Customer Testimonials | Schaffert Mfg. Co.

Testimonials

Equipment

"Ripping with our New York Ripper. We love it!!! -Thank you Paul Schaffert!"

The Snodgrass’s, Kansas

Lowell Volkert is a dairy producer and farmer from New Richman, WI. He has been farming organically for over 30 years. In previous years, he has used Danish tine cultivators and the Einbock tine weeder system. In 2021, Lowell purchased a Buffalo 6600 cultivator from Schaffert Mfg. Co.  After running the Buffalo cultivator with the disc hillers set to throw soil into the row along with Ridging Wings on the back, he was able to cover up large weeds that still remained after he had run his Einbock tine weeder and Danish tine cultivators earlier.  He called us and made this comment: “BUFFALO IS THE ONLY WAY TO GO!"

Lowell Volkert, Wisconsin

Our Customer Service

I have used your Chicken Trackers for 2 years now on my CIH 1255 planter. They have greatly improved the closing of the seed trench over the OEM press wheels. They will bother a little in sticky conditions but not any worse than the mud buildup on the original press wheels. In good to dry conditions they do a great job. I would also like to comment on your employees. You have a top notch group. They're all so friendly and helpful and willing to take time to treat me like I’m the most important person there. From the girls up front to everyone in assembly and particularly to Gage and Anthony upstairs for directing me and giving advice I needed on my Dosatron injection system. I sure appreciated doing business with your group.

Dale C.

We have recently ordered a part that was really needed, and Schaffert Mfg. took the liberty of sending the part overnight, and we received it the next morning. The part was sent from Nebraska to Michigan. This action is a great sign of outstanding customer service and is very appreciated.

J.V., Michigan
testimonial-customerservice-jv

I have Schaffert Mohawk closing wheels and was having trouble with a air pocket above the seed when planting a little wetter conditions, I thought it was the press wheels not doing a good job. I talked to Paul and watched a video on how to level the planter. I listened to the manufacturer on leveling the tongue when I needed to get the row unit level. I did exactly that and it was closing like a dream.

Jake Krause, Nebraska

Last winter you were kind enough to spend time explaining the operating principles and benefits of your 4-Link Closers and Rebounders. Having started no-tilling in 1972 (under variable and adverse soil conditions), I have a deep appreciation for products that perform under challenging circumstances. Thank you for your personal service and outstanding products!

P.M., South Carolina

The tech support has been the best part. When you call with a question you can actually talk to the owner. If your're looking for versitility on your planter at a reasonable price, I recommend checking in to Schaffert products.

B.K., Indiana

Thanks for all your help getting me started originally, and I appreciate all you do if I have questions or need parts. It's nice to have a manufacturer that works hard to make their product work no matter what your situation is. Great products, great company.

J.F., Illinois

I want to very sincerely thank you for delivering the balance of our order last Saturday. I can’t tell you how impressed I was with that action! I seem to spend a disproportionate amount of my life arguing with people over how they are going to correct their mistakes. In this case, I would not even classify it as a mistake. We simply had a miscommunication and you still went the extra mile to get me what I needed. I will remember that

C.S., Missouri

I have never had any better service from any company than Schaffert Manufacturing. If you call with a question, you can usually talk to Paul, the owner. Or if you have any problems with any of their products, they are handled very quickly, and more than fairly. If every company in the agriculture sector built as good of products, and stood behind them like this company does, my job as a producer would be much easier and more profitable.

D.S., Nebraska

I have used the "Out the Back" fertilizer system from Schaffert for six years now and plan to keep using them. The staff and owner at Schaffert are top notch. You couldn't ask for better service. Great product!

B.D., Michigan

Rebounder Seed Covers

Schaffert Seed Rebounder Review: Context: I'm part of a small family farm located in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. We primarily grow seed crops (Annual and Perennial Ryegrass, Tall Fescue, Red Clover, Crimson Clover, and Radish). All of these crops have a relatively shallow planting depth, typically around ½". Some of our production is grown under contract and these contracts often stipulate that the crop must be certified. This certification typically requires several crop inspections and there are rigorous standards for how much crop can be outside of the drill row (often times no more than 1%). The reason for this is it' s impossible to tell if crop outside of the drill row is from seed bounce or volunteer from a previous year potentially from a different variety. If you fail certification in the best case, you will have your sale price docked and in the worst case it may void the contract and leave you without a home for your crop (in a poor market this will mean a significant price reduction and possibly not being able to find a sale for that crop for several years). Needless to say, seed bounce is not acceptable for us. Which leads me to the intended benefit and why we installed our first set of Seed Rebounders. Intended Benefit: The first time I took apart one of our openers on our drill I was appalled. The seed tube ended at the hub where the double discs bolt on. From there we had been relying on gravity to guide seed to the bottom of the furrow, which is not ideal for the small seeded crops that we grow. There was absolutely nothing behind the seed tube to keep the seed in or direct it down. As I installed the Seed Rebounders, I immediately saw that wide-open gap to the back of the double discs get filled. Between the bracket and the Rebounder, the only place left for the seed to go was to the bottom of the furrow. After using them in field we saw a significant reduction in seed bounce, if not an elimination of it. Unintended Benefits: With our shallow planting depth (typically ½") we tend not to use much to close our furrows because of the risk of moving seed out of them. These Seed Rebounders have acted as a closing system for us. They gently pull loose soil around the furrow back in over the seed without moving the seed out of the furrow. This becomes all the more important because of one of our biggest pests in our region, slugs. Slugs cause nearly $100 million worth of damage to the $500 million Oregon Seed Industry annually (Capital Press & Oregon State University). As my dad has said, "Every time we leave a furrow open, we've built a home for slugs and when we drop seed into it, we've set the table for them." These Seed Rebounders don't decrease the slug population, but they do help us manage the risk for early season damage (which can be the costliest). By closing the furrow, we have managed our fields to not create a slug home where our crop is sprouting. This by no means solves all of our slug problems but it is an indispensable tool in our management of this pest. Straight Shot: Over the years we have been using more biological products in our fertility program. These include microbial inoculants as well as plant and microbe stimulants. Many of these products can be damaged and even killed with UV exposure, AKA direct sunlight. The Straight Shot has allowed us to shift our starter fertilizer from being banded over the row to being applied in furrow with the seed and covered with soil. This allows the more sensitive products in our starter mix to have a better chance to be fully effective. There are still many variables that are outside of our control that can affect how well our biological products work but this tool has taken one major variable (sunlight exposure) out of the equation.  

Mike Ellis, Mt. Hope Seed Co.

My family farms in the central Texas Blackland’s, we have been running the rebounders for about 12 years now. Before we put them on you would be walking behind the planter and find seeds on top of the ground. After we installed the rebounders, that was eliminated, keeping the seed in the bottom of the trench properly placed. We have tried other firmers before, none have done the job that the rebounders have produced. Would highly recommend them to any fellow farmer.

Michael, Matthew and Mike Hajda. Scott & Hajda farms, Granger Texas.

In 2006, 2 neighboring farmers in our area each own John Deere planters, one with Rebounders and one without Rebounders. The only thing that divides them is the county road. They planted their soybeans at the same time in the same soil type and conditions. We had a dry season and the farmer with the Rebounders on his planter had a good uniform stand of soybeans and the other farmer without Rebounders didn’t get all his seeds covered and had a stand of various heights due to the dryness and having to wait for a rain to get the rest of the seeds to emerge. The season continued dry. During early September with the fields drying down across the hills and valleys and maturing at the same time the farmer with the Rebounders will be able to harvest sooner because of uniformity. The farmer who didn’t use Rebounders still has green soybeans in the valleys and will be waiting for his later soybeans to mature.

R.S., Minnesota (Dealer)

I run a John Deere 7300 8 row 30 and I wouldn’t run without Rebounders. I really like the Rebounders in cotton planting. Better seed depth and all in the bottom of the furrow. I had one missing last year during cotton planting. The seed spacing was not as good and the depth was better on the other rows. I saw seed close to the top on the row that was missing the Rebounder and it didn’t come up til it rained.

C.R., Oklahoma

I have a White Planter 8180, 16 Row and this is my 2nd Set of Rebounders. I had white Rebounders first and went to orange and they last a lot longer. I am very happy with their performance and helped the germination. On soybeans we got an unbelievable stand. Any seed that hit the ground grew. We had better seed to soil control than without Rebounders.

K.R., Iowa

With the competitor's brand on I would find seeds pressed into the side walls of the furrow. Then I switched to the Rebounders and now I find all seeds in the bottom of the furrow.

K.F., Illinois

Very satisfied with the Rebounders. We had a great stand with the Rebounders. They are very easy to install.

G.B., Ohio

This past winter, I installed Rebounders and Mohawks on half my planter. Once spring came, I put them to the test. Intially, the Rebounders would ride on top of the ground. I called Paul and he told me to check my seed tube guards and disc openers and replace if needed. My guards were a little worn, but not to the point they needed to be replaced. However, a new Rebounder needs to have a new seed tube guard to perform correctly. My disc openners measured 14 7/8″ across and kept them on the planter. I trimmed the Rebounders just a hair on a bench grinder and installed new seed tube guards. Reassembled the planter and off to the field I went again with much better results. What I like most about the Rebounders over a seed firmer is the ability to find your seed and none of the seeds are pushed into the sidewall. The Rebounder gently pushes the seed down to the bottom of the trench where it should be.

M.D., Kentucky

To those of ya'll looking at purchasing Rebounders and Y-Nots for your planter I can honestly say there are worth every penny. We put them on our planter when it was new to be able to apply liquid fertilizer. We apply 7 gallons of fertilizer with the Rebounder Y-Not set up. We have not had a problem with the fertilizer getting on the seed. If I had a planter that was not set up for liquid I would still want the Rebounders on my planter. What I love about Rebounders is that the seeds are in a straight line in the seed trench and are in the ground. When I say in the ground I mean they are buried in the bottom of the trench. There is great soil to seed contact. We farm in the black land of central Texas. One concern we had at first was if the Rebounders would pick up the wet black soil. They never have. We have balled our planter up and the Rebounders were clean of mud. We are replacing our Rebounders and Y-Nots after 6 planting seasons. We did not look at anything else.

R.L.R, Texas

The Rebounders really work well on the Tye 15′ Drill. You don’t see any beans uncovered like I used to before I put the Rebounder on. There’s more uniform depth placement also.

P.A., Indiana

The Rebounders work wonders for our seed depth and I wouldn't run my John Deere without them. The product is great and has really helped me with my yields.

W.T., Missouri

5 or 6 years ago I put one IH 800 Rebounder on my planter and planted 100 acres. I ran short of time and after 100 acres I put the other 5 rows of Rebounders on. When I went to spray the field, the one row planted with the Rebounder was 8″ tall and the other 5 rows were only 4″-5″ tall. What a difference the Rebounders made!

H.R., Kansas

I used the Schaffert Rebounders and Totally Tubular fertilizer tubes on my JD planter for the 07 and 08 growning season. The results were perfect. There was no seed drag what so ever. For the 09 growing season I made the mistake of replacing my Rebounders for a set of another brand. The results were terrible. I had seed being bunched up and piled by the other brand attachment. For the 2010 planting season I have purchased a set of Rebounder Seed Covers with Y-Not Split and bullet check valves.

L.Z., North Dakota

The first year I no-tilled, I ran a different attachment and had mud build-up in clay soils. Switched to Rebounders and Furrow Vs and no problems since. Last year replaced piston pump with electric pump and manifold system. In cab control of rate and on-off now at a fraction of the cost of piston pump! Easy to install and all parts there as promised! I used to plant 2,000 to 4,000 extra seeds per acre to get desired final population. With Schaffert, my stands are within 500 plants of target now! Thanks!

A.H., Nebraska

I used another attachment for years. Then I saw your ad and decided to switch to the Rebounder. The only thing I changed on the planter was installing your product. I left the population on the planter and all the other settings the same. What impressed me most was the fact that my end population in the field increased by 2,600 seeds per acre with the same population setting I had been using with the other brand. The increase in yield alone more than paid for the Rebounders in one year. I am totally satisfied with your product. Thank you! (A very satisfied customer!)

