Custom cover protects planter

[Colby Custom Canvas] Colby, Kan., U.S.A.

There’s no such thing as an off-the-shelf cover for a 24-row corn planter, particularly given the variety of customizing possible. Colby Canvas, which specializes in custom covers for agricultural equipment, recently completed the cover to protect a planter that may be used only 10 days out of an entire year—but with the planter’s $200,000 price tag, its owner recognized the importance of a well-made cover. The large 100-bushel hoppers are made of plastic and the booms have hundreds of feet of wire, hose and tubing running along the planter’s length. Due to the high UV exposure and constant wind, it needs to be covered to protect the wiring and tubing from weather checking. Chemicals in the hoppers instantly turn hard when exposed to moisture, so rain needs to be kept out of any receptacles. The fabric used was an 18 oz. vinyl-coated nylon.