Opener Blade Adjustment - Landoll 5531 Operator's Manual

OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE

Opener Blade Adjustment

1. To insure peak performance of the opener assembly
and maximum bearing life a proper opener blade
pinch point should be maintained. The pinch point of
the blades is the lower front point where the right and
left opener blade come in contact with each other.

Opener blades are extremely sharp. Exercise
extreme care when working on or near opener
blades. Do not allow opener blades to roll over or
fall onto any body part. Do not allow wrenches to
slip when working near blades. Never push
wrenches toward opener blades. Do not climb
over machine above opener blades. Failure to
stay clear of opener blade edges can cause
serious personal injury or death.
AIR OPENER
ASSEMBLY
OPENER BAR
CASTING
OPENER BLADE
5530 opener blade adjust
Figure 4-23: Opener Blade Adjustment
4-28
DANGER
STEEL SHIMS
OPENER DUST
COVER
3/4-10 X 2 HEX
HEAD CAP
SCREW
3/4N FLAT
WASHER
2. With a proper pinch point, you should be able to
rotate the blades in opposite directions and maintain
contact at the pinch point with a slight drag. The
blades should slide past each other without binding.
If the contact is too high and both blades try to bind
or drag excessively, the pinch point is too tight.
Likewise, if the blades do not contact at the pinch
point or there is still a gap between the blades, the
pinch point is too loose.
3. A properly maintained pinch point will allow the
opener to penetrate better and create a smoother
seed trench for better seed placement. A pinch point
that is too wide will allow soil/mud to build up
between the opener blades regardless of how the
scraper may be adjusted. A pinch point that is too
wide or too narrow can excessively preload the
opener bearings and lead to premature bearing
failure, particularly in heavy soils or no till
applications.
4. The pinch point is adjusted by adding/removing
shims from between the opener blade and opener
casting (See Figure 4-23.) When removing shim(s)
from between the blade and the casting, move them
to the outside of the blade and place under the dust
cap. This will keep track of the shims and not change
the length of bolt required. Adjust the shims as
equally as possible so there are the same number of
shims under the right and left blades.
5. As the opener blades wear, it will be necessary to
adjust the pinch point to maintain the pinch point. No
till planting applications will generate more wear and
more frequent pinch point adjustment.
F-716-1213 Edition