Retrofit your machinery to increase ROI

Eight years between nearly any two pieces of equipment — whether cars, trucks, combines, or tractors — normally means two completely different machines. Technology changes fast, and manufacturers constantly update what they bring to market. 

But if you visit Stoller and Klein Farm in Illinois, you’ll see a 2014 and a 2022 planter sitting side by side, both equipped with virtually identical technology, allowing the farmers to stay on the cutting edge of production efficiency while keeping an eye on their bottom line. 

In the early 2000s Stoller and Klein Farm started adding Precision Planting products to their planter, a little at a time. 

“We started with finger meters, and then when the 20|20 monitor came out, we saw the capabilities it had to help us operate our current planter better,” says Chris Stoller, who grows corn and soybeans in the central Illinois counties of McLean, Livingston, and Woodford. “The only reason we changed planters was because we needed to go to bulk fill.”

Stoller stripped down that bulk fill planter — a 2014 model bought new on auction in 2016 — and retrofitted it with Precision Planting products, including DeltaForce, CleanSweep, and more, creating one of America’s first high-speed Case IH planters. He says those upgrades increased efficiency and reduced labor costs. 

“We’ve since added a 2022 model year planter, but the older one has all the same technology,” he says. “I can take either one out and do the same job.”

Agriculture technology has vaulted into the future with an array of autonomous and artificial intelligence features coming to new machinery. If you’re not ready for the bleeding edge but still looking to bring your machinery closer to tomorrow, here are a few ways you can upgrade your fleet. These retrofit options work on a variety of machines from different manufacturers going as far back as 20 years — and even older in some cases.

Planters

When Stoller retrofitted his planter, he also priced a new planter from a local dealer with similar technology. He wanted to see how much he was saving by buying an older machine and adding the upgrades. 

“I figured I had about $185,000 in mine, and the new one from the dealer was $360,000,” he says. “I had all the capabilities they had on the planter I built, but theirs was almost double the cost.”

Another advantage to upgrading on an as-needed basis is it’s not all or nothing. 

“We started with meters, then added the monitor, and from there we added more as we worked to solve our issues,” Stoller says. “We could slowly start fixing our problems at a lower cost, and when we upgraded from a 16-row planter to a 24-row, we moved our Precision Planting equipment over and only had to purchase eight new units.”

Planting implement retrofit upgrades fall into two categories: mechanical and electronic, says Bryce Baker, marketing director at Precision Planting.

Mechanical upgrades typically run cheaper than electronic and can be retrofitted without electronic connection. Mechanical upgrades can be applied to a wider range of planters from across the decades or to implements using a different manufacturer’s platform. Baker recommends considering updates that impact consistency of emergence, by upgrading parts such as row cleaners and the closing system.

Electronic upgrades have a higher price point on average. These apply to automating control of functions such as sensing, adjusting downforce control, and high-speed planting.

For Precision Planting’s electronic upgrades, farmers need to purchase one of the company’s 20|20 display monitors. The 20|20 allows monitoring planter systems, as well as displaying agronomic data such as seed population, singulation, ground contact, and a post-planting summary. 

A full upgrade suite is available through the 20|20 Planter Base System, which includes the monitor and a single row module (SRM) on every row. Once the SRM has been installed , farmers can choose from more than 10 Precision Planting products à la carte, including the speed tube, vDrive, and EMHD (electromagnetic) liquid control.

“When retrofitting in a tight economy, you could do one of those things and two years down the road you can plug in another,” Baker says. “It’s not: ‘I do it all now or I don’t do it.’ It’s ‘My budget is more constrained now; let me do the one that gives me the highest ROI, but I’m not precluded from not doing something in the future.’ It’s a Lego block approach — you can add to the system as you are ready.”

Baker recommends automated downforce control as one of the upgrades with the highest ROI. For example Precision Planting’s DeltaForce, compatible with the Planter Base System, automatically measures and adjusts downforce for every field condition variability. 