K.S., Wisconsin

We have used Schaffert Rebounders for years. We tried other brands but there is no comparison in longevity and ease of installation. Very pleasant group of people at Schaffert to talk with about new products and ordering.

M.G., New York

Several years ago, I rebuilt the six main units on my split row planter and put on Rebounders at the time. After planting beans, the six rows with the Rebounders came up two days sooner and had an evener stand. I’m now rebuilding the splitter unit and putting on Rebounders. Thanks for a great product.

E.T., Illinois

I installed 6 Rebounders and 6 of the other brand attachments on my JD 7300. I like the Rebounders because the other brand builds up with mud in our sticky soils and the Rebounders do not build up with mud. I am ordering the rest of the Rebounders next day air!!!

L.P., Texas

Very impressed with Rebounders!! We strip till in the fall and we have good moisture in the spring. The Rebounders put all seeds in the bottom of the furrow. We even have a set of the other brand still in the box on the shelf because we like Rebounders better.

G.S., Wisconsin

Your Rebounders are the best seed firmers on the market. They are easy to mount, easy to use. But the part I like best is how they take the seed from the seed tube and line it up, then gently put it to bed in the bottom of the opened V. This lets the new seeds awaken to breakfast in bed placed there by Y-Not fertilizer tubes, sending the seeds on a quick, even, and early start on new life. I have tried other brands of firmers, but prefer the Rebounder by far. My checks have showed 3 to 5 bushel advantage, and very good seed alignment in the seed trench.

G.D., Iowa

A person could spend a lot of money with add ons on a planter but one with the most bang for your buck are the Rebounders. Years ago when I put my first set on a neighbor ask me how I got such an even stand. Bought a different planter last year that already had firmers so thought ok, great! Could go into detail but long story short, from starter placement, seed placement, to evenness of emergence they are coming off and Rebounders are going on. I have Rebounders on my wheat drill also. What a great, no mess, way to put liquid starter down.

S.S., Kansas

I have run the G2 system with the Rebounders for two years, going on my third. I previously ran another brand of firmers and coulter system, and wasn't satisfied with the results. When I bought my 9220 12 row White planter I found your system and really liked the way it looked. The first season I ran it I knew I had made the right choice. The Rebounder seed covers do a great job of sealing/firming the seed trench without any dirt buildup.

J.F., Illinois

Better seed depth control, faster planting speed, lasts forever, mud doesn't stick to it like on the firmers. This is the 4th planter/drill we have put Rebounders on. Upgrading a planter means putting Rebounders on.

T.H., Illinois

Several years ago I rebuilt my six main units on my split row planter and put on rebounders at the time. After planting beans, the six rows with the rebounders came up two days sooner and had a more even stand. I'm now rebuilding the splitter unit and putting on rebounders. Thanks for a great product.

E.T., Illinois

I have owned your Rebounders on two planters, and went to them because I wanted to keep all my seed in the trench but didn't want to drag a product that would build up mud balls in less than ideal conditions. My soild change a lot in just one field, but the Rebounders allow me to never worry about them collecting a mud ball and dragging the seed. This year I had to go around mud holes, and when I cheated in a little too much I would check my rebounders for mud and was always happy because they'd be clean. With the price of seed I have always hated seeing any on top of the ground from planter bounce, especially in beans. The rebounders allow me to get them all in the ground at the depth I want. Thanks Paul!

D.R., South Dakota

I have used Rebounders on my planter now for six years. I chose the rebounders after researching other brands to place the seed firmly in the bottom of the seed trench without balling up with mud and dragging the seed in wet spots as other designs do. Using them with the why-not-splitter starter fertilizer attachment works very well. It kept the fertilizer directly off the seed. They work extremely well on my air planter which tends to have seed bounce causing unevenness in depth. All seeds are now at the same depth. After using the Schaffert Rebounders on my IH 800 planter for two years, I decided to try them on my Great Plains No-Till Drill with coulter caddy. I am in complete no till and could not be happier with the Rebounders on the drill. It has one inch press wheels to make sure that the seed is pressed into the bottom of the furrow. An integral harrow then pulls dirt over the trench. In drier conditions the dirt pulled over the seed was sometimes dry and would dry out the seed so that it would not germinate until a rain. With the Rebounders installed, soil was pulled off both sides of the trench just before the press wheel passes by, and the dirt is usually moist resulting in good emergence in more varied field conditions. The Rebounders are a great asset.

P.T., Missouri

We purchased a new Twin Row 1632 Kinze  planter in 2018 with Precision equipment on it. We planted corn and soybeans and had very erratic depth control and seeds that were rolled together. It didn’t seem to matter if we planted at 10mph or 5mph. In 2019 Precision thought they had our problems solved but throughout the planting season, we saw all of the same issues. With 140 acres of beans left to plant, we retro-fitted Schaffert Rebounders on 4 rows of the planter. After planting at a speed of 8 mph, we dug 5 foot long trenches in the seed furrow to compare seed depth consistency. Our target was 1.5″ seed depth. With the firmers, we found erratic seed depth varying from 1.75″ deep to on top of the ground, and some of the some seeds rolled together. The most variance found with the Rebounders was 1/4″.

B.J., Illinois

Last winter you were kind enough to spend time explaining the operating principles and benefits of your 4 Link Closers and Rebounders. Having started no-tilling in 1972 (under variable and adverse soil conditions), I have a deep appreciation for products that perform under challenging circumstances. The addition of your Rebounders and 4 Link Closers to my Case IH 800 planter resulted in the best and most uniform stand of corn that I have ever had. This was planting "green" into a dense cover crop. Schaffert Rebounders and 4 Link Closers were 100% trouble free, and produced excellent results under difficult conditions.Thank you for your personal service and outstanding products!

P.M., South Carolina

The Rebounder with the Straight Shot puts the fertilizer down under the Rebounder with very little splatter. It also puts a little dirt on the seed before the fertilizer goes in-furrow. The Rebounder does not press the seed into the hard trench, but places a little loose dirt over it. This keeps keep the seed from bouncing all over the seed slot. We have had all the way from the original Rebounder up the recent one with the Straight Shot incorporated into it. The Rebounder wears really well. We just put our 3rd set on and each set probably went over 7500-1000 acres. They do what Paul says they will do!!

T.B., Nebraska

We’ve been using the Rebounder™ with the Liquid Fertilizer Tube (Chad’s Tube). We have never seen a stand of durum wheat come up within hours, where it usually takes a couple days for the stand to establish. I’ve also attached a picture of our canola stand. Uniformity was amazing. Thanks again!

Chad Rubbelke, North Dakota

In 2020 I fitted my 1895 air seed with chad’a tubes and rebounders. Although the rebounders seemed to wear fairly fast, our emergence and seed uniformity was greatly enhanced. Soybeans stood out to have a night and day difference from our prior seed firmer. Chads tubes worked great, even in terrible seeding conditions that we ran into in 2020, they did not plug and applied the product in the correct position that we needed. We applied pivot return to all of our wheat, which needed precise placement, and the chad’s tubes help make this possible.

CR from North Dakota

Optional Fittings

Cast Zippers with Brian Maloney

Eric Reed, aka TheCropCritic on YouTube, holds records with the National Corn Growers Association in Alabama and Tennessee. We spoke with him at the 2024 National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville, Kentucky. His testimony on the all-cast Zipper Closing Wheels is below. You can find Eric on YouTube here: @TheCropCritic

The Crop Critic Eric Reed

We ran a row of the cast Zipper wheels next to spiked, smooth cast, Furrow Cruisers, and Yetter cast spike. The Zippers did the best job across dry, wet, and almost sod conditions. Will be ordering them for the entire planter this year. B.L.

Cast Zippers -B.L.

I have tried all sorts of systems on my CIH 950 planter for fertilizer and the Schaffert 2 x 2 tubes are the only ones that work in all conditions. I can put down a heavy rate and still be close to the seed, and I'm not interfering with the seed trench. Plus, with running Chicken Trackers instead of the packer wheel I get good closure and no gumming up the wheel.  Win/Win all the way around.

Tim R., North Dakota

Schaffert Seed Rebounder Review: Context: I'm part of a small family farm located in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. We primarily grow seed crops (Annual and Perennial Ryegrass, Tall Fescue, Red Clover, Crimson Clover, and Radish). All of these crops have a relatively shallow planting depth, typically around ½". Some of our production is grown under contract and these contracts often stipulate that the crop must be certified. This certification typically requires several crop inspections and there are rigorous standards for how much crop can be outside of the drill row (often times no more than 1%). The reason for this is it' s impossible to tell if crop outside of the drill row is from seed bounce or volunteer from a previous year potentially from a different variety. If you fail certification in the best case, you will have your sale price docked and in the worst case it may void the contract and leave you without a home for your crop (in a poor market this will mean a significant price reduction and possibly not being able to find a sale for that crop for several years). Needless to say, seed bounce is not acceptable for us. Which leads me to the intended benefit and why we installed our first set of Seed Rebounders. Intended Benefit: The first time I took apart one of our openers on our drill I was appalled. The seed tube ended at the hub where the double discs bolt on. From there we had been relying on gravity to guide seed to the bottom of the furrow, which is not ideal for the small seeded crops that we grow. There was absolutely nothing behind the seed tube to keep the seed in or direct it down. As I installed the Seed Rebounders, I immediately saw that wide-open gap to the back of the double discs get filled. Between the bracket and the Rebounder, the only place left for the seed to go was to the bottom of the furrow. After using them in field we saw a significant reduction in seed bounce, if not an elimination of it. Unintended Benefits: With our shallow planting depth (typically ½") we tend not to use much to close our furrows because of the risk of moving seed out of them. These Seed Rebounders have acted as a closing system for us. They gently pull loose soil around the furrow back in over the seed without moving the seed out of the furrow. This becomes all the more important because of one of our biggest pests in our region, slugs. Slugs cause nearly $100 million worth of damage to the $500 million Oregon Seed Industry annually (Capital Press & Oregon State University). As my dad has said, "Every time we leave a furrow open, we've built a home for slugs and when we drop seed into it, we've set the table for them." These Seed Rebounders don't decrease the slug population, but they do help us manage the risk for early season damage (which can be the costliest). By closing the furrow, we have managed our fields to not create a slug home where our crop is sprouting. This by no means solves all of our slug problems but it is an indispensable tool in our management of this pest. Straight Shot: Over the years we have been using more biological products in our fertility program. These include microbial inoculants as well as plant and microbe stimulants. Many of these products can be damaged and even killed with UV exposure, AKA direct sunlight. The Straight Shot has allowed us to shift our starter fertilizer from being banded over the row to being applied in furrow with the seed and covered with soil. This allows the more sensitive products in our starter mix to have a better chance to be fully effective. There are still many variables that are outside of our control that can affect how well our biological products work but this tool has taken one major variable (sunlight exposure) out of the equation.  

Mike Ellis, Mt. Hope Seed Co.

I have used your Chicken Trackers for 2 years now on my CIH 1255 planter. They have greatly improved the closing of the seed trench over the OEM press wheels. They will bother a little in sticky conditions but not any worse than the mud buildup on the original press wheels. In good to dry conditions they do a great job. I would also like to comment on your employees. You have a top notch group. They're all so friendly and helpful and willing to take time to treat me like I’m the most important person there. From the girls up front to everyone in assembly and particularly to Gage and Anthony upstairs for directing me and giving advice I needed on my Dosatron injection system. I sure appreciated doing business with your group.

Dale C.

4 Link Closer

We have ground that is both rocky and has draws and hills. We tried the 4 Link Closer on one row last year and found that it prevented some of the issues we were dealing with. The main improvements were better row unit performance around the draws and hills due to increased tail section travel. The increased travel also allowed smaller stones to pass under the row unit and not get caught in the closing wheels, as sometimes happens with spiked closing wheels in our situation. We decided it was good enough of an improvement to use them on the whole planter this year.

Neil G.

I went from having 78% plants up within 36 hours of each other, to over 95% of the plants up in a 36 hour period with the addition of the 4 Link Closers on.

