by Lucas Veale, Assumption, IL 

The John Deere Exactemerge Planter has set a new standard for planter accuracy and productivity.  By controlling the seed all the way to the trench, the spacing is impeccable.  Customer satisfaction with this product has been overwhelming.  Customer interest in this product is also growing with each passing season.   A particularly popular option for these planters is the retrofit kit.  We have many customers with 2011-2014 model year John Deere planters that can benefit from an Exactemerge.  A retrofit kit allows these customers to upgrade for a substantially lower cost than buying a new Exactemerge planter.  In some cases the price difference between a retrofit planter and a new planter can be close to $50,000 and, in some cases, even more on a 24 row.  In any economic condition this would be a big savings, let alone during the current circumstances facing agriculture.  To help with this investment, John Deere is currently offering an 8% discount on retrofit kits as well as 0% interest for 48 months.  This is technology with with a quick ROI.

So, what do I get with a retrofit kit?  You get a new shank, gauge wheel arms and bushings, meter, brush module, openers, hydraulic downforce system, and electrical system.  See below for the row unit components.

You will re-use the gauge wheels and the closing wheels and frame.  You basically have a new planter where it counts.  Along with this you get turn compensation which allows the row unit to speed up or slow down in a turn to maintain proper population across the planter while turning.  If you have a late 30 series or R series tractor in front, you also get vacuum automation.  This allows you to set the desired vac on the monitor and the tractor will adjust the flow to maintain the desired vac automatically.  Here is a comment from one customer who purchased a 24 row retrofitted planter last year.  “I had to get out of the cab only one time during the season in almost 5000 acres due to the planter.  Some debris had built up in a brush.  I got out, removed the debris, and in about 5 minutes was back to planting.  Amazing machine.”

Here’s the tractor compatibility chart for Exactemerge planters.

Hydraulic downforce is a must when purchasing an Exactemerge planter.  At higher speeds, maintaining equal and adequate seed depth is imperative and is not consistently achievable with an air bag system.  The ability of the hydraulic system to react to rapidly changing field conditions is unmatched.  It also is broken into smaller sections for more finite and precise downforce when and where it is needed.

Don’t have a 2011 or newer planter?  Not ready for the Exactemerge yet?  We also have the ME5 and ME5e planter upgrades available.  The ME5 upgrade can go all the way back to 2004 CCS planters.  This gives you the new double eliminator and mini hopper configuration.  The ME5e is the electric drive version of the new ME5 meter.  It also provides turn compensation and vac automation just like an Exactemerge.

Check with your local Sloan Implement location for a quote on the retrofit kit that best fits your operation.  Don’t delay since Deere currently has an 8% discount on these kits as well as 0% interest for 48 months.

Here’s a video of a walk around of the Exactemerge planter

Sloan Support is written by the product support team at Sloan Implement, a 20 location John Deere dealer in Illinois and Wisconsin.   Learn more at www.sloans.com