360 Bandit

Bandit Picture

The simple, safe solution for banding nitrogen

with your planter

Banding nitrogen with the planter helps boost efficiency – nutrient efficiency and time efficiency. But it is critical that adding this operation to your planter pass does not interfere with the critical functions of the planter – getting seeds at the right depth, right spacing and firmed beneath the soil surface.

WE DESIGNED 360 BANDIT WITH THESE THREE CRITERIA IN MIND:

  1. Safety: The system must do its job without impacting seed placement, depth or furrow closing.
  2. Nitrogen/Sulfur Placement: The system must work in all soil conditions – rocks, muck, sand, not-till, cover crops. And it must consistently put nutrients three inches on each side of the plant and below the soil surface.
  3. Value: There are many attachment options for corn planters for apply nutrients. 360 BANDIT must perform, last and provide a fast ROI.

360 BANDIT positions nitrogen 1 x 2 x 3. It positions nitrogen 1” below the soil surface, on 2 sides of the row and 3 inches from the seed.

WHAT SETS 360 BANDIT APART FROM THE REST

The independent spring suspension system and placement between the row unit and the closing system means 360 BANDIT doesn’t rob penetrating force or downforce from either gauge wheels or closing wheels.

360 BANDIT openers’ independent springs allow the fertilizer disks maintain ground contact that keeps nitrogen/sulfur consistently placed in target zone.

Because the open disks are flat, not concave and positioned with a compound angle that toes out, minimal soil is moved by the disks and is thrown away from the seed trench. That means, even with high-speed planters, 360 BANDIT won’t impact seed placement, seed-to-soil contact seed trench sealing.

With 360 BANDIT, the fertilizer disks are placing nitrogen shallower that other closing systems. That reduces the downforce requirements for the system while ensuring that UAN is underground and protected from volatilization and loss.

Clearance between gauge and closing wheels nearly eliminates the chances for mud build up or residue plugging.

360 BANDIT’s position ahead of the closing wheel improves the system’s ability to track alongside the seed trench on curves.

The system uses what 360 has learned about nitrogen delivery and utilizes a spring loaded flexible braided hose to slide through the fertilizer slot.

The short saddle bracket keeps the closing wheel closer to the row unit than any other rear-mounted N system. That reduces transport width and eliminates in-field issues when backing into corners and on turns.

Drag chains, installed behind the closing wheels, help in multiple ways:

  1. They level and crumble the soil behind the closing wheels.
  2. They ensure that the fertilizer slot created by 360 BANDIT is closed.
  3. They mount to the closing-wheel bolt hub for easy installation.
  4. They eliminate the traditional bracket that often gets bent and allows chains to bounce.

Each row is installed in just a matter of minutes. The system is compatible with most closing wheel styles including John Deere standard rubber wheels, Martin 15” spiked wheels, 12” cast wheels, Pro-Stitch, Schlagel Posi-Close, Copperhead, FurrowCruiser, Schaffert Mohawk

360 BANDIT uses field proven bearings and disks – already in successfully used on planters over millions of acres. And, after hundreds of acres of use, the delivery tube and tube guide are simple and inexpensive to replace.

The 360 BANDIT design has evolved over the last five months to become a more precise, more robust and a safer nitrogen application tool. Through months of field testing, we have adjusted the position, spacing, delivery system and downforce requirements to address concerns from growers, test engineers and testing consultants in Australia and Argentina.

The result is a design that…

  • Works in a wider range of soil and crop conditions.
  • Does not impact depth or closing systems.
  • Accommodates a wide range of closing wheels.
  • Uses flat disks that with independent suspension to open a fertilizer slot. This eliminates impact and downforce issues on the row unit and closing system.
  • Has fertilizer disks with compound cutting angles that throw soil away from the seed trench so seeding depth is not altered.
  • Easily mounts between row unit and closing system. No drilling or row unit modification needed.

For 2018, 360 BANDIT is compatible with John Deere row units. We will continue to adapt and test the saddle bracket mount to accommodate additional planter makes and models in the near future.