J.G., Nebraska

Last winter you were kind enough to spend time explaining the operating principles and benefits of your 4 Link Closers and Rebounders. Having started no-tilling in 1972 (under variable and adverse soil conditions), I have a deep appreciation for products that perform under challenging circumstances. The addition of your Rebounders and 4 Link Closers to my Case IH 800 planter resulted in the best and most uniform stand of corn that I have ever had. This was planting "green" into a dense cover crop. Schaffert Rebounders and 4 Link Closers were 100% trouble free, and produced excellent results under difficult conditions. Thank you for your personal service and outstanding products!

P.M., South Carolina

Kris and Paul Schaffert explained how the stock closing wheels on my John Deere planter can lift the row unit out of the ground in rough conditions created by pivots, wash outs, or even root balls that don't get cleaned out by the furrow openers. I tried their 4 Link Closers, and was amazed at how smooth the planter ran through the field. Another thing that was impressive was how consistent the seed to soil contact was.  Whether the soil was clay, silt, wet, or dry, the closer tucked the seed in the soil like a freshly tilled garden. We even had some rain following some wet planting conditions, but the crust was so minimal that it had no effect on the seed emergence.

J.G., Nebraska

2x2 Fertilizer Disc

Two years ago we ran one Gen 2 "Out the Back" opener on our 24 row 20 planter. We eliminated the soil build-up on the gauge wheel and also noticed less seedbed disturbance compared to our other fert openers. This past year we purchased the other 23 Gen 2s. We were concerned that the Gen 2 hose bracket placed starter fertilizer a little farther to the side but after this season's results we are pleased with the way the Gen 2s performed.

B.H., New York

I put "Out the Back" fertilizer discs From Schaffert Mfg. on my White 6000 Planter in 2009. We planted corn in wet conditions in southern Indiana and they worked very well. We put down 18 gallons of 32% nitrogen. A neighbor had a liquid attachment on his JD planter in front of the planter. He had fertilizer and mud all over his planter. My planter stayed clean all season. I really liked the job the Schaffert Fertilizer Disc did. We will put more fertilizer on this year with the discs.

C.S., Indiana

I have had the "Out the Back" fertilizer disk openers for only a year, but they seem to be working great. I have them on a 7000 JD 16 row so I had to put updated tail sections on; with the new tails on they are very simple to take on and off. Last year was a wet spring for us and the out the backs discs worked great compared to discs in front of the unit because the gauge wheels never had to run in wet dirt that was turned up from factory openers. I placed the fertilizer 2X2, and ran a rate of 25 gal per acre and didn't have a problem at all. Schaffert is sending me the deflectors to run beside the disk which should solve the one problem that I had, which was every once and awhile a cob would get stuck between the disk and fertilizer tube and plug it up (which usually only happened in the corn on corn ground). I would recommend these to anybody placing fertilizer off to the side. They are simple and they work well, but the best thing I like is they keep the fertilizer off the planter.

R.H., Nebraska

As a Case IH dealer we have sold several “Out the Back” fertilizer disc systems. Being a dealer you want to offer a good product that works and is cost efficient to the customer. The 2 X 2 system is easy to install by replacing one of the OEM covering discs on Case planters with the fertilizer disc setup. This system gives the owner some options on how they place the fertilizer. A couple of options would be to stream the fertilizer on with stream tip nozzles or use orifice plates further up the system so that you can stream the fertilizer on by dragging a hose in the slot the disc cuts. Either way we set it up the customers are very satisfied. A benefit of the “Out the Back” system is that the planter stays clean of fertilizer especially since now they have the orange boot attachment, unlike some other systems which apply fertilizer ahead of the row units. We have enough customers using the 2 X 2 “Out the Back” that it sells itself.

T.H., Kansas (Dealer)

I bought my Kinze 3500 8/16 in 2010. Put Niemeyer shoes on and wasn't able to do what I wanted to do; I wanted higher starter fertilizer rates. I saw the G2 system advertised in a magazine and liked the set-up. The G2 is very cost effective for me because I also plant soybeans with this planter. It allows me to run a 2x2 at the rates I want (15 gallon of 28). The Mohawk closing wheels work well in my heavier soil. Last, the tech support has been the best part. When you call with a question you can actually talk to the owner. If you're looking for versatility on your planter at a reasonable price, I recommend checking into Schaffert products.

B.K.., Indiana

We have used the G2 2x2 for two years now, and doing so, we are extremely happy with the results. This system allows us to put nutrients close to the seed where it is readily available. This helps establish the plant early and saves money on fertilizers. We highly recommend it.

T.I., Alabama

I have used the "Out the Back" fertilizer system from Schaffert for six years now and plan to keep using them. The staff and owner at Schaffert are top notch. You couldn't ask for better service. Great product!

B.D., Michigan

2x2 Fertilizer Tube

I have tried all sorts of systems on my CIH 950 planter for fertilizer and the Schaffert 2 x 2 tubes are the only ones that work in all conditions. I can put down a heavy rate and still be close to the seed, and I'm not interfering with the seed trench. Plus, with running Chicken Trackers instead of the packer wheel I get good closure and no gumming up the wheel.  Win/Win all the way around.

Tim R., North Dakota

I farm in Central Texas, dryland conditions and installed the dual banded 2x2x2 stainless steel fertilizer tubes on Case IH 1200 planter for first time last year and was very impressed.  Raised the best corn crop overall ever, had the most even corn and consistent yields across fields.  My neighbor even ask me what I had done this year and if I would do the same thing and plant his corn the following year.  In the past had operated with a pre-plant fertilizer application, 3-5 gallons pop-up fertilizer in furrow on the seed, and then a sidedress nitrogen & sulfur application.  This past year decided to cut out two trips across the field and cut out the pop-up fertilizer, ran all the fertilizer through the dual banded tubes for a total savings on fertilizer cuts and trips of about $50 per acre.  I applied 118 lbs of nitrogen with phosphorus, sulfur, and micros all through the planter and dual banded tubes; no preplant, no pop-up, and no sidedress.  Seed representative weigh wagon tested 148.8 bpa yields.  Early fertilizer placement close to the root zone is critical for plant energy and getting more nutrients into the plant.  Saving cost and raising better crops is a win-win situation for me and will be continuing to do this in the future along with more products from Schaffert Manufacturing.

C. T., Texas

We have used the Schaffert 2x2 stainless steel fertilizer tubes on our 1250 Case planter for two years.We were dry in 2016, but had record yields in 2017 using this system. It’s a simple and low cost way to kickstart the corn. Adjustment was needed to drop the starter into the trench closing wheel slot, so for 2018, we will use the rubber boots to get closer to the wheel cut. Thank you for a good product, Paul!

K.W., Indiana

I am planting corn with the 2x2 fertilizer tubes and I really like them—they are working great. Instead of orifices, I put a drag hose on the end of the tube and it eliminated the splatter from the dribbling out the bottom of the stainless tube.

R.D., Arkansas

Just finished installing the latest 2x2 fertilizer tubes with the sliding top bracket. They fit perfectly! Great idea with the top bracket! Thank you for your efforts and for your persistence.

K.W., Indiana

I have a set of 2x2 fertilizer tubes on my Case IH planter. Dad came over one day to check them out. His reaction? "They look good. You get me a set."

K.O., Nebraska

We have used several sets of the Stainless steel fertilizer tubes for the CaseIH Planter. In some applications, we have replaced the old disk and pipe arrangement. We are finding that the customers much prefer the tube because it is more precise in placement and reduces the amount of fertilizer that accumulates on the press wheel. In my opinion, using the orifice and putting the fertilizer under pressure is much better than letting it dribble in the trench. We will probably use the tubes exclusively from now on.

R.J., North Carolina

Mohawk Closing Wheels

Cast Zippers with Brian Maloney

Eric Reed, aka TheCropCritic on YouTube, holds records with the National Corn Growers Association in Alabama and Tennessee. We spoke with him at the 2024 National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville, Kentucky. His testimony on the all-cast Zipper Closing Wheels is below. You can find Eric on YouTube here: @TheCropCritic

The Crop Critic Eric Reed

We ran a row of the cast Zipper wheels next to spiked, smooth cast, Furrow Cruisers, and Yetter cast spike. The Zippers did the best job across dry, wet, and almost sod conditions. Will be ordering them for the entire planter this year. B.L.

Cast Zippers -B.L.

I have tried all sorts of systems on my CIH 950 planter for fertilizer and the Schaffert 2 x 2 tubes are the only ones that work in all conditions. I can put down a heavy rate and still be close to the seed, and I'm not interfering with the seed trench. Plus, with running Chicken Trackers instead of the packer wheel I get good closure and no gumming up the wheel.  Win/Win all the way around.

Tim R., North Dakota

Schaffert Seed Rebounder Review: Context: I'm part of a small family farm located in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. We primarily grow seed crops (Annual and Perennial Ryegrass, Tall Fescue, Red Clover, Crimson Clover, and Radish). All of these crops have a relatively shallow planting depth, typically around ½". Some of our production is grown under contract and these contracts often stipulate that the crop must be certified. This certification typically requires several crop inspections and there are rigorous standards for how much crop can be outside of the drill row (often times no more than 1%). The reason for this is it' s impossible to tell if crop outside of the drill row is from seed bounce or volunteer from a previous year potentially from a different variety. If you fail certification in the best case, you will have your sale price docked and in the worst case it may void the contract and leave you without a home for your crop (in a poor market this will mean a significant price reduction and possibly not being able to find a sale for that crop for several years). Needless to say, seed bounce is not acceptable for us. Which leads me to the intended benefit and why we installed our first set of Seed Rebounders. Intended Benefit: The first time I took apart one of our openers on our drill I was appalled. The seed tube ended at the hub where the double discs bolt on. From there we had been relying on gravity to guide seed to the bottom of the furrow, which is not ideal for the small seeded crops that we grow. There was absolutely nothing behind the seed tube to keep the seed in or direct it down. As I installed the Seed Rebounders, I immediately saw that wide-open gap to the back of the double discs get filled. Between the bracket and the Rebounder, the only place left for the seed to go was to the bottom of the furrow. After using them in field we saw a significant reduction in seed bounce, if not an elimination of it. Unintended Benefits: With our shallow planting depth (typically ½") we tend not to use much to close our furrows because of the risk of moving seed out of them. These Seed Rebounders have acted as a closing system for us. They gently pull loose soil around the furrow back in over the seed without moving the seed out of the furrow. This becomes all the more important because of one of our biggest pests in our region, slugs. Slugs cause nearly $100 million worth of damage to the $500 million Oregon Seed Industry annually (Capital Press & Oregon State University). As my dad has said, "Every time we leave a furrow open, we've built a home for slugs and when we drop seed into it, we've set the table for them." These Seed Rebounders don't decrease the slug population, but they do help us manage the risk for early season damage (which can be the costliest). By closing the furrow, we have managed our fields to not create a slug home where our crop is sprouting. This by no means solves all of our slug problems but it is an indispensable tool in our management of this pest. Straight Shot: Over the years we have been using more biological products in our fertility program. These include microbial inoculants as well as plant and microbe stimulants. Many of these products can be damaged and even killed with UV exposure, AKA direct sunlight. The Straight Shot has allowed us to shift our starter fertilizer from being banded over the row to being applied in furrow with the seed and covered with soil. This allows the more sensitive products in our starter mix to have a better chance to be fully effective. There are still many variables that are outside of our control that can affect how well our biological products work but this tool has taken one major variable (sunlight exposure) out of the equation.  

Mike Ellis, Mt. Hope Seed Co.

I have used your Chicken Trackers for 2 years now on my CIH 1255 planter. They have greatly improved the closing of the seed trench over the OEM press wheels. They will bother a little in sticky conditions but not any worse than the mud buildup on the original press wheels. In good to dry conditions they do a great job. I would also like to comment on your employees. You have a top notch group. They're all so friendly and helpful and willing to take time to treat me like I’m the most important person there. From the girls up front to everyone in assembly and particularly to Gage and Anthony upstairs for directing me and giving advice I needed on my Dosatron injection system. I sure appreciated doing business with your group.

Dale C.

