309 Ford seed corn plate

[kydick]

looking for a seed corn plate number that will plant Dekalb DKC66-59RIB seed. it is a flat but dont say what number. i have a Ford 309 corn planter. tag says a JD B7 or a CIH C7 would work. i have several plates to chose from. the plate i used last time planted that corn okay. when i started to plant this year checked the corn in the seed cells and seemed to fit like they should. when i planted the corn it missed more than it planted. been using it for 38 years to grow 4-10 acres a year for our own use without any problems. thanks

 

[stuckmotor]

If you're using the same planter and the same plate as last year and it worked last year but won't work this year, the size or shape of the seeds must have changed or something must be out of whack with the planter. I don't understand what you mean by, "it is a flat but don't say what number".

 

[kydick]

it was a little smaller seed last year than this year. the corn seed is flat grains that come more from the center of the ear. closer to the little end they get smaller. they shell all the corn and sort the grains so they are all the same size when they bag it. there may be 3 or 4 sizes on a ear. like wire the bigger the number the smaller the wire size. a F11 corn is bigger than a F17 corn. it takes a seed plate that has a larger slot for the corn seed to drop through. a F11 has just a little bit bigger slot than a F17 plate. newer planters dont use plates. several years ago the seed company would have a list of the different planters and plates that would plant that particular kind of corn printed right on the sack.

 

[stuckmotor]

Thanks for an excellent explanation. So, the slots are a little small. I've heard of welding slots closed to get a wider spacing. If someone doesn't recommend the correct plate. Could you take the opposite approach and grind out the slots a little bigger?

 

[kydick]

think i will get out my old plates and check them against the one i have in the planter first. may just have a plate with a bigger slot.