Problems with a seed tube sensor on your planter? Here are some common problems that cause seed tube sensors to fail or read inaccurately:
-damaged wires on planter unit or planter frame. Often shows up after filling seed boxes or when the planter has been dragged through a rough waterway or over an extreme terrace, which caused flex in the planter parallel arms or frame pivots that pinched wires. Carefully check every inch of wiring harness from the seed sensor connector to the harness connector at the back of the tractor. Pay special attention to where the wires are routed through the parallel arms of the planter unit and where the main harness exits the planter frame just behind the tractor.
-moisture in wiring harness connectors. This is a special problem for older planters with the square/rectangular, hard-plastic, push-together connectors with blade-type pins. Use contact cleaner or brake cleaner to “dry” those connectors.
-wear to blade-type connectors. If the flat blades in those old-style connectors have any “brass” showing, any gold color on the surfaces of their pins, the connector needs to be rebuilt. Those flat blades must have silver finishes for good connectivity.
-moisture in round-style, tractor-to-planter electrical connectors. Sometimes those big, round, screw-together connectors sort of hang off the rear of tractor cabs. Rainwater, even dew, runs down the wire into the back of the connector body and eventually corrodes the pins inside. Unscrew those big connectors and check for ANY greenish corrosion on ANY of the pins. If possible, route those harnesses so the connectors are horizontal to reduce problems with moisture infiltration.
-"hazy” lenses on the actual seed tube sensors. If one row slowly begins to show lower rates than other rows, but that row is actually, physically planting correctly when you dig, the sensor “eye” may be hazed from zillions of seeds passing across its surface. Cut the zip ties that hold the sensor to the seed tube and physically inspect the surface of the sensor. If it looks cloudy or there are visible scratches, it’s time to replace that sensor.
