Ford Unit Planter Series 310 Owner's Manual
This is the Owner's Manual for the Ford Unit Planter Series 310, covering toolbar and cultivator frame mounting configurations, depth adjustment, seed hoppers, seed plates, seeding rates, attachments, and seasonal storage across 44 pages. Also includes the 20-page Hilldrop Conversion Kit Owner's Manual — making this the most complete 310 operator documentation available as a single download. Available as an instant digital download.
About the Ford Unit Planter Series 310
The Ford Series 310 was a unit-type row crop planter designed for mounting on Ford toolbar frames and front-mounted cultivator frames, produced as part of Ford's implement lineup in the 1960s and 1970s. Unlike rear-mounted 3-point planters, the 310 unit planter system used individual planter units that could be bolted to a range of toolbar configurations — tool bar attaching kits, angle frame cultivators, and front-mounted cultivator frames were all supported, giving the 310 unusual versatility in how it could be hitched and used relative to other equipment. The planter units used a seed disc metering system with interchangeable seed hoppers for corn, cotton, and peanuts, and the seed plate selection and seeding rate charts in the manual cover multiple crops and population targets. The 310 was compatible with Ford's dry fertilizer attachment, disc fertilizer openers, and a range of press wheel and covering options. The Hilldrop Conversion Kit included with this download added hill-drop planting capability to the standard drill-configured 310 units, and its 20-page manual documents the conversion hardware, timing adjustments, and operating procedures specific to hill-drop operation — information that's not in the base 310 manual.
What This Manual Covers
This download includes both the 44-page Series 310 manual and the 20-page Hilldrop Conversion Kit manual. Key sections include:
- Operation — tool bar installation and attaching kit; unit planter installation; depth adjustment; transport clearance and float; fertilizer attachments; cleaning the hoppers; transporting; disc fertilizer opener; fertilizer placement; front mounted cultivator frame installation and unit planter installation; angle frame cultivator installation and configuration
- Attachments — seed press wheel; spoon coverers; disc coverer attachment; gauge shoes; bed sweeps; wheel scraper; semi-pneumatic press wheel tires; disc furrow opener; gauge wheel attachment
- Marker Attachments — disc marker attachments (front mounted planter); four-row marker attachments (tool bar planter)
- Seed Hoppers — corn hoppers; corn and cotton hoppers; peanut hopper attachment
- Seed Plates & Seeding Rates — seed plate selection and seeding rate charts for multiple crops
- Troubleshooting — common planting problems and corrections
- Adapting for Special Crops — configuration guidance for specialty crop applications
- Lubrication & Storage — lubrication points and end-of-season storage procedures
- Seed Charts — factory seed charts for population planning
- Hilldrop Conversion Kit Manual (20 pages) — conversion hardware installation; timing adjustments for hill-drop operation; operating procedures specific to hill-drop planting mode
Why This Manual Matters
- Multiple mounting configurations documented: The 310 unit planter could be mounted on tool bars, front cultivator frames, and angle frame cultivators — three different setups each with their own attaching kit, depth adjustment, and float procedures; having all three documented in one manual is essential when the planter is being remounted or reconfigured
- Hilldrop Conversion Kit included: The 20-page Hilldrop kit manual is included in this download — covering the conversion hardware, timing setup, and hill-drop operating procedures that the base 310 manual doesn't contain; this makes the download complete for operators using the planter in hill-drop corn planting mode
- Specialty crop hopper documentation: Cotton and peanut hopper configurations are documented alongside the standard corn hoppers, with seed plate selection and seeding rate guidance for each crop type
- Disc fertilizer opener and fertilizer placement: The disc fertilizer opener attachment and fertilizer placement procedures are documented with the specific Ford 12-194 hardware — important for operators running the 310 with in-furrow or side-band fertilizer application
- Troubleshooting and special crop adaptation: The troubleshooting guide and special crop adaptation section cover the problems and configuration questions that come up most often when these planters are used outside their original corn-planting context
- Original factory content: This is the manual Ford issued to 310 unit planter owners, carrying manual code SE 8371-B
Manual Code: SE 8371-B
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