I bought a John Deere 4 row finger pickup planter last year. I put new hydraulic hoses and finger pickup belts on it and cleaned and greased it good. It did great on the dove field with corn and sunflowers mixed. It done good on corn planting. We dumped the boxes and put in beans. I ain’t got a bean planted yet. We dumped the boxes made sure the chutes were clean and the belts would hand turn put them back on still no beans. I have never owned a planter I am just learning but they are wonderful when they work. I need expert diagnoses and advice. We had a lot of ground to cover and went to spreader and disc while the swamp fields were dry

Do you have the bean meters or are you planting with the corn meters?

I know this may sound like a stupid question too, but I have to ask to make sure it’s not the obvious. You did engage the drive at each seed box right?

Fingers don’t work well with beans. You need brush meters. Two bolts on the bottom of the hopper, and about $150 per row, and you can swap back and forth.

Yessir we were all engaged it has finger pickup belts instead of meters. Now like I said I am new to this planter deal. When I bought it there were beans in the boxes . The little belts are supposed to pick up anything and drop it. The beans were coated I don’t no if they gummed up or what I just parked it and when to spreader on the wet ground till I got time to get back to it. A farmer buddy of mine said it would plant anything it might not be the ideal spacing on some seed

Do you have website where i can look at the brush meters? Like i said i am just learning and when it works it is wondeful

I know it has the finger pick ups, but the unit is still called a meter. It’s the plateless type. The bean meters swap out the finger pick up meter. It’s an easy swap.

Thank you, Matt where do you find these meters? I bought the belts from John Deere

Shoup is a good source, you use the menu for your planter model and find the brush meter. Like this: https://www.shoupparts.com/products/planter-parts/john-deere/soybean-brush-meter/meters/

Thank you sir

Shoup is good. I also found parts for mine at Sloan Express. They were a little cheaper.

I just watched a video from Stinson farms. He broke the boxes down and explained it where even I could understand it. I got to go tear out a dam so I can spray a rice field this evening I will look me up some

Mine camp with the bean meters. It’s basically a controlled spill. Next year I will upgrade to the Kense brush meters. It sounds like you got it figured out. John Deere planters are very simple machines once you figure them out. I was surprised how simple they are. I upgraded to the Precision Planting meters over the John Deere meters. Very good singulation, spacing and hardly any doubles or skips in corn and snap beans.

One other thing. Got to match bean meter plate with bean size. Beans will be graded by number per pound. I’m planting 2600 beans with 60 cell plate. Make sure your beans don’t go much smaller in size higher in number or you’ll be spilling more than you want. They also make bean cups and at best it’s a controlled spill.

Also may want to put talc in with the beans. Helps the flow they say.

Thanks for all the advice my first experience with a planter. When it works right it is worth its weight in gold

I use the shoup bean meters