FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Ordering & Pricing

All plates, filler rings and adaptors are $85.00 each. Orders of 25 or more plates get a 10% quantity discount and ship free via UPS Ground (discount doesn’t apply to expedited shipping). Star Knockers (BSK-1 and CSK-1, used with 60-cell Sorghum plates) are $2.00 each.

Non-established accounts can pay by credit card, check, or C.O.D. Established accounts are due 30 days from the invoice date; a 1.5%/month (18% annual) interest charge applies to late balances. Returns, exchanges, and discounts require prior authorization — please inspect your order and report any discrepancy within 10 days of receipt.

Shipping

  • Standard UPS Ground: $25/order
  • UPS Next Day Air: $80/order
  • UPS 2nd Day Air: $40/order
  • UPS 3rd Day Select: $30/order
  • UPS C.O.D.: $18/order

Prices are for orders up to 100 plates, shipped within the continental US (excludes Alaska and Hawaii). Orders of 25+ plates ship free via UPS Ground.

Yes — UPS Standard International to Canada is $35/order. For all other countries, please email for a shipping quote.

Orders received by 12:00pm MST ship the same day; orders after that ship the next business day.

Choosing the Right Plate

Check your seed bag for a plate size recommendation first. If there isn’t one, see our full Seed Sizing Guide for how to measure your seed against a plate, or just send us a small sample — see below.

Yes. Send 10–20 seeds, including the largest in the sample, wrapped so they won’t get crushed by postage machines (a bubble mailer works well). Include your email address and the type of planter you have. We’ll typically email a recommendation the same day we receive the seed.

Yes, we have plates that work with most seed types. See the “Other seed” section of our Seed Sizing Guide for specific recommendations, or send us a sample.

A 16-cell plate plants about 1/3 less seed than a 24-cell plate. 24-cell is the more common choice.

Spacing depends on both the cell count and your planter’s sprocket settings, which vary by make and model — check your planter’s Operator’s Manual for the sprocket chart specific to your planter.

Will This Fit My Planter?

  • John Deere plates (part numbers starting with B) are 6-15/16″ overall diameter. They fit the John Deere 71 and similar JD gravity-fed plate planters, the Yetter 71 Series (still manufactured today), and Allis Chalmers gravity-fed planters when paired with our AC-Adaptor.
  • International plates (part numbers starting with C) are 7-5/8″ overall diameter. They fit the IHC 56 and similar IHC gravity-fed planters, as well as 1968-and-later Case planters.

No — Ford 309 plates are slightly larger in diameter than John Deere plates, so ours won’t fit. John Deere plates do work in Ford 352 planters, since Ford converted the 352 bottom to accept a JD plate.

We have 4 Massey Ferguson plates for planters using flat-drop cells (fully enclosed, ~8¼” overall diameter). If your MF planter uses edge-drop plates, ours won’t work — check your planter’s plate style before ordering.

Yes. We relocated to Colorado in 2010 and have been owned and operated by the same family since 1960.

Plate Care & Modifications

Blank plates are plastic and cut easily with a Dremel tool or a hand file:

  1. Lay your largest seed on the flat flange part of the plate and trace it.
  2. Cut the rough shape, cutting small at first and test-fitting the seed often as you enlarge it — aim for about 1/64″ of clearance around the seed. Precision isn’t critical, but avoid leaving room for a second seed or seed fragment in the cell, which can cause cracking and poor germination.
  3. Some growers slightly chamfer the upper edge of the cell to help the knocker assembly clear doubles.
  4. After cutting one cell, test it with seed in the hopper and run a couple of rotations above ground before cutting the rest.
  5. Once that’s working well, cut the remaining cells to your preferred spacing.

Most corn plates have a built-in wear gauge — a small hole on the bottom of the plate. As the top wears down from seed contact, that hole gradually becomes visible from the top. Once you can see it, it’s time to replace the plate.

An older, more worn plate plants at a different rate than a new one. Keep the plates across your rows at a similar wear level so planting rates stay consistent row to row — and note that a worn planter bottom (not just a worn plate) can also let smaller seed through unevenly.

Not with every plate — but Sunflower and Sorghum single-drop plates are thinner than a standard corn plate and need a specific filler ring to fit tight in the planter bottom. Without it, seed can ride above or below the plate and drop unpredictably. Filler ring thickness is matched to a specific plate, so using the wrong one will throw off your seed drop even with the correct plate installed.