Parts and equipment to make no till farming easier and more profitable.
Thompson Wheels For Drills And Planters
Easy To Use, Effective, and Durable — Backed By Our 5-Year Warranty
Improved effectiveness! For no till planting to be effective and yield better crops, the seeds should be firmed in the bottom of the furrow, and the furrow closed adequately—including breaking up the furrow sidewall(s). Unfortunately most no till drills and planters that are manufactured in the U.S. and Canada come with smooth closing wheels, which can overpack the seed furrows, particularly when the soil is damp.
When a seed furrow is overpacked, it is difficult for the seeds to emerge, and it makes it even harder for the roots of the plants to penetrate through the sidewalls of the furrow.
Why We Designed The Thompson Wheel
To avoid the overpacking problem and to ensure an effective seed furrow closing, we designed the Thompson Closing Wheel, which is a durable, spoked wheel that can replace the original closing wheels found on most planters and drills, including planters built by John Deere, Kinze, AGCO White, Great Plains, Harvest International and Monosem, and drills which have gauge wheels, such as the John Deere 50 series, 60 series, and 90 series, the Case SDX, and the Case P 500 / New Holland P 2080.
The bearing from a competitor’s wheel setting inside the Thompson wheel’s housing for its huge bearing.
What The Thompson Wheel Can Do
These are highlights of what our spoked (‘spike’) wheels for drills and planters can do for you:
- help to increase crop yields
- prevent overpacking of the seed furrow
- promote crop emergence and rooting in a variety of soil and weather conditions
- aggressively close the seed furrow, but without going too deep and disrupting seed placement.
- resist stalk and mud accumulation during planting
Unique Features Of The Thompson Wheel For Planters
These unique features make the Thompson Wheel closing system for planters stand out:
- same proven spoke design we’ve used for 20 years
- ready to bolt on easily with a bolt-on star wheel (cost-effective replacement stars)
- toe-out wedge is built into the shroud for easy adjustments
- zinc plating for even longer wear life
- large, heavy duty bearing with a 5-year warranty (with a triple-lip seal, plus a specially designed heavy duty steel shroud to protect the bearing face from water and fertilizer)
- thin, high carbon spokes (make it easier for the wheel to enter the soil and shatter the sidewalls; also prevent mud from accumulating on the wheels)
- blunt tips of the spokes and optimal spoke spacing (help crumble the sidewalls of the soil)
- short, tapered sides of the spokes (limits the depth that the spokes achieve)
- lighter weight (prevents overpacking the soil, which can stifle emergence and early growth)
Check out our catalog of no till equipment parts – you can view, download a PDF, or we’ll be happy to mail you a catalog.
For information on Thompson Wheels or other no till parts and equipment, please call (800) 417-8020, or e-mail info@notillagriculture.com.
The Thompson wheel’s high-carbon spokes resist wear and bending for an exceptionally long life. The new ‘z’-series is made from military-grade armor plating, for even longer wear life.
Other Exapta Products You Might Like
This is another you might like for your drills and planters:
Toe-Out Wedges: Our Toe-Out Wedge helps the Thompson Wheel and all other types of spoked/spiked wheels gather soil from the fractured sidewall and pull it back into the furrow. It even helps beveled (non-spoked) cast closers. Think of this as the reverse of the first stage of the no till seeding process: The opener blades on the planter or drill pry apart the soil to create a furrow for the seeds, and the Toe-Out Wedge helps the closing wheel to gather it back after the seeds are dropped into the furrow. Click here to buy Toe-Out Wedges for your closing wheels.
Customer Reviews For Thompson Wheels
Here’s what our customers are saying about the Thompson Wheel…
“The Thompson Wheels are definitely better than competitors’ spiked wheels. I really like how the Thompsons break up the sidewall. My stand counts are 4%-6% higher…with fewer ‘dink” plants.”
Tom Cannon
Blackwell, Oklahoma
(uses Thompson Wheels, Toe-Out Wedges, Mojo Wires, and chrome Valion Seed Tube Guards on a 16-row John Deere 1770 planter).
The blunt tip & tapering sides of the spokes further assist in crumbling the sidewall.
“I’ve used the Thompson Wheels and Toe-Out Wedges for about five years. I’ve found them to be far superior to any other closing systems I’ve tried.”
Chris Broyan
Berwick, Pennsylvania
(uses Thompson Wheels and Toe-Out Wedges on a 12-row John Deere 1770 planter)
“The Thompson Wheels with the Toe-Out Wedges worked excellent in our wet conditions last year. No wrapping or mud build-up. These were tough conditions. We planted when we could.”
Terry Schwab
Belle Plaine, Iowa
(uses Thompson Wheels, Toe-Out Wedges, and Mojo Wires on a 12-row John Deere 1760 planter)
Closing Wheel Comparison Chart
Numerous observations were made by 3rd-party scientists and farmers in order to compile this assessment.
* Closing wheels that avoid packing the soil above the seed (recommended) should be used with a separate in-furrow firming device (Keeton seed firmer or seed-lock wheel).
Please note: We can ship our no till add-ons, products, parts, and equipment to the U.S., Canada, and throughout the world.