A walk around the new Great Plains BD7600 Box Drills

Great Plains Manufacturing has launched a new line of min-till folding box drills at the 2020 National Farm Machinery Show. The new BD7600 Box Drills build on a forty-three year legacy of drills that started the Kansas-based brand when Roy Applequist developed a 30-foot folding press drill that could be transported when full.

Size and capacity

Six models will be offered as part of the new drill line. The new box drills will be available in two-section and three-section models ranging from 26-ft. to 40-ft.

"We have revolutionized the folding box drill with many new features that were previously exclusive to air drills, such as hydraulic drive to allow prescription map variable rate control and hydraulic calibration, changing row-spacings by closing the meter inlet, and the addition of scales. This drill was designed to provide maximum productivity and efficiency in the field," says engineering manager Chris Coleman.

New feeder cup assembly

The new feeder cup assembly, first previewed at the 2019 Agritechnica, is at the core of the new design. This component was designed to meter seed, small seeds, and granular fertilizer with greater accuracy and easier calibration than previous models.

• READ MORE: Great Plains previews new feeder cup for box drills

This feeder cup meters by changing the meter wheel rpm. Staggered wheels and chevron-shaped outlet gates help to distribute seed and fertilizer more consistently. Input gates located above the meter adjust the seed flow to the meter wheels, which allows producers to turn off rows to change row spacing or help with calibration.

Box Design

The heavy-duty box on the BD7600 Series was tested through more than 8 million twist cycles to ensure durability. The way the lid fits over the box allows for complete filling without moving the seed by hand.

Thanks to the new split-box design, farmers can use three different fertilizer to seed rations.

An LED light option on the box has been added with this series of drills to make loading in the dark easier.

Other features

Great Plains values customer input in their design process. For example, farmers expressed dissatisfaction with the manual crank jacks. So, the line of new drills comes with a standard hydraulic jack.

The walkway platform on the BD7600 drills was also improved. A wider platform with more grip pattern helps farmers feel more stable while loading the box.

The BD7600 drills can be customized to include some additional features. An optional weight kit to monitor seed rates on-the-go with precision is available. Blockage monitors to alert operators to seed delivery issues can also be added. Needham seed tubes for enhanced seed or fertilizer flow are another optional feature.