Zipper Closing Wheels

Cast Zippers with Brian Maloney

Eric Reed, aka TheCropCritic on YouTube, holds records with the National Corn Growers Association in Alabama and Tennessee. We spoke with him at the 2024 National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville, Kentucky. His testimony on the all-cast Zipper Closing Wheels is below. You can find Eric on YouTube here: @TheCropCritic

The Crop Critic Eric Reed

We ran a row of the cast Zipper wheels next to spiked, smooth cast, Furrow Cruisers, and Yetter cast spike. The Zippers did the best job across dry, wet, and almost sod conditions. Will be ordering them for the entire planter this year. B.L.

Cast Zippers -B.L.

We swapped out all the closing wheels on our corn and bean planters in 2020. We put Zippers on the corn planter. And Mohawks on the bean planter. Our Martin closers were getting worn on our corn planter. And I didn't like the rubber closing wheels that were on our bean planter. Both planters are Kinze 3600 with a no till set up. We no till 100% of our acres. And we plant cover crops on all the acres as well. We found the zippers to be a big upgrade over the martins. Especially going up a hillside, or planting contours. A lot less erosion from water. And it doesn't disturb the seed bed on contours. The Mohawks were a big upgrade as well. We deal with a lot of surface residue. And getting good compaction has been a challenge. But the mohawks have done an exceptional job closing the seed furrow while keeping the compaction down. We also noticed that we didn't need to make changes to down pressure on the closing wheel when soil conditions changed. I won't claim a huge increase in yields or anything, as there are many aspects to consider, especially with no till and cover crops.

Alex Z.

On a mid-March day in northern Ohio when conditions were far from perfect, we took the planter to the field. 12 rows with smooth closing wheels, 2 rows with Schaffert Zippers, and 2 rows with a competitor’s wheel. The smooth closing wheels closed about 40% of the seed furrow. The competitor’s wheel closed about 70% of the seed furrow. The Zippers closed 100%. It was beautiful. Never seen anything like it. We ordered 14 more rows of Zippers. We had the evenest emergence we have ever had this year. Several neighbors ordered them and had the same results.

R.N., Ohio

We have three John Deere DB- 60 planters with the Zipper closing wheel on one side of the units. We like the condition of the sidewall behind the Zipper when we first start planting. When the ground is a little more heavy we see that the Zipper closes better. The furrow is closed better on top and eliminates air pockets around the seed. We have used spike closing wheels in the past but they seemed to move the seed in the furrow, not allowing for proper seed placement. The Zipper won't do that. We believe we are getting better seed placement and better emergence behind the Zipper.

J.Y., Indiana

I was having problems with rocks in the spiked closing wheels last year and was getting mad... Called Schaffert Mfg to get some more Rebounders and fertilizer tubes. They asked if I would try the "Zipper" closing wheel. I was impressed with the Zippers and they didn't pick any rocks up. Problem solved.

B.M., South Dakota

In 2014 I purchased 16 rows of Zippers for one John Deere 1770 planter. I planted cotton in one side (shown in left side of photos below) of the field with regular V closing wheels and the other side (shown in right side of photos below) with Zipper Closing Wheels. We got a hard rain a day or two after planting. Normally with a hard rain, the cotton plants will have a hard time coming up or getting through the firmed soils. Cotton is very susceptible to crusting. The Zipper Closing Wheels left the soil over the seed row mellower and more cushioned than the soil over the rows planted with regular closing wheels. After the hard rain, the mellower soil didn't crust as bad as the flatter soil surface left by the regular wheels. Five days later, cotton began to emerge from the rows planted with Zippers (see photo below). It was not yet coming up in the other rows. We later took an aerial photo of the field (see below). The stand was much better where the Zipper wheels ran. There were more skips in the left side where the rubber wheels ran. My son attributes this difference to quicker emergence and less crusting with the Zipper Closing Wheels. This year, I equipped four more planters with Zippers.

D.G., Texas

We have ran the zippers on about 500 acres of no-till beans into corn stalks and are quite pleased with the results so far. I have attached some pictures I took of a wet spot that had last year’s grass matted down on it. I believe that the crumbling action of the spikes combined with the firming action of the solid portion of the wheel is key in getting rid of air pockets in our soil conditions. This holds true in drier areas as well. The spikes tend to break up chunks that the no-till coulters throw out and move that soil back over the seed trench. The wheels then firm the soil without packing it over the seed. Thanks again for a well-designed product and EXCELLENT service!

C.S., Missouri

I have run the G2 system with the Rebounders for two years, going on my third. I previously ran another brand of firmers and coulter system, and wasn't satisfied with the results. When I bought my 9220 12 row White planter I found your system and really liked the way it looked. The first season I ran it I knew I had made the right choice. The Rebounder seed covers do a great job of sealing/firming the seed trench without any dirt buildup, and the Zipper closing wheels do a really nice job of closing things up without the compaction of standard smooth wheels or even other spike wheels I've tried. I did run one smooth wheel/one Zipper for part of the first season and noticed after the corn came up that the sprouts had come up through the side where the Zippers were. Where I had switched to running both Zippers, the corn pushed right up through the center with no problem at all. It made me a believer real fast. Thanks for all your help getting me started originally, and I appreciate all you do if I have questions or need parts. It's nice to have a manufacturer that works hard to make their product work no matter what your situation is. Great products, great company.

J.F., Illinois

Mohawk vs. Zipper

Cast Zippers with Brian Maloney

Eric Reed, aka TheCropCritic on YouTube, holds records with the National Corn Growers Association in Alabama and Tennessee. We spoke with him at the 2024 National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville, Kentucky. His testimony on the all-cast Zipper Closing Wheels is below. You can find Eric on YouTube here: @TheCropCritic

The Crop Critic Eric Reed

We ran a row of the cast Zipper wheels next to spiked, smooth cast, Furrow Cruisers, and Yetter cast spike. The Zippers did the best job across dry, wet, and almost sod conditions. Will be ordering them for the entire planter this year. B.L.

Cast Zippers -B.L.

I have tried all sorts of systems on my CIH 950 planter for fertilizer and the Schaffert 2 x 2 tubes are the only ones that work in all conditions. I can put down a heavy rate and still be close to the seed, and I'm not interfering with the seed trench. Plus, with running Chicken Trackers instead of the packer wheel I get good closure and no gumming up the wheel.  Win/Win all the way around.

Tim R., North Dakota

Schaffert Seed Rebounder Review: Context: I'm part of a small family farm located in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. We primarily grow seed crops (Annual and Perennial Ryegrass, Tall Fescue, Red Clover, Crimson Clover, and Radish). All of these crops have a relatively shallow planting depth, typically around ½". Some of our production is grown under contract and these contracts often stipulate that the crop must be certified. This certification typically requires several crop inspections and there are rigorous standards for how much crop can be outside of the drill row (often times no more than 1%). The reason for this is it' s impossible to tell if crop outside of the drill row is from seed bounce or volunteer from a previous year potentially from a different variety. If you fail certification in the best case, you will have your sale price docked and in the worst case it may void the contract and leave you without a home for your crop (in a poor market this will mean a significant price reduction and possibly not being able to find a sale for that crop for several years). Needless to say, seed bounce is not acceptable for us. Which leads me to the intended benefit and why we installed our first set of Seed Rebounders. Intended Benefit: The first time I took apart one of our openers on our drill I was appalled. The seed tube ended at the hub where the double discs bolt on. From there we had been relying on gravity to guide seed to the bottom of the furrow, which is not ideal for the small seeded crops that we grow. There was absolutely nothing behind the seed tube to keep the seed in or direct it down. As I installed the Seed Rebounders, I immediately saw that wide-open gap to the back of the double discs get filled. Between the bracket and the Rebounder, the only place left for the seed to go was to the bottom of the furrow. After using them in field we saw a significant reduction in seed bounce, if not an elimination of it. Unintended Benefits: With our shallow planting depth (typically ½") we tend not to use much to close our furrows because of the risk of moving seed out of them. These Seed Rebounders have acted as a closing system for us. They gently pull loose soil around the furrow back in over the seed without moving the seed out of the furrow. This becomes all the more important because of one of our biggest pests in our region, slugs. Slugs cause nearly $100 million worth of damage to the $500 million Oregon Seed Industry annually (Capital Press & Oregon State University). As my dad has said, "Every time we leave a furrow open, we've built a home for slugs and when we drop seed into it, we've set the table for them." These Seed Rebounders don't decrease the slug population, but they do help us manage the risk for early season damage (which can be the costliest). By closing the furrow, we have managed our fields to not create a slug home where our crop is sprouting. This by no means solves all of our slug problems but it is an indispensable tool in our management of this pest. Straight Shot: Over the years we have been using more biological products in our fertility program. These include microbial inoculants as well as plant and microbe stimulants. Many of these products can be damaged and even killed with UV exposure, AKA direct sunlight. The Straight Shot has allowed us to shift our starter fertilizer from being banded over the row to being applied in furrow with the seed and covered with soil. This allows the more sensitive products in our starter mix to have a better chance to be fully effective. There are still many variables that are outside of our control that can affect how well our biological products work but this tool has taken one major variable (sunlight exposure) out of the equation.  

Mike Ellis, Mt. Hope Seed Co.

I have used your Chicken Trackers for 2 years now on my CIH 1255 planter. They have greatly improved the closing of the seed trench over the OEM press wheels. They will bother a little in sticky conditions but not any worse than the mud buildup on the original press wheels. In good to dry conditions they do a great job. I would also like to comment on your employees. You have a top notch group. They're all so friendly and helpful and willing to take time to treat me like I’m the most important person there. From the girls up front to everyone in assembly and particularly to Gage and Anthony upstairs for directing me and giving advice I needed on my Dosatron injection system. I sure appreciated doing business with your group.

Dale C.

I've run 13 rows of Mohawk spiked closing wheels on my 16 row John Deere 1770 NT planter for the past two years, alongside three rows of competing brands. This year, I switched the final three rows to Mohawks after seeing their performance side by side. The adaptability of the Mohawks to fit onto an OEM will is a huge plus. Also, their light weight allows for flexibility in varying field conditions if you have adjustable pressure on your closing wheels.

Darin H., Minnesota

We have ground that is both rocky and has draws and hills. We tried the 4 Link Closer on one row last year and found that it prevented some of the issues we were dealing with. The main improvements were better row unit performance around the draws and hills due to increased tail section travel. The increased travel also allowed smaller stones to pass under the row unit and not get caught in the closing wheels, as sometimes happens with spiked closing wheels in our situation. We decided it was good enough of an improvement to use them on the whole planter this year.

Neil G.

"Ripping with our New York Ripper. We love it!!! -Thank you Paul Schaffert!"

The Snodgrass’s, Kansas

Lowell Volkert is a dairy producer and farmer from New Richman, WI. He has been farming organically for over 30 years. In previous years, he has used Danish tine cultivators and the Einbock tine weeder system. In 2021, Lowell purchased a Buffalo 6600 cultivator from Schaffert Mfg. Co.  After running the Buffalo cultivator with the disc hillers set to throw soil into the row along with Ridging Wings on the back, he was able to cover up large weeds that still remained after he had run his Einbock tine weeder and Danish tine cultivators earlier.  He called us and made this comment: “BUFFALO IS THE ONLY WAY TO GO!"

Lowell Volkert, Wisconsin

I have switched to no till 2 years ago and with regular rubber press wheels on my John Deere 7000 planter the seed trench would only close in perfect soil conditions. I looked at many different press wheel designs and decided to purchase the cast Schaffert mohawks. The job they do, even in wet soil is outstanding. By having the mohawks I was able to plant much earlier than in the past and the seed trench is nice and loose.

Samuel T. Gerke

We swapped out all the closing wheels on our corn and bean planters in 2020. We put Zippers on the corn planter. And Mohawks on the bean planter. Our Martin closers were getting worn on our corn planter. And I didn't like the rubber closing wheels that were on our bean planter. Both planters are Kinze 3600 with a no till set up. We no till 100% of our acres. And we plant cover crops on all the acres as well. We found the zippers to be a big upgrade over the martins. Especially going up a hillside, or planting contours. A lot less erosion from water. And it doesn't disturb the seed bed on contours. The Mohawks were a big upgrade as well. We deal with a lot of surface residue. And getting good compaction has been a challenge. But the mohawks have done an exceptional job closing the seed furrow while keeping the compaction down. We also noticed that we didn't need to make changes to down pressure on the closing wheel when soil conditions changed. I won't claim a huge increase in yields or anything, as there are many aspects to consider, especially with no till and cover crops.

