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Understanding Individual Row Hydraulic Downforce on SeedStar 3HP Planters

What is Individual Row Hydraulic Downforce?

Starting with model year 2017, John Deere introduced Individual Row Hydraulic Downforce (IRHD) to its SeedStar 3HP Planters. This technology enables precise control and adjustment of downforce on each planter row, improving seed placement and promoting healthier crop emergence.

This article explains IRHD features, shows how to adjust settings, and provides tips for optimizing margin and ground contact. It’s designed for operators looking to get the most from their John Deere planter.

What is Individual Row Hydraulic Downforce?

  • IRHD allows each row unit to adjust downforce independently.

  • Ensures consistent seed depth and improved emergence, even in changing field conditions.

  • Ideal for fields with variable soil, compaction, or previous equipment tracks.

Key Settings and Terms

  • Active Downforce: Automatically adjusts downforce per row in real time. Recommended for planting to handle changing field conditions.

  • Set Point Downforce: Manual setting. Operator selects the downforce for all rows. Used mostly in stationary tests or unique situations.

  • Margin: The extra force above the minimum needed to maintain proper seed depth. Aim for enough margin to ensure full ground contact without causing excessive soil compaction.

  • Ground Contact: Percentage indicating how consistently the row units maintain full contact with the ground. Higher percentages mean better seed placement.

  • Ride Quality: Monitors row unit bounce. High ride quality means the row unit is moving smoothly over the field.

Adjusting Downforce and Margin

Stationary Simulation Setup

  1. Turn Off Active Downforce to manually adjust settings for testing.

  2. Set your downforce target (e.g., 80lbs).

  3. Use the “Fast Start” function to simulate planting, allowing readings like margin and ground contact to display.

Viewing Row Information

  • Planter At-a-Glance Icon displays downforce and margin for all rows.

  • You can toggle between viewing margin, downforce, ride quality, or ground contact.

Example Operations

  • Increase Downforce: If you desire more force, adjust the target up (e.g., to 150lbs), and all rows adjust accordingly in set point mode.

  • Individual Row Adjustment: In active mode, the planter automatically modifies downforce by row. For example, more force is applied if a row passes through a compacted grain cart track.

Ride Quality and Ground Contact

  • Ride Quality: Shows row unit stability—100% means no bounce when stationary, decreases if bouncing is detected during field operation.

  • Ground Contact: In planting mode, checks if the row units are maintaining soil contact. If a row has zero ground contact, adjustments are needed.

Step-by-Step: Enabling Active Downforce

  1. Navigate to Settings on your SeedStar 3HP monitor.

  2. Enable Active Downforce for field planting.

  3. Set your target margin (recommended 200 lbs for most conditions).

  4. Monitor the margin readings; planter will adjust automatically for each row.

Common Questions

Q: Why does my margin or ground contact read zero during setup?

  • Margin and ground contact are only measured during active planting or in simulated test (“Fast Start”) mode.

Q: What does low ride quality mean?

  • The row unit is bouncing, possibly due to rough terrain or improper downforce settings. Adjust downforce or check planter speed.

Q: Is Active Downforce necessary?

  • Active Downforce is highly recommended for the best results, letting the planter adapt to varying field conditions row-by-row.