DeltaForce replaces planter springs or airbags with hydraulic cylinders, plus load cells that measure the weight carried on the row unit gauge wheels. All the operator does is set the target weight; the system adjusts from there. 

John Deere offers a planter upgrade lineup available for 2005 and newer models. Similar to Precision Planting’s electronic offerings, many of those require a technology package. Deere’s Precision Ag Essentials kit includes a StarFire 7000 receiver, G5 Plus display, and a JD Link modem.

For row unit upgrades, Deere offers ExactEmerge and MaxEmerge 5e kits. 

ExactEmerge row units are designed to increase accuracy at planting speeds up to 10 mph, with the BrushBelt system precisely placing seeds for even emergence. The vacuum meter is compatible with a wide range of seeds without needing mechanical adjustments. 

MaxEmerge 5e row units are built with an electric drive with row-by-row shutoff; this maintains seed population accuracy around curves while reducing the typical wear seen with mechanical drives. Hopper improvements help decrease plugging, and have a range of options for various operational needs. 

The row units can be paired with Individual Row Hydraulic Downforce (IRHD) or pneumatic downforce. IRHD is made for consistent planting depth and optimal seed-to-soil contact, even in rapidly changing field conditions. This adjusts downforce up to five times per second, making up to a 100-pound adjustment within that time. 

For fertilizer options, Deere offers ExactRate and ExactShot. Matching the capabilities of the row unit upgrades, ExactRate allows operators to apply nutrients at up to 10 mph, with turn compensation and automatic rate adjustment based on ground speed.

ExactShot is Deere’s latest in fertilizer technology, says Kyle Barry, manager for precision upgrade marketing at the company. “It allows us to dose fertilizer just on the seed instead of a constant stream of fertilizer and can save customers 66% on their starter fertilizer programs,” he says.  

For its planters Deere also offers pneumatic closing wheels, row cleaner upgrades, a central tire inflation system, and frame weight distribution.

Sprayers

John Deere also offers a robust upgrade lineup for sprayers. “We offer multiple levels of upgrades that allow different capability,” says Jonathan Chase, vice president of marketing and shared services. He says See and Spray Premium is available for 2018 model year and newer John Deere sprayers. See and Spray Premium cameras and machine learning distinguish crops from weeds, spraying those only. Deere says the technology reduces overall herbicide usage and is accurate at operating speeds up to 12 mph. 

As the technology advances, Chase says, John Deere regularly updates software, allowing second- and third-generation equipment owners to have the latest and greatest features. 

See and Spray Premium costs $25,000 for a 120-foot steel boom on 15- or 20-inch spacing. The sprayer also must have an ExactApply system and Boom Trac Pro 2. 

A subscription fee also is applied: $4 per acre for soybeans and cotton, $3 per acre for corn, and $1 per acre for fallow. 

“We want [the ability to upgrade] to have a low up-front cost and to get better over time, adding different crops, different weeds, to get smarter and smarter,” Chase says. “We offer a subscription model that allows you the ability to upgrade the technology on what you have, when you want to use it.”

As an upgrade, John Deere offers BoomTrac Pro 2. To increase spraying accuracy the boom leveling system maintains the boom arms’ position side to side and up and down. Deere’s Pressure Recirculation system pushes product through the booms with a three-way valve to keep the chemical from settling and to consistently deliver it to each nozzle. 

Precision Planting has two sprayer retrofit systems: SymphonyNozzle and ReClaim. 

SymphonyNozzle is a pulse width modulation [PWM] control system that allows for individual nozzle control, senior product manager Luke Stuber says. “The biggest advantage,” he says, “is the ability to set a spray pressure and a spray rate, so that independent of travel speed, the pressure stays the same.”

Stuber adds that the SymphonyNozzle system optimizes ground speed for conditions, not pressure, saving the average farmer around 4% on chemical usage. 

“Some people don’t realize that on a tight turn the inside tip is about a 2-times rate, while the outside tip is a half rate, but SymphonyNozzle can compensate for that,” he says. 