Alex Z.

David is here today picking up 12 rows of Mohawk Complete closing wheels. He mentioned he has run rebounders over 20 years on John Deere planters. David started out with white rebounders; he has now upgraded to high-speed running the orange rebounder. David likes the orange rebounders because they knock the loose dirt in over the seed and places his fertilizer, that he runs 5 gallons per acre, in the furrow.

David Christensen, Nebraska

We have recently ordered a part that was really needed, and Schaffert Mfg. took the liberty of sending the part overnight, and we received it the next morning. The part was sent from Nebraska to Michigan. This action is a great sign of outstanding customer service and is very appreciated.

J.V., Michigan
testimonial-customerservice-jv

My family farms in the central Texas Blackland’s, we have been running the rebounders for about 12 years now. Before we put them on you would be walking behind the planter and find seeds on top of the ground. After we installed the rebounders, that was eliminated, keeping the seed in the bottom of the trench properly placed. We have tried other firmers before, none have done the job that the rebounders have produced. Would highly recommend them to any fellow farmer.

Michael, Matthew and Mike Hajda. Scott & Hajda farms, Granger Texas.

I farm in Central Texas, dryland conditions and installed the dual banded 2x2x2 stainless steel fertilizer tubes on Case IH 1200 planter for first time last year and was very impressed.  Raised the best corn crop overall ever, had the most even corn and consistent yields across fields.  My neighbor even ask me what I had done this year and if I would do the same thing and plant his corn the following year.  In the past had operated with a pre-plant fertilizer application, 3-5 gallons pop-up fertilizer in furrow on the seed, and then a sidedress nitrogen & sulfur application.  This past year decided to cut out two trips across the field and cut out the pop-up fertilizer, ran all the fertilizer through the dual banded tubes for a total savings on fertilizer cuts and trips of about $50 per acre.  I applied 118 lbs of nitrogen with phosphorus, sulfur, and micros all through the planter and dual banded tubes; no preplant, no pop-up, and no sidedress.  Seed representative weigh wagon tested 148.8 bpa yields.  Early fertilizer placement close to the root zone is critical for plant energy and getting more nutrients into the plant.  Saving cost and raising better crops is a win-win situation for me and will be continuing to do this in the future along with more products from Schaffert Manufacturing.

C. T., Texas

I have Schaffert Mohawk closing wheels and was having trouble with a air pocket above the seed when planting a little wetter conditions, I thought it was the press wheels not doing a good job. I talked to Paul and watched a video on how to level the planter. I listened to the manufacturer on leveling the tongue when I needed to get the row unit level. I did exactly that and it was closing like a dream.

Jake Krause, Nebraska

Last winter you were kind enough to spend time explaining the operating principles and benefits of your 4-Link Closers and Rebounders. Having started no-tilling in 1972 (under variable and adverse soil conditions), I have a deep appreciation for products that perform under challenging circumstances. Thank you for your personal service and outstanding products!

P.M., South Carolina

The tech support has been the best part. When you call with a question you can actually talk to the owner. If your're looking for versitility on your planter at a reasonable price, I recommend checking in to Schaffert products.

B.K., Indiana

Thanks for all your help getting me started originally, and I appreciate all you do if I have questions or need parts. It's nice to have a manufacturer that works hard to make their product work no matter what your situation is. Great products, great company.

J.F., Illinois

I want to very sincerely thank you for delivering the balance of our order last Saturday. I can’t tell you how impressed I was with that action! I seem to spend a disproportionate amount of my life arguing with people over how they are going to correct their mistakes. In this case, I would not even classify it as a mistake. We simply had a miscommunication and you still went the extra mile to get me what I needed. I will remember that

C.S., Missouri

I have never had any better service from any company than Schaffert Manufacturing. If you call with a question, you can usually talk to Paul, the owner. Or if you have any problems with any of their products, they are handled very quickly, and more than fairly. If every company in the agriculture sector built as good of products, and stood behind them like this company does, my job as a producer would be much easier and more profitable.

D.S., Nebraska

I have used the "Out the Back" fertilizer system from Schaffert for six years now and plan to keep using them. The staff and owner at Schaffert are top notch. You couldn't ask for better service. Great product!

B.D., Michigan

After testing Schaffert Products this spring, next year I will add more Schaffert Products on the planter. The results speak for themselves. If that wasn't enough, their customer service is second to none. I am a pleased customer, but better yet, I'll be a returning customer.

M.D., Kentucky

Great product support. Very patient and knowledgeable. Keep up the good work.

M.B.

We purchased gauge wheel scrapers for our 12 row 30″ front fold Case IH 1250 planter. We do quite a lot of custom planting and sometimes we plant into heavy/clay loam tilled ground and have had problems with mud/soil build up in the past. The scrapers eliminated that. They have easy adjustment and are relatively easy to install. I'm extremely happy with these products and would highly recommend them to anyone.

E.M., Canada

We purchased these scrapers two years ago and they are probably the best attachment we have ever put on our planter. We had trouble regulating the seed depth of cotton and these scrapers solved that problem.

D.P., NC

I have been using Furrow V Closers on my 6 row John Deere 7000 and my 5 row John Deere splitter. I only use the splitter every other year as I do a corn and soybean rotation. I’ve been using the FVCs for about 15 years. I only farm 170 acres, so I don’t have up-to-date equipment. I am a no-till farmer, but I do use a vertical tillage tool only following fall harvest of corn. I also still use rubber closing wheels. The Furrow V Closers have always assured me that the furrow is always closed properly. I’m aware of all the add-ons on the market. I haven’t needed them. The V Closers are also very good in wet conditions. Thanks for making a quality product that does the job. Also, the young lady who answered the phone when I called to order replacement poly discs could not have been more professional and pleasant.

A.B., Ohio

I’ve tried many attachments on my John Deere 7000 planter. The Furrow V Closer is the best attachment I’ve ever put on. They do a good job of closing the seed V on my poorly drained upland clay soils.

M.M., Iowa

I plant 600 acres of corn with a John Deere planter. We try to plant early in the heavy black ground, it’s very hard to get the seed V closed properly. We installed a set of Furrow V Closers and they do a super job of closing the seed V. We even run less pressure on our press wheels.

R.W., Iowa

I love the Furrow V Closers in our no-till operation, they move the correct amount of soil needed for seed to soil contact and seem to close the seed V very well. Also, Schaffert Mfg. staff are very helpful to work with!

M.J., MN

I have a JD 4 row planter 7000 with John Blue Squeeze Pump. I use 4 rows 2x2 and 2 rows off 6 row pump and split into 4 rows with Schaffert's manifold and orange ofifices with 50 mesh screen on in part of the manifold - the screen make all 4 rows put out the same fertilizer.

J.N., Ohio

The pump systems are really simple—worked just like you said and were easy to install.

C.P., Mississippi

I like the idea of being able to adjust the volume accurately in the cab, and the charts you send are very easy to read and use. Setting up the system was a cinch.

J.G., Texas

After visiting the Schaffert display at the Louisville Farm Show, we ordered a micro-nutrient system to add onto our Kinze 2600 planter. We were pleased to find that there was pre-assembly done before it was sent. This made our installation considerably easier. We have verified the nozzle size to be as desired. The orange tubing makes a color code identifiable from the air system on our planter. We were able to install a 100 gallon tank and keep the additional unit protected in line with existing tanks during transport. This system has worked as well as expected.

J.B., Michigan

The Schaffert liquid fertilizer system is the pinnacle of the industry. It's very simple to use and bullet proof reliable. The best by far!!! Even more importantly is the absolutely second to none customer service. Just plain good knowledgable folks to deal with. Thanks for the good job!!!

P.L., Wisconsin

I ran one Chicken Tracker in the spring of 2014 on my 24R Case, over approx. 3,000 acres. And loved it! It crumbled the top soil in all conditions. Here in southern Wisconsin, we have variable conditions—throughout all or many fields. The Chicken Tracker helps eliminate any variables without plugging. They're easy to install, just the one factory bolt. If the spring would turn super dry, switch back to the factory rubber wheel. I would recommend the Chicken Tracker to anyone with minimum or no-till and any varying soil type.

J.A., Wisconsin

I ran the Chicken Tracker wheels over 1000 acres of no-till corn and 800 acres of no-till beans. I was very impressed with emergence of crops behind the Chicken Trackers. When I ran my row cleaners deeper into wetter soils, the Chicken Tracker collected some mud. Then when I ran the row cleaners shallow, just moving residue away, the Chicken Tracker worked great. So, as with anything, work until you find the Trackers are doing their job. Overall I was impressed with this product.

K.K., Illinois

With the Chicken Tracker wheels, I noticed they left no ridge between the rows like the original press wheel left. This proved to be very beneficial because when we got a rain after planting with the Chicken Trackers, the ridges didn’t wash down like they did with the regular press wheels and put a crust on the wheat plants that were emerging or ready to emerge. After all the rain we had this past spring, a better stand emerged with the Chicken Trackers, and we didn’t have to replant due to crusting problems. The Chicken Tracker wheels also did not build up with mud like the regular press wheels did after the abundance of rain during planting. Schaffert Mfg. Co. made the Chicken Track rods 5 1/2″ between spokes. On the side with the arm coming down alongside the spokes they angle cut the rods so they run parallel with the arm, which left from 1/2″ to 3/4″ of room between the arm and Chicken Tracker wheel. This kept them from plugging with trash and residue. To mount the new Chicken Tracker wheels, I used a 5/8″ x 4″ bolt with a 7/8″ nut over the bolt for a spacer bushing between the press wheel arm and the Chicken Tracker wheel hub. It was one of the best things I did to improve the John Deere 455 grain drill.

L.W., Texas

The center of the picture is the Chicken Tracker row and the other are the normal press wheels (Case IH press wheels on a Kinze planter). When I planted this the conditions where good and this picture is after two small rains of about a half inch or less. If we had gotten more rain, the rows planted with normal press wheels would have crusted. The Chicken Tracker clumps soil so it does not crust as easy.

D.V., Illinois

The Chicken Trackers work really well. Helped a lot in sticky conditions and allows us to plant a little faster in good conditions. Pretty much eliminated the air pocket in the seed trench we were seeing.

D.C., Nebraska

If you don’t want to plug your press wheels, try Chicken Trackers. They really help if you are putting down fertilizer with your planter and greatly reduce soil crusting for better emergence.

J.S.

We purchased 4″ chicken trackers in the spring of 2018 for our 12 row 30″ front fold Case IH 1250 planter. Right away I noticed they did not build up with moist soil like the original rubber press wheels. I like how they mulch the soil over the seed bed and are very well built. We are a no-till operation and are always planting into moist soils. This new addition to our planter has helped with even uniform seed bed finishing and better emergance. We also purchased gauge wheel scrapers for the 12 rows. I'm extremely happy with Schaffert Mfg's products and would highly recommend them to anyone.

E.M., Canada

We used 4″ Chicken Trackers and were pleased with the soil contact that they produce and believe it helped prevent washing down the row in hilly ground after a hard rain. We were also very pleased with the stand and spacing with the Rebounders–had 98% accurate spacing.

J.V., Iowa

“We have clay soils, planting conditions not always ideal; but the Chicken Tracker really helps to make sure that trench is closed. A lot of times it looks good right after you plant, but a day or two later it doesn’t look how you thought it should. With the Chicken Tracker you get a lot more pounds per square inch, on the Case planter it’s so easy to take on and off. They’re just awesome.”

J.A., Nebraska

I have used the Mohawk closing wheels, and more recently added some Zipper wheels, for several seasons now in both no-till and tilled ground, and have planted corn, soybeans, and milo with good results. I like how the wheels still maintain the same depth of penetration even if I’m a little too heavy on the down pressure. No flipping chunks of soil and seed out. In watching the planter run this spring, it seems like the Zipper wheel might have a little faster “sewing” action than the Mohawk, meaning when the soil was a little heavy or no tilling into fall killed sod, the Zipper rows seemed to have a little more fluff to them. In normal no tilling situations, both wheels performed great. An advantage for the Mohawk is if your planter closing wheels are in good shape, you swap the rubber tire for the Mohawk and you’re ready to go at an attractive cost. I don’t see how anybody can go wrong with either wheel.

