having drill parts scattered across the workshop....

whuch company is supplying the greaseless spindles and gauge wheel shafts?

Aricks / bpr engineering?

 

[cows sh#t me to tears]

Aricks / bpr engineering?

Same same

 

[cows sh#t me to tears]

Had Colin and Damo turn up today

Main pins and bushes were fine according to Colin. Boots are still good too. (I have replaced the mounting bolts with 12mm ones). They are doing all the closing wheel and press wheel bushes and pins. And as said replacing spindles and gauge wheel axels with Colin's design.

The axels are bigger than the standard ones and as such wont fit in standard spindles. I will post some more pics and a video later of how it takes all the play out too.
Also fitted up his closing wheels whilst the boys were busy. They are made from the same bisalloy that his aricks row cleaners are.

 

[cows sh#t me to tears]

@Clive @benferg @SilliamWhale Clive, Colin couldn't believe you got rid of yours after going to all that trouble ?

 

[benferg]

@cow sh#t me to tears I still have my jd drill. I’ve just gone down a slightly different path than you.

I like the replacement spindle and gauge wheel shaft idea.
the depth adjusting plate and handle is on my shopping list for this coming season. I have enough jd ones to get me till Christmas. Then I’ll go to what you use.

the slop that you have on the height handle where it attaches to the gauge wheel shaft I don’t have a big issue with since I used a10.9 gauge bolt instead of the 8.8 factory one. That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t change though.

I run the needham ag seed boots and bushing kit as we had huge issues with seed boot slop on the first drill. The needham ag boots have done 2 seasons (2000 ha on a 4 m drill) and hardly look warn. The jd ones suck by comparison.

keen to see how you go with the upgrades. They look good ????

 

[cows sh#t me to tears]

I had 2 boots that I had drilled out and put needham bushes in. They had as much play after 2 seasons as the old ones. Colin put his shoulder bolts in both and it took 98% of the slop out of them.
I had already replaced the bolts that hold the depth adjusting arm onto the gauge wheel axel. But it didnt matter how tight I did it up. In fact if you do it up to tight it squashes the end over which makes it harder to get the arm off. Colin said he has seen that heaps of times and if you try and bend it back sometimes 1 side will snap off.

 

[benferg]

We did drill out a couple of jd seed boots and put bushes into them. The needham boot is made of different material and lasts far better.
Yes it seems once the depth handles get slogged there’s no going back!!