Farm Equipment - Deutz Allis 385 Planter issues

Deutz Allis 385 Planter issues

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URL: https://www.allischalmers.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=151962
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Topic: Deutz Allis 385 Planter issues

Posted By: PatrioticPanda
Subject: Deutz Allis 385 Planter issues
Date Posted: 09 Jul 2018 at 10:19pm

Hey yall,

Not sure if this forum is strictly for old Allis and if it is allowed for me to post this.

Searching the internet I can not seem to find much information regarding the issue I am having. I figured maybe someone on this forum might know a thing or two.

Anyway I purchased a 6 row Deutz Allis 385 no till planter. The planter has two blower motors that hold the seed to the discs. The unit has a control box ( a large black sealed box) and monitor. When turning the monitor on all the row lights function as they should. When hitting the on button for the blowers a low voltage light turns on and a buzzer starts going off. We had the monitor checked out at a business that specializes in monitor repair. They certified it was working as it should.

I planted this year with my fathers John Deere 4320. I believe he put a larger alternator on it several years ago when the original failed. I am pretty sure we should have more than enough amps based on what I have read online. The battery was getting old anyway so we went ahead a put a brand new one in. The issues persists.

The planter functioned well and the blowers worked. We planted and the there were no noticeable issues with seeding. The damn thing seems to be working fine but the light and buzzer are something I would like to resolve for next season. I will admit I am not very knowledgeable regarding electrical systems but I can try to elaborate or convey additional information that may help. Thank you in advanced for anyone that can help me wit this issue.

Replies:

Posted By: Mikez
Date Posted: 09 Jul 2018 at 10:24pm

Welcome there's plenty of guys that will answer your questions just not me lol. Good luck

Posted By: SLee(IA)
Date Posted: 09 Jul 2018 at 10:40pm

Do you have the blower power wire hooked directly to the alternator and the ground connected to the alternator mount? They are not to be connected to the battery.

Steve

Posted By: HD6GTOM
Date Posted: 09 Jul 2018 at 10:46pm

The boys at the dealership used to turn the alternator output up to handle the situation. I do not know how they did it. You needed to turn it back down as soon as you were done planting otherwise you would boil the batteries dry. We rented a 185 that they forgot to turn down. We had to turn around because of the battery smell. They fixed it.

Posted By: SLee(IA)
Date Posted: 09 Jul 2018 at 10:49pm

I should add that I had a 12 row 385 for many years. The blowers and the monitor had separate harnesses. The blowers connected to the alternator and the monitor connected to the battery. Your 6 row may be different. Good luck.

Steve

Posted By: tbran
Date Posted: 12 Jul 2018 at 12:25am

open the solenoid box - read the voltage on/across the wires going to the solenoid - then turn the unit on and read the voltage on the other side of the solenoid. It should be the same. Either the connections to the solenoid need cleaning - positive and ground - or there is a short pulling down the voltage.
We always put a ground wire on each motor from the frame to the negative or ground wire on the blower motor's harness - it will pick up speed due to less resistance on the ground. You must have 12.5 v at each motor and each motor should pull less than 7 amps running. These units are old and the electrical connections and crimps will brake down and cause a resistance. The more resistance the more amp draw and the lower the voltage..

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When told "it's not the money,it's the principle", remember, it's always the money..

Posted By: DougS
Date Posted: 12 Jul 2018 at 6:11am

Beware of alternator ratings. Usually a 100 AMP alternator is rated for 100 AMPS, but not continuous duty. You'd expect about 50 AMPS of continuous duty. Many alternators automatically shut back as they get hot. You need to know your wire sizes. 20 feet of #8 AWG wire at 30 amps will drop about .75 volts. Double this drop if you have a ground return of the same length. #10 wire will result in a greater drop and #12 wire an even greater drop. Also, what kind of shape are the motors in? Bad bearings and worn commutators invite even more problems. BTW, I'm no fan of "turning up the alternator" to compensate for other issues.

Posted By: MACK
Date Posted: 12 Jul 2018 at 7:01am

I used hill side blower from Gleaner combine driven by hydraulic motor from pto pump. Solves a lot of problems. MACK

Posted By: tbran
Date Posted: 12 Jul 2018 at 9:34pm

I am not a fan - bad pun - of the electric motors , but when only using 2 it only takes about 12 amps - you have a control box issue... I would always insert a monometer in the system and run a small balance hose between the two pressure systems - you have to have 2 water column " of pressure. Dwyer Industries have great gauges at reasonable prices. Also make sure the motors are turning in the proper direction...

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When told "it's not the money,it's the principle", remember, it's always the money..