John Deere’s RowCommand, which allows for seed savings by avoiding overplanting, is now available for chain-drive planters.

Introduced in 2008 for Pro-Shaft drive planters with MaxEmerge and Pro-Series XP row units, RowCommand has become a widely used planter component for many row-crop producers.

“As the cost of seed continues to rise, more producers are looking for ways to maximize their seed investment through more precise placement in the field and to reduce overlap,” says Chris Savener, product manager, John Deere Seeding. “The availability of RowCommand as a field conversion attachment to chain-drive planters gives more producers an opportunity to realize the value of this technology in their operations.”

The RowCommand system controls seed delivery by automatically engaging and disengaging the chain drive clutch on each individual row unit based on GPS field maps and boundaries. “The system allows operators to reduce overplanting in point rows and around headlands, thereby reducing seed costs and the yield drag associated with double planting,” Savener adds.

RowCommand requires a GreenStar2 1800 or 2600 display and SeedStar2 monitoring system installed on the planter for operation. The RowCommand system is compatible with the following chain-driven John Deere planter models and row configurations:

• 1720: 12-row narrow; 12-row wide; and 16-row narrow
• 1760: 12-row narrow
• 1770: 12-row narrow
• 1770NT: 12-row; 16-row; and 24-row narrow
• 1770NT: CCS 12-row; 16-row; and 24-row narrow
• DB 44: 24-row, 22 in.