Zipper Closing Wheel
Planting Equipment / by Norman Nielsen / 35 views
The is a 13″ angled spiked closing wheel designed to take the place of standard, rubber closing wheels. It works in all soil types, and is the go-to wheel for the toughest of no-till conditions.
The non-aggressive, 1″ angled spikes on the Zipper feather the soil in the furrow while simultaneously applying pressure to ensure the furrow is zipped shut.
As the spikes close they create indentations which allow moisture to sink in, increasing seed-to-soil contact.
Zipper closing wheels are angled so that when they engage the soil at the 5, 6, and 7 o’clock positions, they are breaking the side wall down over the seed plus compacting the soil around the seed. Then, when they exit the soil at the 8 o’clock position, they are angled such that they release the soil, leaving it compacted around the seed. Because of this, you will not need to drag a chain behind them.
Other closing wheels on the market are aggressive and have the potential of actually flipping seeds out of the furrow. You will not have that problem with the Zipper.
Benefits of the Zipper
Features—Design—Benefits
- Longer wear, heavy duty cast metal spikes
- Breaks down sidewall and zips seed V shut at the same time
- Tubular design of spike allows it to release soil and eliminate plugging while compacting the soil around the seed
- Angle design doesn’t flip or throw soil out; it allows for accurate release
- As the Zipper closes it creates indentations which allow moisture to sink in
- Feathers the soil in the seed V with its wide track design
- Designed to break up compaction without being too aggressive
- 1″ spike will not get too close to or disturb seed
- Allows for better seed-to-soil contact
Eliminates Common Problems
- Compacts the soil better than straight-fingered wheels
- Moves soil with minimal compaction into the furrow
- Eliminates air pockets
- On a hot windy day the trench will not break back open
Where They Work—Suitable for Many Soils
- Made to work in tough soils
- Works in no-till or conventional
Ease of Installation
- Easy to install
- Works well with or without the G2 liquid fertilizer disc
These photos were taken comparing two fields right across the road from each other at the same time.
The planter planting corn into corn stubble had regular press wheels. The planter planting corn into wheat stubble had Zipper closing wheels. The ground was muddy when these plants were planted, the soil heavy and wet.
The weather turned hot and windy after planting, and you can see where the seed V closed with the regular press wheels has cracked back open. Here, the corn plants are leaning, and unable to throw out good root systems.
This study was performed in wet, less than ideal conditions by Beck’s Hybrids 2015 Practical Research.
“Wheels that crumbled the seed trench shut from the sides generally outperformed wheels that applied more pressure above the seed. In the wet conditions we were planting into, this action helped decrease compaction above the seedling and allowed for more even and uninterrupted emergence.” – Beck’s
All-Cast Zipper
The NEW all-cast Zipper and Mohawk Closing Wheels won’t build up with mud due to not having plastic rims catching mud on each side.
We experimented with these in 2019 in very wet soils and farmers were impressed with how clean they stayed in wet sticky soils.
COVER CROPS
Many of the spiked wheels on the market wrap or plug in cover crops. The cast Zipper is less likely to plug or wrap in heavy cover crops.
If they do start to wrap, one can order Hub Covers (shown here) as an option to prevent wrapping of cereal rye, vetch and other vining crops
We have even had farmers switch the Zippers around (shown below), running the right on the left side of the planter and the left wheel on the right with the fingers turned inward, to eliminate wrapping of cover crops.
- Listing ID: 243
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