P.R., IL

Last year we ran our Kinze 3600 16/32 planter with Mohawk closing wheels over nearly 2000 acres of no-till soybeans. We saw a real improvement over cast iron wheels in performance - closing the seed trench, preventing the slot from opening when the soil dried out, and in seed emergence. We used my Kinze 3800 corn planter for some trials on tilled and no-till fields; rubber tires, Mohawks, Zippers, Thompson wheels, and Martin spike closers. While the Martin spikes have always performed fairly well in no-till, and still performed the best in planting no-till corn into a dry June hayfield, the Mohawks and Zippers performed best overall. They handled tilled soil, they handled no-till, they firmed the seed while leaving loose soil above it, and they didn't tip out seed in the most challenging conditions. The Zippers also did fairly well in the hard dry hay field in June. The Mohawks and Zippers still look almost new, they should last many years more than the plastic spikes some companies sell. We will be all Mohawks and Zippers this year.

Ed Yanos, IN

On a mid-March day in northern Ohio when conditions were far from perfect, we took the planter to the field. 12 rows with smooth closing wheels, 2 rows with Schaffert Zippers, and 2 rows with a competitor’s wheel. The smooth closing wheels closed about 40% of the seed furrow. The competitor’s wheel closed about 70% of the seed furrow. The Zippers closed 100%. It was beautiful. Never seen anything like it. We ordered 14 more rows of Zippers. We had the evenest emergence we have ever had this year. Several neighbors ordered them and had the same results.

R.N., Ohio

We have three John Deere DB- 60 planters with the Zipper closing wheel on one side of the units. We like the condition of the sidewall behind the Zipper when we first start planting. When the ground is a little more heavy we see that the Zipper closes better. The furrow is closed better on top and eliminates air pockets around the seed. We have used spike closing wheels in the past but they seemed to move the seed in the furrow, not allowing for proper seed placement. The Zipper won't do that. We believe we are getting better seed placement and better emergence behind the Zipper.

J.Y., Indiana

I was having problems with rocks in the spiked closing wheels last year and was getting mad... Called Schaffert Mfg to get some more Rebounders and fertilizer tubes. They asked if I would try the "Zipper" closing wheel. I was impressed with the Zippers and they didn't pick any rocks up. Problem solved.

B.M., South Dakota

In 2014 I purchased 16 rows of Zippers for one John Deere 1770 planter. I planted cotton in one side (shown in left side of photos below) of the field with regular V closing wheels and the other side (shown in right side of photos below) with Zipper Closing Wheels. We got a hard rain a day or two after planting. Normally with a hard rain, the cotton plants will have a hard time coming up or getting through the firmed soils. Cotton is very susceptible to crusting. The Zipper Closing Wheels left the soil over the seed row mellower and more cushioned than the soil over the rows planted with regular closing wheels. After the hard rain, the mellower soil didn't crust as bad as the flatter soil surface left by the regular wheels. Five days later, cotton began to emerge from the rows planted with Zippers (see photo below). It was not yet coming up in the other rows. We later took an aerial photo of the field (see below). The stand was much better where the Zipper wheels ran. There were more skips in the left side where the rubber wheels ran. My son attributes this difference to quicker emergence and less crusting with the Zipper Closing Wheels. This year, I equipped four more planters with Zippers.

D.G., Texas

We have ran the zippers on about 500 acres of no-till beans into corn stalks and are quite pleased with the results so far. I have attached some pictures I took of a wet spot that had last year’s grass matted down on it. I believe that the crumbling action of the spikes combined with the firming action of the solid portion of the wheel is key in getting rid of air pockets in our soil conditions. This holds true in drier areas as well. The spikes tend to break up chunks that the no-till coulters throw out and move that soil back over the seed trench. The wheels then firm the soil without packing it over the seed. Thanks again for a well-designed product and EXCELLENT service!

C.S., Missouri

I have run the G2 system with the Rebounders for two years, going on my third. I previously ran another brand of firmers and coulter system, and wasn't satisfied with the results. When I bought my 9220 12 row White planter I found your system and really liked the way it looked. The first season I ran it I knew I had made the right choice. The Rebounder seed covers do a great job of sealing/firming the seed trench without any dirt buildup, and the Zipper closing wheels do a really nice job of closing things up without the compaction of standard smooth wheels or even other spike wheels I've tried. I did run one smooth wheel/one Zipper for part of the first season and noticed after the corn came up that the sprouts had come up through the side where the Zippers were. Where I had switched to running both Zippers, the corn pushed right up through the center with no problem at all. It made me a believer real fast. Thanks for all your help getting me started originally, and I appreciate all you do if I have questions or need parts. It's nice to have a manufacturer that works hard to make their product work no matter what your situation is. Great products, great company.

J.F., Illinois

We bought 12 Mohawks to run on our corn planter next to the factory rubber closing wheel. We are mostly no-till and all terraced and hilly ground. We felt like the Mohawks maintained ground contact way better than the rubber tires. They also broke up the sidewall, which helped reduce erosion in the seed trench on the hilly ground. Another added benefit was they helped to close the seed trench when following contours with sharper corners. We will replace the other 12 wheels and will be purchasing more products in the future. Paul and Kris are very helpful and willing to answer any questions you may have!

K.W., Nebraska

I planted corn with one Mohawk Closing Wheel and one regular press wheel on each row. The soil on the Mohawk side of the rows was soft, while the soil on the regular press wheel side was hard and compacted. When the seeds sprouted and grew, the plants all emerged through the softer soil on the side where the Mohawk wheels had gone.

T.W., Ohio
mohawk-testimonial-tw

The Mohawk closing wheel versus John Deere rubber closing wheel performance was very evident. No side wall compaction with the Mohawks compared to a compacted side wall with the rubber John Deere wheels closing the seed trench.

R.S., Nebraska

I do 50% no-till. I bought Mohawks 3 years ago and ran 1 rubber wheel and 1 Mohawk wheel. The Mohawk broke the seed wall better and helped it to not crust. It works good in conventional planting too.

S.C., Michigan

I purchased two rows of Mohawk wheels, and put them on my 16 row planter the same time I installed 14 rows of Exapta's Thompson wheels. The Mohawk wheels have always left the row covered better, and did a smoother job. They were also about $20 per row cheaper. And while the Thompson wheels are worn out after 3 seasons, the Mohawk wheels show practically no wear.

D.S., Nebraska

I used to use cast wheels in everything. In conventional it pushed the seeds back up in seed furrow, even on the lightest setting. I even tried the straight finger wheels on my John Deere planter and they would go too deep and bring seeds up in the seed V. They’d also loosen the seed trench up too much, causing reduction in stand counts in dry weather. Then, I found the Mohawks and have been using them ever since. I’ve taken most all of the spring pressure off the press wheels and only run in the first notch. They break the side wall compaction and compact the soil around the seed better than the cast wheel or the straight spike wheels. With cast sometimes it plugs up with root balls and then the press wheels would slide and not roll over the residue. About every other year we had to rebuild the tail sections with new bushings and bolts when running the cast wheels because of the heavy wheels planting on contours.  With the Mohawks there is less wear and tear on the press wheel brackets. There is still at least another 9,000 to 10,000 acres left in wear on our present Mohawk wheels and we’ve been running them for 9 years at 1,000+ acres every year.

J.Y., Nebraska

The best addition I added to the planter this winter has been the Mohawk Closing Wheels. Half of my planter were Copperheads and the other Mohawks. Both of these wheels do a better job than the stock closing wheels, but the Mohawks have a distinct edge. The Mohawks sealed the seed slot better and with less pressure while crumbling the top soil. The Copperheads mostly pushed the slot together which made it prone to open back up with lack of rain. The Mohawks never had that problem. In heavy residue, the Mohawks always sealed the slot while I had to crank down the pressure on the Copperheads to achieve the same results and sometimes still not seal the slot.

M.D., Kentucky

I installed Mohawk closing wheels last year. I was very happy with the performance. OEM are sometimes not aggressive enough and the after markets I've been around can be too aggressive. The Mohawk seems to be more forgiving under varying field conditions. Wet–they seal nicely without packing. Dry–seeds are not disturbed and cloddy soil is broken up and firmed nicely. Very happy with performance and durability.

D.A., Illinois

I have a great appreciation for the Mohawk closing wheel's ability to crumble side wall compaction without lifting or disturbing seed placement. While testing the effects of the Mohawk verses OEM rubber closing wheel, one could not find the trench when digging for seeds from the Mohawk side; however, compaction and side wall smearing is easily found on the side of the OEM rubber closing wheel. We’re totally sold on the Mohawk Closing Wheel System and use them on no-till and conventional tillage with great results

A.B., Iowa

We farm no-till soybeans in clay hills using a 3650 Kinze©. (We do not use row cleaners in planting soybeans.) This past Spring we planted with the Kinze for the first time; the Kinze came with Schlagel planter wheels. Before selling our 7000 John Deere© we moved the 12 rows of Mohawks™ off it, and bought 4 new rows of Zippers™ for the back 16 rows. We left the Schlagels on the front 15 rows. The Mohawks have done an excellent job for us over other closing wheels we have tried in prior years; and this year it proved again. The Mohawks leave a feathered light close to the seed trench while also breaking through any no-till trash outside the seed walls. The Mohawks work well in dry or damp soil conditions and play a good balance between the two; where some closing wheels work well in one condition and not the other. The Schlagels seemed to leave more of pinching affect and didn’t close the trench as well, leaving the seed uncovered, especially in damper soil conditions. Schlagels also tend to ball up in muddy soils vs the Mohawks. The Mohawks gave us better stands by about 20-30,000 population vs the Schlagels on soybeans. I recommend 100% to use Mohawks in similar soil conditions! We defiantly will next year!

Nathan Brabec; Schuyler, NE

We have used the Schaffert 2x2 stainless steel fertilizer tubes on our 1250 Case planter for two years.We were dry in 2016, but had record yields in 2017 using this system. It’s a simple and low cost way to kickstart the corn. Adjustment was needed to drop the starter into the trench closing wheel slot, so for 2018, we will use the rubber boots to get closer to the wheel cut. Thank you for a good product, Paul!

K.W., Indiana

I am planting corn with the 2x2 fertilizer tubes and I really like them—they are working great. Instead of orifices, I put a drag hose on the end of the tube and it eliminated the splatter from the dribbling out the bottom of the stainless tube.

R.D., Arkansas

Just finished installing the latest 2x2 fertilizer tubes with the sliding top bracket. They fit perfectly! Great idea with the top bracket! Thank you for your efforts and for your persistence.

K.W., Indiana

I have a set of 2x2 fertilizer tubes on my Case IH planter. Dad came over one day to check them out. His reaction? "They look good. You get me a set."

K.O., Nebraska

We have used several sets of the Stainless steel fertilizer tubes for the CaseIH Planter. In some applications, we have replaced the old disk and pipe arrangement. We are finding that the customers much prefer the tube because it is more precise in placement and reduces the amount of fertilizer that accumulates on the press wheel. In my opinion, using the orifice and putting the fertilizer under pressure is much better than letting it dribble in the trench. We will probably use the tubes exclusively from now on.

R.J., North Carolina

Two years ago we ran one Gen 2 "Out the Back" opener on our 24 row 20 planter. We eliminated the soil build-up on the gauge wheel and also noticed less seedbed disturbance compared to our other fert openers. This past year we purchased the other 23 Gen 2s. We were concerned that the Gen 2 hose bracket placed starter fertilizer a little farther to the side but after this season's results we are pleased with the way the Gen 2s performed.

B.H., New York

I put "Out the Back" fertilizer discs From Schaffert Mfg. on my White 6000 Planter in 2009. We planted corn in wet conditions in southern Indiana and they worked very well. We put down 18 gallons of 32% nitrogen. A neighbor had a liquid attachment on his JD planter in front of the planter. He had fertilizer and mud all over his planter. My planter stayed clean all season. I really liked the job the Schaffert Fertilizer Disc did. We will put more fertilizer on this year with the discs.