The ReClaim system is designed to recirculate spray from booms back into the tank, potentially saving 10 to 20 gallons of product daily, Stuber says. 

“If I rinse at night, the next morning I have water in my boom that I need to get out before I start spraying,” he says. “ReClaim allows me to flip a switch and recirculate from my main boom line back into the tank while I’m filling or getting ready to spray. Nothing is wasted.”

Any ¾- to 1-inch sprayer can accommodate SymphonyNozzle, and any sprayer can add ReClaim. There is no subscription fee; local Precision Planting dealers provide pricing.

Tractors and Implements

With their OutRun autonomous system, AGCO and PTx Trimble focus on a retrofit-first, mixed-fleet approach to accelerate tractor autonomy adoption. Earlier this year AGCO purchased a majority stake in Trimble Agriculture, forming the new PTx Trimble technology development group. The company is developing retrofit kits for select compatible Fendt tractors and 2014 model year or newer John Deere 8Rs and 8000R IVTs. Compatibility with other manufacturers is on the way.

The system performs autonomous grain cart functions to ride alongside combines during harvest and deliver collected grain to a nearby semitrailer. Tillage autonomy is still in development, with more testing taking place this fall; the ultimate goal is to provide autonomous solutions across the crop cycle by 2030.  

The kit has a onetime fixed cost, which includes installation at the farm, plus training and a one-year subscription. The service then is available to purchase by hourly use, as a package of hours, or unlimited hours for the year. Hours do not expire and are counted only when the equipment is in autonomous mode — actually delivering value, according to Dinen Subramaniam, product and marketing manager for PTx Trimble. Select farmers used the system for the 2024 harvest. It is slated for wider availability in 2025. 

Case IH has several tools to increase implement performance. Soil Command delivers flexible tillage solutions with in-cab, single-button controls to manage depth, track corrections, and lift to full transportation height. The company says this reduces physical stress and time lost making manual adjustments. Additionally Soil Command offers customizable presets to deliver consistency within a tillage program, helping achieve soil health goals.

“Soil Command is purposefully designed to simplify adjustments and increase peak performance, which is why it’s a great addition to the Speed-Tiller 475 and VT-Flex 435,” says Ken Lehmann, crop production segment lead at Case IH. “Regardless of operator skill level, farmers can have confidence that their tillage program will run accurately and efficiently to address any soil concerns such as compaction, large clod sizing, [and] erosion.”

While Soil Command is designed to work best with Case IH equipment, it is brand agnostic, offering basic functionality on any ISO-compatible tractor. 

Case IH Active Implement Guidance is a plug-and-play solution that reduces or eliminates implement drift, increasing yield potential while protecting against crop damage and operator stress. The system ensures implement accuracy in a variety of field conditions and operating environments.

“When we think about operating in hills or around curves, we fight implement drift,” says Kendal Quandahl, Case IH precision technology segment lead. “When you’re trying to go into a very high accuracy operation, like strip till, it’s hard to take full advantage of your investment. With Active Implement Guidance, you lay your strips in the fall, and then, when you come back in the spring to plant, your planter lays right over that to make sure every single seed is exactly where you want it.” 

The implement guidance system shares guidance line data between the implement and the tractor, ensuring planting, strip till, side dress, and specialty windrow applications — such as potato production — are executed with precision. The system was designed with a simple single-display setup, compatible with select Case IH Early Riser Planters and select third-party applications. Orders are scheduled to open by the end of 2024, with delivery in early 2025, in time for spring work. 

Stoller, of Stoller and Klein Farm, recommends thinking about upgrades from the standpoint of what your operation lacks. 

“Are you in a strip till environment, where your acres are more highly managed? Then you might want to invest in row cleaners or a closing system,” he says. “Is your stand count low or your spacing bad? Maybe you put money into vacuum meters and speed tubes to get better singulation. If emergence is an issue, hydraulic downforce can help with compaction.

“What are you trying to gain, and where are you having struggles that need attention?” Stoller asks. “Being able to make those small steps without replacing the whole piece of equipment has been a big advantage to us.”