If you've ever spent a sunny afternoon scratching your head over a pile of cast-iron parts, you know that finding a reliable covington planter seed plate chart is basically a rite of passage for anyone trying to get a garden or a small food plot into the ground. Covington planters are legendary for a reason—they're built like tanks and they just keep working—but they aren't exactly "plug and play" like the high-tech, computerized planters you see on the big commercial farms. These machines are mechanical puzzles, and the seed plate chart is the only instruction manual that really matters when you're standing in the dirt trying to figure out how many seeds are going to end up in a foot of row.
The beauty of a Covington planter is its simplicity, but that simplicity can be a double-edged sword. You've got a hopper, a plate, a couple of sprockets, and a chain. It sounds easy until you realize that changing just one of those variables completely shifts your plant population. That's where the chart comes in. It's the bridge between "I think this looks right" and actually having a successful harvest.
Understanding the basics of the plate system
Before you dive deep into the numbers on a chart, you've got to understand what you're looking at in the hopper. Covington uses a horizontal plate system. The plate sits at the bottom of the seed can, and as it spins, the "cells" (those little notches or holes around the edge) pick up a seed and drop it down the tube.
The covington planter seed plate chart usually breaks things down by the type of seed and the plate number. For example, you'll see plates labeled with codes like DUP-1 or DUP-5. These aren't just random letters; they tell you the size of the cell and how many cells are on the plate. A plate with more cells is going to drop seed more frequently than one with fewer cells, assuming your ground speed and sprocket settings stay the same.
Another thing to keep an eye on is the thickness of the plate. Some seeds, like certain varieties of corn, are flat, while others are round. If your plate is too thin, you might crack the seed. If it's too thick, you might pick up two seeds instead of one. The chart usually suggests a specific plate for a specific seed size, but you always have to keep an eye on the actual seed you bought. Modern seed can vary quite a bit from the "standard" sizes these charts were originally designed for.
The role of sprockets and gear ratios
This is where people usually get a bit frustrated. You can have the right plate, but if your sprockets are set up wrong, your spacing will be a disaster. Most Covington planters use a chain-and-sprocket drive system. By swapping the drive sprocket (the one connected to the wheel) and the driven sprocket (the one connected to the plate shaft), you change how fast that plate spins relative to how fast you're moving forward.
When you look at a covington planter seed plate chart, you'll see columns for different sprocket combinations. It might say something like "10-tooth drive and 14-tooth driven." If you want your seeds closer together, you want that plate spinning faster, which usually means a larger drive sprocket or a smaller driven one.
It's a bit like a bicycle. If you've ever tried to pedal uphill in a high gear, you know how the ratio changes the effort and the speed. On the planter, those ratios determine whether your corn is spaced at 8 inches or 12 inches. I always tell people to double-check their sprockets before they even pour seed into the hopper. It's way easier to swap a chain on the barn floor than it is in the middle of a dusty field.
How to read the spacing columns
The heart of the covington planter seed plate chart is the spacing column. This is the "output" of the math. Once you've picked your seed and your plate, the chart tells you what your linear spacing will be. For example, if you're planting sweet corn, you might be aiming for one seed every 9 to 10 inches.
You'll look at the chart, find your plate number, and then scan across the sprocket combinations until you find a number close to 10. But here's the thing: those numbers are theoretical. They assume your drive wheel isn't slipping in loose soil and that every cell in the plate picks up exactly one seed.
In the real world, things are a little messier. If your soil is really soft, the wheel might sink or slip, which means you're actually moving slower than the planter thinks you are. This results in seeds being dropped closer together than the chart says. On the flip side, if you're driving too fast, the plate might skip a cell because the seed didn't have time to fall into the notch. It's always a good idea to aim for a slightly tighter spacing on the chart than what you actually want in the field to account for those "real world" skips.
Why the "driveway test" is your best friend
I can't stress this enough: don't trust the covington planter seed plate chart blindly. It's a great starting point, but it's not gospel. Before I head to the field, I like to do what I call the driveway test.
Fill the hopper with a little bit of seed, set your sprockets based on the chart, and then pull the planter across a hard, flat surface—like a dirt driveway or even a paved area if you don't mind the noise. As you pull it, watch the seeds drop. Then, get out a tape measure and actually measure the distance between them.
If the chart says 12 inches but you're measuring 15, you know you need to adjust your sprocket ratio. Maybe you need to go down a tooth on the driven sprocket to speed that plate up. Doing this for five minutes can save you the heartache of watching a field grow in too thin three weeks later. Plus, it gives you a chance to make sure the "knock-out" pawl is working. That's the little spring-loaded piece that pushes the seed out of the plate. If that's stuck or rusty, the chart won't help you one bit.
Common plates and their uses
If you're just getting started, you'll probably run into the most common plates first. For most folks, that means corn, beans, and peas.
- Corn Plates: These usually have medium-sized cells. If you're planting modern hybrid corn, you might need a plate that handles "rounds" or "flats." The covington planter seed plate chart usually lists these as DUP-1 or similar variations.
- Bean and Pea Plates: These generally have larger cells because the seeds are bulkier. A DUP-5 is a classic choice here.
- Small Seeds: If you're trying to plant something tiny like turnips or kale, you're going to need a specialized plate with very small notches, or sometimes a "blank" plate that you can drill yourself if you're feeling adventurous (though I wouldn't recommend that for beginners).
The chart will usually specify the "cells per plate." A 16-cell plate is standard for a lot of row crops. If you find a plate with 32 cells, remember that it's going to drop seed twice as fast as the 16-cell one, even if the sprockets stay the same.
Maintenance tips for plates and gears
Since a lot of these planters and their plates are decades old, they require a bit of TLC to stay accurate to the chart. Rust is your biggest enemy. If there's rust buildup on the sprockets, the chain might jump, which throws your spacing off. If there's rust on the plate itself, the seeds might stick or get damaged.
I like to give the plates a light scrub with a wire brush at the start of every season. A little bit of dry graphite lubricant can go a long way, too. Avoid using heavy grease inside the seed hopper because it'll just attract dust and turn into a sticky paste that gunk's up the works.
Also, check the tension on your drive chain. If it's sagging, it can skip teeth on the sprockets. The covington planter seed plate chart assumes a perfect mechanical connection, so any "slop" in the system is going to result in uneven spacing. A quick adjustment of the idler pulley can usually fix this.
Where to find a copy of the chart
If you bought your planter used, there's a good chance the original manual is long gone. Luckily, because Covington is such a staple in the farming community, you can usually find PDF versions of the covington planter seed plate chart online. Most agricultural supply stores that sell Covington parts will also have a copy behind the counter or on their website.
It's worth printing out a copy and laminating it. I keep mine tucked into the toolbox on the tractor. There's nothing worse than getting to the field, realizing you need to change from corn to peas, and not remembering which sprocket goes where. Having that chart handy saves you a trip back to the house and keeps the momentum going.
In the end, using a Covington planter is a bit of an art form. The covington planter seed plate chart gives you the science, but you provide the intuition. Once you get the hang of how the plates interact with the gears, you'll realize why these machines have been around for over a century. They're reliable, they're honest, and when you get that spacing just right, there's nothing quite as satisfying as seeing those perfect green rows popping up out of the soil. Just take your time, check your sprockets, and maybe do a little test run before you commit to the whole field. Happy planting!