C.S., Indiana

I have had the "Out the Back" fertilizer disk openers for only a year, but they seem to be working great. I have them on a 7000 JD 16 row so I had to put updated tail sections on; with the new tails on they are very simple to take on and off. Last year was a wet spring for us and the out the backs discs worked great compared to discs in front of the unit because the gauge wheels never had to run in wet dirt that was turned up from factory openers. I placed the fertilizer 2X2, and ran a rate of 25 gal per acre and didn't have a problem at all. Schaffert is sending me the deflectors to run beside the disk which should solve the one problem that I had, which was every once and awhile a cob would get stuck between the disk and fertilizer tube and plug it up (which usually only happened in the corn on corn ground). I would recommend these to anybody placing fertilizer off to the side. They are simple and they work well, but the best thing I like is they keep the fertilizer off the planter.

R.H., Nebraska

As a Case IH dealer we have sold several “Out the Back” fertilizer disc systems. Being a dealer you want to offer a good product that works and is cost efficient to the customer. The 2 X 2 system is easy to install by replacing one of the OEM covering discs on Case planters with the fertilizer disc setup. This system gives the owner some options on how they place the fertilizer. A couple of options would be to stream the fertilizer on with stream tip nozzles or use orifice plates further up the system so that you can stream the fertilizer on by dragging a hose in the slot the disc cuts. Either way we set it up the customers are very satisfied. A benefit of the “Out the Back” system is that the planter stays clean of fertilizer especially since now they have the orange boot attachment, unlike some other systems which apply fertilizer ahead of the row units. We have enough customers using the 2 X 2 “Out the Back” that it sells itself.

T.H., Kansas (Dealer)

I bought my Kinze 3500 8/16 in 2010. Put Niemeyer shoes on and wasn't able to do what I wanted to do; I wanted higher starter fertilizer rates. I saw the G2 system advertised in a magazine and liked the set-up. The G2 is very cost effective for me because I also plant soybeans with this planter. It allows me to run a 2x2 at the rates I want (15 gallon of 28). The Mohawk closing wheels work well in my heavier soil. Last, the tech support has been the best part. When you call with a question you can actually talk to the owner. If you're looking for versatility on your planter at a reasonable price, I recommend checking into Schaffert products.

B.K.., Indiana

We have used the G2 2x2 for two years now, and doing so, we are extremely happy with the results. This system allows us to put nutrients close to the seed where it is readily available. This helps establish the plant early and saves money on fertilizers. We highly recommend it.

T.I., Alabama

I have used the "Out the Back" fertilizer system from Schaffert for six years now and plan to keep using them. The staff and owner at Schaffert are top notch. You couldn't ask for better service. Great product!

B.D., Michigan

I went from having 78% plants up within 36 hours of each other, to over 95% of the plants up in a 36 hour period with the addition of the 4 Link Closers on.

J.G., Nebraska

Last winter you were kind enough to spend time explaining the operating principles and benefits of your 4 Link Closers and Rebounders. Having started no-tilling in 1972 (under variable and adverse soil conditions), I have a deep appreciation for products that perform under challenging circumstances. The addition of your Rebounders and 4 Link Closers to my Case IH 800 planter resulted in the best and most uniform stand of corn that I have ever had. This was planting "green" into a dense cover crop. Schaffert Rebounders and 4 Link Closers were 100% trouble free, and produced excellent results under difficult conditions. Thank you for your personal service and outstanding products!

P.M., South Carolina

Kris and Paul Schaffert explained how the stock closing wheels on my John Deere planter can lift the row unit out of the ground in rough conditions created by pivots, wash outs, or even root balls that don't get cleaned out by the furrow openers. I tried their 4 Link Closers, and was amazed at how smooth the planter ran through the field. Another thing that was impressive was how consistent the seed to soil contact was.  Whether the soil was clay, silt, wet, or dry, the closer tucked the seed in the soil like a freshly tilled garden. We even had some rain following some wet planting conditions, but the crust was so minimal that it had no effect on the seed emergence.

J.G., Nebraska

I have a DB 60 high speed 36 row 20 inch planter. It has about every option on it including tracks, hydraulic down force, hydraulic row cleaners and air down force on closing wheels. I put on the Schaffert Rebounders with Y-Not Splitters to apply 10 gal. of 10/34/00 in-furrow. I use the Y-Nots as it applies the fertilizer beside the seed, not on it. I say this set-up is the real deal! When I check stands there is never a double, never a skip. If a plant is missing, dig down and the seed is there. Happens very seldom, though. I apply fertilizer for two reasons: 1) a carrier for insecticide; 2) the corn moisture in the fall will be 2 to 3 points less and the yield slightly more. As far as cost goes, the only cost is setting up the planter. Whatever units I put on with the planter, I subtract off the spread fertilizer. I believe high yields are obtained by a lot of little things working together. My APH is 239 per acre on rolling ground near the Mississippi.

D.R., Illinois

The Rebounder with the Straight Shot puts the fertilizer down under the Rebounder with very little splatter. It also puts a little dirt on the seed before the fertilizer goes in-furrow. We apply 10 GPA of 10-34-0 and 5 GPA of 32-0-0 + zinc for a total of 15 GPA when we plant wheat and it does a great job. When planting milo and sunflowers with the same machine we apply 7.5 GPA 10-34-0 + zinc. We get great stands. The Rebounder does not press the seed into the hard trench, but places a little loose dirt over it. This keeps keep the seed from bouncing all over the seed slot. We have had all the way from the original Rebounder up the recent one with the Straight Shot incorporated into it. The Rebounder wears really well. We just put our 3rd set on and each set probably went over 7500-1000 acres. They do what Paul says they will do!!

T.B., Nebraska

In 2006, 2 neighboring farmers in our area each own John Deere planters, one with Rebounders and one without Rebounders. The only thing that divides them is the county road. They planted their soybeans at the same time in the same soil type and conditions. We had a dry season and the farmer with the Rebounders on his planter had a good uniform stand of soybeans and the other farmer without Rebounders didn’t get all his seeds covered and had a stand of various heights due to the dryness and having to wait for a rain to get the rest of the seeds to emerge. The season continued dry. During early September with the fields drying down across the hills and valleys and maturing at the same time the farmer with the Rebounders will be able to harvest sooner because of uniformity. The farmer who didn’t use Rebounders still has green soybeans in the valleys and will be waiting for his later soybeans to mature.

R.S., Minnesota (Dealer)

I run a John Deere 7300 8 row 30 and I wouldn’t run without Rebounders. I really like the Rebounders in cotton planting. Better seed depth and all in the bottom of the furrow. I had one missing last year during cotton planting. The seed spacing was not as good and the depth was better on the other rows. I saw seed close to the top on the row that was missing the Rebounder and it didn’t come up til it rained.

C.R., Oklahoma

I have a White Planter 8180, 16 Row and this is my 2nd Set of Rebounders. I had white Rebounders first and went to orange and they last a lot longer. I am very happy with their performance and helped the germination. On soybeans we got an unbelievable stand. Any seed that hit the ground grew. We had better seed to soil control than without Rebounders.

K.R., Iowa

With the competitor's brand on I would find seeds pressed into the side walls of the furrow. Then I switched to the Rebounders and now I find all seeds in the bottom of the furrow.

K.F., Illinois

Very satisfied with the Rebounders. We had a great stand with the Rebounders. They are very easy to install.

G.B., Ohio

This past winter, I installed Rebounders and Mohawks on half my planter. Once spring came, I put them to the test. Intially, the Rebounders would ride on top of the ground. I called Paul and he told me to check my seed tube guards and disc openers and replace if needed. My guards were a little worn, but not to the point they needed to be replaced. However, a new Rebounder needs to have a new seed tube guard to perform correctly. My disc openners measured 14 7/8″ across and kept them on the planter. I trimmed the Rebounders just a hair on a bench grinder and installed new seed tube guards. Reassembled the planter and off to the field I went again with much better results. What I like most about the Rebounders over a seed firmer is the ability to find your seed and none of the seeds are pushed into the sidewall. The Rebounder gently pushes the seed down to the bottom of the trench where it should be.

M.D., Kentucky

To those of ya'll looking at purchasing Rebounders and Y-Nots for your planter I can honestly say there are worth every penny. We put them on our planter when it was new to be able to apply liquid fertilizer. We apply 7 gallons of fertilizer with the Rebounder Y-Not set up. We have not had a problem with the fertilizer getting on the seed. If I had a planter that was not set up for liquid I would still want the Rebounders on my planter. What I love about Rebounders is that the seeds are in a straight line in the seed trench and are in the ground. When I say in the ground I mean they are buried in the bottom of the trench. There is great soil to seed contact. We farm in the black land of central Texas. One concern we had at first was if the Rebounders would pick up the wet black soil. They never have. We have balled our planter up and the Rebounders were clean of mud. We are replacing our Rebounders and Y-Nots after 6 planting seasons. We did not look at anything else.

R.L.R, Texas

The Rebounders really work well on the Tye 15′ Drill. You don’t see any beans uncovered like I used to before I put the Rebounder on. There’s more uniform depth placement also.

P.A., Indiana

The Rebounders work wonders for our seed depth and I wouldn't run my John Deere without them. The product is great and has really helped me with my yields.

W.T., Missouri

5 or 6 years ago I put one IH 800 Rebounder on my planter and planted 100 acres. I ran short of time and after 100 acres I put the other 5 rows of Rebounders on. When I went to spray the field, the one row planted with the Rebounder was 8″ tall and the other 5 rows were only 4″-5″ tall. What a difference the Rebounders made!

H.R., Kansas

I used the Schaffert Rebounders and Totally Tubular fertilizer tubes on my JD planter for the 07 and 08 growning season. The results were perfect. There was no seed drag what so ever. For the 09 growing season I made the mistake of replacing my Rebounders for a set of another brand. The results were terrible. I had seed being bunched up and piled by the other brand attachment. For the 2010 planting season I have purchased a set of Rebounder Seed Covers with Y-Not Split and bullet check valves.

L.Z., North Dakota

The first year I no-tilled, I ran a different attachment and had mud build-up in clay soils. Switched to Rebounders and Furrow Vs and no problems since. Last year replaced piston pump with electric pump and manifold system. In cab control of rate and on-off now at a fraction of the cost of piston pump! Easy to install and all parts there as promised! I used to plant 2,000 to 4,000 extra seeds per acre to get desired final population. With Schaffert, my stands are within 500 plants of target now! Thanks!

A.H., Nebraska

I used another attachment for years. Then I saw your ad and decided to switch to the Rebounder. The only thing I changed on the planter was installing your product. I left the population on the planter and all the other settings the same. What impressed me most was the fact that my end population in the field increased by 2,600 seeds per acre with the same population setting I had been using with the other brand. The increase in yield alone more than paid for the Rebounders in one year. I am totally satisfied with your product. Thank you! (A very satisfied customer!)

K.S., Wisconsin

We have used Schaffert Rebounders for years. We tried other brands but there is no comparison in longevity and ease of installation. Very pleasant group of people at Schaffert to talk with about new products and ordering.

M.G., New York

Several years ago, I rebuilt the six main units on my split row planter and put on Rebounders at the time. After planting beans, the six rows with the Rebounders came up two days sooner and had an evener stand. I’m now rebuilding the splitter unit and putting on Rebounders. Thanks for a great product.

E.T., Illinois

I installed 6 Rebounders and 6 of the other brand attachments on my JD 7300. I like the Rebounders because the other brand builds up with mud in our sticky soils and the Rebounders do not build up with mud. I am ordering the rest of the Rebounders next day air!!!

L.P., Texas

Very impressed with Rebounders!! We strip till in the fall and we have good moisture in the spring. The Rebounders put all seeds in the bottom of the furrow. We even have a set of the other brand still in the box on the shelf because we like Rebounders better.

G.S., Wisconsin

Your Rebounders are the best seed firmers on the market. They are easy to mount, easy to use. But the part I like best is how they take the seed from the seed tube and line it up, then gently put it to bed in the bottom of the opened V. This lets the new seeds awaken to breakfast in bed placed there by Y-Not fertilizer tubes, sending the seeds on a quick, even, and early start on new life. I have tried other brands of firmers, but prefer the Rebounder by far. My checks have showed 3 to 5 bushel advantage, and very good seed alignment in the seed trench.

