I see these 2-row and 4-row planters from time to time for sale- anyone use them or have?
Can you get parts? Are they effective? Info appreciated-small food plots would be the application.

Your stand will not be consistent.

Sounds like it skips a lot?

Used a 2 row JD for years to plant corn, only corn. Slow but very reliable. Make sure you have correct plates. Sell for big $ around here now.

I've used one, not perfect but worked good for food plots. I converted mine to 3 point. There is a small lever on it to switch from slow, medium and fast seed drop. Get that right and use a corn plate and you should be good to go.

My problem with corn was not having a big enough plot. The deer and turkeys would wipe it out before they really needed it. Ymmv on that.

A 494a is the better one of the plate type, the worst part is they’re a shoe style and don’t have disk openers, which means you need the ground really soft and no grass clumps because they’ll plug, sometimes you can find a 7000 John Deere pretty cheap with the finger units and belted seed meter then you will have doubles and skips unless the finger unit is in really good shape.

One thing just came to mind the new high speed John Deere planters actually use the same theory as the 494a with a plate that sits horizontal and use a brush to take the seed to the trench but some 494 or 494a, I can’t remember which, used a chain instead of a brush.

I used mine for a few years planting food plots without too much trouble. Now the neighbor does it with is equipment and it takes a lot less time. They where fine for their time and as others said, good for food plots.

I have one with the hydrologic lift option. None of the JD dealers in my area have never seen one. They said it is very rare.

This is strange stuff to me ,pardon me as I do not want to offend the users of these .My problem is trying to rid myself of the deer and sometime elk in what I have seeded as I want to feed livestock or sell forage or grain . I realize we have very different problems with where we live ! God Bless all and our great nation.