Want to work with the residue from last year’s no-till crop or cover crops? It’s difficult — if not downright impossible — without the right kind of equipment.

No-tillers have their favorites, largely consisting of the typical agricultural “color” schemes: red, green and blue. 

They also have their favorite modifications to their favorites, and their favorite ways to use their favorites.

Editor's Note: This article is an update to one of our readers' perennial favorite articles here at No-Till Farmer.

Red, Green and Blue

Some preferred older, more rugged mainline planters, like Sean Dengler of Urbandale, Iowa. 

“Our John Deere planter has done well,” Dengler writes. “It is an old 12-row, and there really are no complaints outside of updating the closing wheels. Currently, we use two rubber closing wheels, and that hasn’t worked the best especially going into taller rye. Otherwise, it does a wonderful job.”

Some, like James McNichol, of Blyth, Ont., are already eyeing a switch among the mainlines.

“We have a John Deere 1750 conservation planter,” he writes. “It’s an 8-row vacuum with eSets, meters and Martin trash wipers. Single coulter in front of row unit.”

His current rig has strengths and weaknesses, he writes.

“Pros: It has excellent depth control with John Deere precision spacing,” McNichol writes. “Cons are that the planter needs more down force because we have a hard time planting into heavy clay soils. Sometimes it requires us to run over the field with a Salford RTS.”

McNichol already has his dream…