G.D., Iowa

A person could spend a lot of money with add ons on a planter but one with the most bang for your buck are the Rebounders. Years ago when I put my first set on a neighbor ask me how I got such an even stand. Bought a different planter last year that already had firmers so thought ok, great! Could go into detail but long story short, from starter placement, seed placement, to evenness of emergence they are coming off and Rebounders are going on. I have Rebounders on my wheat drill also. What a great, no mess, way to put liquid starter down.

S.S., Kansas

I have run the G2 system with the Rebounders for two years, going on my third. I previously ran another brand of firmers and coulter system, and wasn't satisfied with the results. When I bought my 9220 12 row White planter I found your system and really liked the way it looked. The first season I ran it I knew I had made the right choice. The Rebounder seed covers do a great job of sealing/firming the seed trench without any dirt buildup.

J.F., Illinois

Better seed depth control, faster planting speed, lasts forever, mud doesn't stick to it like on the firmers. This is the 4th planter/drill we have put Rebounders on. Upgrading a planter means putting Rebounders on.

T.H., Illinois

Several years ago I rebuilt my six main units on my split row planter and put on rebounders at the time. After planting beans, the six rows with the rebounders came up two days sooner and had a more even stand. I'm now rebuilding the splitter unit and putting on rebounders. Thanks for a great product.

E.T., Illinois

I have owned your Rebounders on two planters, and went to them because I wanted to keep all my seed in the trench but didn't want to drag a product that would build up mud balls in less than ideal conditions. My soild change a lot in just one field, but the Rebounders allow me to never worry about them collecting a mud ball and dragging the seed. This year I had to go around mud holes, and when I cheated in a little too much I would check my rebounders for mud and was always happy because they'd be clean. With the price of seed I have always hated seeing any on top of the ground from planter bounce, especially in beans. The rebounders allow me to get them all in the ground at the depth I want. Thanks Paul!

D.R., South Dakota

I have used Rebounders on my planter now for six years. I chose the rebounders after researching other brands to place the seed firmly in the bottom of the seed trench without balling up with mud and dragging the seed in wet spots as other designs do. Using them with the why-not-splitter starter fertilizer attachment works very well. It kept the fertilizer directly off the seed. They work extremely well on my air planter which tends to have seed bounce causing unevenness in depth. All seeds are now at the same depth. After using the Schaffert Rebounders on my IH 800 planter for two years, I decided to try them on my Great Plains No-Till Drill with coulter caddy. I am in complete no till and could not be happier with the Rebounders on the drill. It has one inch press wheels to make sure that the seed is pressed into the bottom of the furrow. An integral harrow then pulls dirt over the trench. In drier conditions the dirt pulled over the seed was sometimes dry and would dry out the seed so that it would not germinate until a rain. With the Rebounders installed, soil was pulled off both sides of the trench just before the press wheel passes by, and the dirt is usually moist resulting in good emergence in more varied field conditions. The Rebounders are a great asset.

P.T., Missouri

We purchased a new Twin Row 1632 Kinze  planter in 2018 with Precision equipment on it. We planted corn and soybeans and had very erratic depth control and seeds that were rolled together. It didn’t seem to matter if we planted at 10mph or 5mph. In 2019 Precision thought they had our problems solved but throughout the planting season, we saw all of the same issues. With 140 acres of beans left to plant, we retro-fitted Schaffert Rebounders on 4 rows of the planter. After planting at a speed of 8 mph, we dug 5 foot long trenches in the seed furrow to compare seed depth consistency. Our target was 1.5″ seed depth. With the firmers, we found erratic seed depth varying from 1.75″ deep to on top of the ground, and some of the some seeds rolled together. The most variance found with the Rebounders was 1/4″.

B.J., Illinois

Last winter you were kind enough to spend time explaining the operating principles and benefits of your 4 Link Closers and Rebounders. Having started no-tilling in 1972 (under variable and adverse soil conditions), I have a deep appreciation for products that perform under challenging circumstances. The addition of your Rebounders and 4 Link Closers to my Case IH 800 planter resulted in the best and most uniform stand of corn that I have ever had. This was planting "green" into a dense cover crop. Schaffert Rebounders and 4 Link Closers were 100% trouble free, and produced excellent results under difficult conditions.Thank you for your personal service and outstanding products!

P.M., South Carolina

The Rebounder with the Straight Shot puts the fertilizer down under the Rebounder with very little splatter. It also puts a little dirt on the seed before the fertilizer goes in-furrow. The Rebounder does not press the seed into the hard trench, but places a little loose dirt over it. This keeps keep the seed from bouncing all over the seed slot. We have had all the way from the original Rebounder up the recent one with the Straight Shot incorporated into it. The Rebounder wears really well. We just put our 3rd set on and each set probably went over 7500-1000 acres. They do what Paul says they will do!!

T.B., Nebraska

We’ve been using the Rebounder™ with the Liquid Fertilizer Tube (Chad’s Tube). We have never seen a stand of durum wheat come up within hours, where it usually takes a couple days for the stand to establish. I’ve also attached a picture of our canola stand. Uniformity was amazing. Thanks again!

Chad Rubbelke, North Dakota

In 2020 I fitted my 1895 air seed with chad’a tubes and rebounders. Although the rebounders seemed to wear fairly fast, our emergence and seed uniformity was greatly enhanced. Soybeans stood out to have a night and day difference from our prior seed firmer. Chads tubes worked great, even in terrible seeding conditions that we ran into in 2020, they did not plug and applied the product in the correct position that we needed. We applied pivot return to all of our wheat, which needed precise placement, and the chad’s tubes help make this possible.

CR from North Dakota

Chicken Track Press Wheel

I have tried all sorts of systems on my CIH 950 planter for fertilizer and the Schaffert 2 x 2 tubes are the only ones that work in all conditions. I can put down a heavy rate and still be close to the seed, and I'm not interfering with the seed trench. Plus, with running Chicken Trackers instead of the packer wheel I get good closure and no gumming up the wheel.  Win/Win all the way around.

Tim R., North Dakota

I have used your Chicken Trackers for 2 years now on my CIH 1255 planter. They have greatly improved the closing of the seed trench over the OEM press wheels. They will bother a little in sticky conditions but not any worse than the mud buildup on the original press wheels. In good to dry conditions they do a great job. I would also like to comment on your employees. You have a top notch group. They're all so friendly and helpful and willing to take time to treat me like I’m the most important person there. From the girls up front to everyone in assembly and particularly to Gage and Anthony upstairs for directing me and giving advice I needed on my Dosatron injection system. I sure appreciated doing business with your group.

Dale C.

I ran one Chicken Tracker in the spring of 2014 on my 24R Case, over approx. 3,000 acres. And loved it! It crumbled the top soil in all conditions. Here in southern Wisconsin, we have variable conditions—throughout all or many fields. The Chicken Tracker helps eliminate any variables without plugging. They're easy to install, just the one factory bolt. If the spring would turn super dry, switch back to the factory rubber wheel. I would recommend the Chicken Tracker to anyone with minimum or no-till and any varying soil type.

J.A., Wisconsin

I ran the Chicken Tracker wheels over 1000 acres of no-till corn and 800 acres of no-till beans. I was very impressed with emergence of crops behind the Chicken Trackers. When I ran my row cleaners deeper into wetter soils, the Chicken Tracker collected some mud. Then when I ran the row cleaners shallow, just moving residue away, the Chicken Tracker worked great. So, as with anything, work until you find the Trackers are doing their job. Overall I was impressed with this product.

K.K., Illinois

With the Chicken Tracker wheels, I noticed they left no ridge between the rows like the original press wheel left. This proved to be very beneficial because when we got a rain after planting with the Chicken Trackers, the ridges didn’t wash down like they did with the regular press wheels and put a crust on the wheat plants that were emerging or ready to emerge. After all the rain we had this past spring, a better stand emerged with the Chicken Trackers, and we didn’t have to replant due to crusting problems. The Chicken Tracker wheels also did not build up with mud like the regular press wheels did after the abundance of rain during planting. Schaffert Mfg. Co. made the Chicken Track rods 5 1/2″ between spokes. On the side with the arm coming down alongside the spokes they angle cut the rods so they run parallel with the arm, which left from 1/2″ to 3/4″ of room between the arm and Chicken Tracker wheel. This kept them from plugging with trash and residue. To mount the new Chicken Tracker wheels, I used a 5/8″ x 4″ bolt with a 7/8″ nut over the bolt for a spacer bushing between the press wheel arm and the Chicken Tracker wheel hub. It was one of the best things I did to improve the John Deere 455 grain drill.

L.W., Texas

The center of the picture is the Chicken Tracker row and the other are the normal press wheels (Case IH press wheels on a Kinze planter). When I planted this the conditions where good and this picture is after two small rains of about a half inch or less. If we had gotten more rain, the rows planted with normal press wheels would have crusted. The Chicken Tracker clumps soil so it does not crust as easy.

D.V., Illinois

Pump Systems

I have used your Chicken Trackers for 2 years now on my CIH 1255 planter. They have greatly improved the closing of the seed trench over the OEM press wheels. They will bother a little in sticky conditions but not any worse than the mud buildup on the original press wheels. In good to dry conditions they do a great job. I would also like to comment on your employees. You have a top notch group. They're all so friendly and helpful and willing to take time to treat me like I’m the most important person there. From the girls up front to everyone in assembly and particularly to Gage and Anthony upstairs for directing me and giving advice I needed on my Dosatron injection system. I sure appreciated doing business with your group.

Dale C.

I have a JD 4 row planter 7000 with John Blue Squeeze Pump. I use 4 rows 2x2 and 2 rows off 6 row pump and split into 4 rows with Schaffert's manifold and orange ofifices with 50 mesh screen on in part of the manifold - the screen make all 4 rows put out the same fertilizer.

J.N., Ohio

The pump systems are really simple—worked just like you said and were easy to install.

C.P., Mississippi

I like the idea of being able to adjust the volume accurately in the cab, and the charts you send are very easy to read and use. Setting up the system was a cinch.

J.G., Texas

After visiting the Schaffert display at the Louisville Farm Show, we ordered a micro-nutrient system to add onto our Kinze 2600 planter. We were pleased to find that there was pre-assembly done before it was sent. This made our installation considerably easier. We have verified the nozzle size to be as desired. The orange tubing makes a color code identifiable from the air system on our planter. We were able to install a 100 gallon tank and keep the additional unit protected in line with existing tanks during transport. This system has worked as well as expected.

J.B., Michigan

The Schaffert liquid fertilizer system is the pinnacle of the industry. It's very simple to use and bullet proof reliable. The best by far!!! Even more importantly is the absolutely second to none customer service. Just plain good knowledgable folks to deal with. Thanks for the good job!!!

P.L., Wisconsin

Furrow V Closers

I have been using Furrow V Closers on my 6 row John Deere 7000 and my 5 row John Deere splitter. I only use the splitter every other year as I do a corn and soybean rotation. I’ve been using the FVCs for about 15 years. I only farm 170 acres, so I don’t have up-to-date equipment. I am a no-till farmer, but I do use a vertical tillage tool only following fall harvest of corn. I also still use rubber closing wheels. The Furrow V Closers have always assured me that the furrow is always closed properly. I’m aware of all the add-ons on the market. I haven’t needed them. The V Closers are also very good in wet conditions. Thanks for making a quality product that does the job. Also, the young lady who answered the phone when I called to order replacement poly discs could not have been more professional and pleasant.

A.B., Ohio

I’ve tried many attachments on my John Deere 7000 planter. The Furrow V Closer is the best attachment I’ve ever put on. They do a good job of closing the seed V on my poorly drained upland clay soils.

M.M., Iowa

I plant 600 acres of corn with a John Deere planter. We try to plant early in the heavy black ground, it’s very hard to get the seed V closed properly. We installed a set of Furrow V Closers and they do a super job of closing the seed V. We even run less pressure on our press wheels.

R.W., Iowa

I love the Furrow V Closers in our no-till operation, they move the correct amount of soil needed for seed to soil contact and seem to close the seed V very well. Also, Schaffert Mfg. staff are very helpful to work with!

M.J., MN