Schaffert Mfg.’s Chicken Tracker was designed to take the place of the original Case IH planter press wheel. It has been modified to fit most other planters and drills.

Unlike the original solid press wheel which can smear soil, the Chicken Tracker mulches and mellows soil over the seed bed.

Prepares the Seed Bed

Mulches and mellows the soil over the seed bed
Firms soil over the row
Does not smear soil like rubber press wheels can
Pressure is applied at 3 points on the tracks at all times
Eliminates air pockets

Eliminate Common Problems

Helps eliminate mud build-up
Will not plug with root balls
On a hot windy day the trench will not crack back open

Where They Work - Suitable for Many Soils

Made to work in tough soils
Works in no-till or conventional

Ease of Installation

Takes the place of your original press wheel
Easy to install, less than 5 minutes per row

Problem

A producer in Texas with a John Deere 455 drill was having problems with the regular press wheels building up with mud and also not putting enough dirt over the seed. The regular press wheels were leaving tracks too deep in the furrow.
The farmer stated that many years he does not get enough soil over the seed.

When they get a hard rain and the wheat is emerging in the trenches made by the regular press wheels, they lose some stand from crusting and burying plants that were already emerging and leafing out.

Solution

We shortened the Chicken Tracker’s spokes from 6″ to 4″ and beveled them to fit the John Deere 455 drill unit.

We wanted the Chicken Tracker to mellow the soil over the seed row and also hold the drill units up at the planting depth for uniform seed depth placement.

Results

In the rows in tilled soil with the regular press wheel the seed depth is almost 1″ deeper with very little cover over the seed. The press wheel is the depth control on these drills. The rows with the regular press wheels are running 1″ deeper than the row with the Chicken Tracker.

Unlike the regular press wheels, the Chicken Tracker is not building up with mud.

The Chicken Tracker holds the drill unit at the correct set planting depth, giving uniform seed depth placement. The rows with the Chicken Tracker show the proper amount of mellow, mulched soil left over the furrow.

CHICKEN TRACKER™

About the Chicken Tracker

Benefits of the chicken tracker