Martin 20 Point Crumbler Wheels For John Deere and Case Single Disc Drills or Air-Seeders

Factory John Deere cast closing systems struggle to close the seed slot, especially within higher moisture clay soils (as illustrated to the right) or when the cast wheels become rounded on their edges. Based upon these concerns and many others outlined below, Phil Needham designed the Martin 20 Point Crumbler Wheels. These wheels are now made from ½” thick, heat treated T-1 (military armor grade) steel for high performance and long life. Martin 20 Point Crumbler Wheels easily install on John Deere drill and air-seeders plus the Case SDX range of air-seeders.

Improved Seed-Slot Closing: The rounded lobes around the periphery of the 13” wheel help crumble and close the seed slot more effectively than standard cast closing wheels across a wide range of soils and soil moisture levels. These benefits are most apparent when seeding into higher moisture soils or no-till fields with heavy residue (such as illustrated right when seeding into ryegrass cover crops). Producers seeding into cool, residue covered soils also appreciate the gently tillage action the Martin 20 Point Crumbler Wheels provide. This helps warm the seed zone and accelerates crop emergence.

Reduced Bouncing: Research conducted by Needham Ag Technologies, LLC. has found Martin 20 Point Crumbler Wheels bounce significantly less (20% in fact) compared side by side to John Deere factory cast closing wheels at the same speed. This reduction in bouncing helps maintain a more effective closing action which helps improve emergence consistency.

Martin 20 Point Crumbler Wheels Weigh Slightly More Than Factory Wheels: Other lighter aftermarket closing wheels require high amounts of down-pressure to allow them to perform to an acceptable standard. We have frequently observed that adding down-pressure to the closing system takes weight away from the single disc openers. This reduces reduce soil penetration and residue cutting, especially in hard/dry soils or when seeding into heavy residue (as illustrated right).

Extended Bearing Life For 50 Series Closing Systems: Martin 20 Point Crumbler Wheels come standard with a HU44B hub (on all 50 series drills and air-seeders). This assembled heavy duty hub installs easily and includes a high quality 5203 double-row sealed bearing (the same bearing as John Deere utilizes in their gauge wheels and their newer 60/90 closing wheel arms). This high quality bearing/hub combination almost eliminates the headaches of seal and bearing failures within the 50 series factory closing systems and provides long service life.

Martin 20 Point Crumbler Wheels Easily Install to 60/90 Series: We have an update kit to allow you to use the existing 60 or 90 series arm and bearing assembly, allowing fast and simple installation.

Notice how the Martin 20 Point Crumbler Wheels crumble the sidewall closed when seeding soybean into damp and firm no-till soils. Also pictured is the V8 firming wheel and the Needham narrow gauge wheel, which press the seeds down into the seed slot and leave more residue standing (compared to standard 4.5” wide gauge wheels).