3420 Paralink Hoe Drill™Bourgault Main

The 3420 PHD™ allows you to increase productivity without pushing your seeding speed:

• achieve over 50 ac/hr at a seeding speed of 4.5 mph with the 100' 3420 PHD™; and,
• realize over 40 ac/hr at the same 4.5 mph with the 80' 3420 PHD™.

Choose the configuration that suits your operation.
Both 3420 PHD™ sizes are available:

• in ParaLink Quick Depth Adjust™ (PHD™ openers) or ParaLink Xtreme™ (PLX™ openers) configurations;
• on 10", 12" or 15" seed row spacing;
• with, or without Mid Row Bander® Fertilizer Applicators.

The 3420 Story

Terry Friggstad approached Bourgault with a revolutionary concept for an extremely large drill that could fold up into a transportable configuration. It did not take long for the Bourgault Design Team to recognize the value in his approach!

• Starting in 2011, the Bourgault Design Team developed the 3420 PHD™ working design drawings which led to the construction of a full scale prototype. Terry continued consulting with the Design Team throughout the development and testing of the prototype.
• The 3420 was tested extensively from the spring to the fall of 2013, uncovering hidden issues that can only be proven out by field testing. In addition to fold and bounce testing, this and subsequent prototypes seeded thousands of acres by Bourgault Design Staff and Co-operators.
• Bourgault Designers and Fabricators continued through 2014 and spring 2015, rigorously testing and closely monitoring not only the unit's ability to fold into and out of transport, but also for its seeding consistency and frame resilience.
• The 3420 ParaLink Hoe Drill™ was unveiled at the Farm Progress Show in Regina on June 17^th, 2015 for the 2016 model year.

Increased Road Safety & Reduced Operator Stress While in Transport

• Road safety on the 3420 PHD™ is further increased with the generous number of in-transport wheels positioned under the unit (14 for the 100' 3420 and 10 for the 80' 3420 PHD™).  These wheels evenly distribute the load across the 3420 PHD™ reducing the chance of "losing it" on a soft shoulder.

• The back four sets of 3420 PHD™ transport wheels can be steered by the Operator via the X35 Apollo System to successfully navigate the drill and cart around intersections and through approaches.
• In addition, the transport height is only 16'6", so Producers will typically not be in danger of contacting overhead obstacles such as power lines.

Certain design features of the 3420 PHD™ running gear:

• the rear walking wheels are positioned between the second and third rows, shortening the effective contour depth of the drill;
• while the mainframe of a traditional drill is solid, the 3420 PHD™ incorporates a hinge at its center providing an additional flex point;
• the two center frames are supported by large walking axle running gear, along with the TreadLite™ tires, which help distribute the load and maintain contour-ability.

• The 3420 PHD™ employs twenty-two wheels on the 100' and sixteen wheels on the 80' when seeding, to carry the the drill through challenging conditions.
• The six large caster wheels across the front of the drill ensure this immense unit keeps from "diving in" even in challenging conditions.

The bottom arm of the PHD™ Opener is a solid linkage from the packer wheel to the drill frame.

If the packer/gauge wheel moves, the seed shank travels half the vertical distance in the same direction.

If the drill frame changes vertical position in relation to the packer/gauge wheel, the seed shank travels half the vertical distance in the same direction.

• The 4.5" V-Style Semi-Pneumatic Packer provides a more aggressive, narrow profile with excellent mud-shedding characteristics and is commonly used with narrow openers (¾" to 2").
• The 5" VU-Style Semi-Pneumatic Packer provides a more rounded v-style profile with good mud-shedding characteristics and less prone to over-packing (¾" to 2").
• The 4.5" U-Style Semi-Pneumatic Packer provides a wide, rounded packing profile and is typically matched with a ¾" to 2" wide opener.
• The 5.4" U-Style Semi-Pneumatic Packer provides a wide, rounded packing profile and is typically matched with a 2" to 3" wide opener.

Note: Over the years, Bourgault has transitioned to offering only semi-pneumatic packers as they are immune to punctures/flat tires.

LiftMaster™ Feature

Simplify with LiftMaster™; LiftMaster™ provides automatic lifting and lowering of the openers at the field headlands, eliminating this tedious task.

LiftMaster™ is standard on:

• 3330SE™, 3335QDA™ and 3420 ParaLink Hoe Drills™; and,
• 3720 and 3820 ParaLink Coulter Drills™.

LiftMaster™ is optional on:

• HD and CD Frame Mounted Seeders™.

All units must be paired with an air cart equipped with the X35 Apollo System.

Retrofit kits are available for previous Bourgault ParaLink™ hoe and coulter drills mated to an air cart equipped with the X35 or X30 Apollo Systems, 2015 model year or newer.

The PackMaster™ option achieves a uniform packing force across variable fields without manual adjustment.

PackMaster™ senses changes in the force required to maintain the seed opener in the ground and automatically adjusts the hydraulic pressure to the individual opener cylinders to maintain the packing pressure set by the Operator at the beginning of the field.

Models Available with PackMaster™:

• 3330SE PHDs™
• 3335QDA PHDs™
• 3420 PHDs™
• 3720 PCDs™

How It Works

One packer wheel spindle is equipped with a load cell that measures the actual packing force exerted on the ground by that packer tire:

1. as the draft force increases;
2. more force is required to keep the opener in the ground, reducing the force being applied by the packer wheel;
3. this reduction is detected by the load cell, which sends a signal to the X35 Apollo System;
4. the X35 Apollo System instructs the hydraulic system to increase the pressure;
5. the increase in pressure increases the downforce at the hydraulic cylinder to restore the desired packing pressure.

The Operator must first calibrate the system and then set the desired packing force before seeding starts. 

If you encounter a wet patch of soil while seeding, the system provides an "Emergency Float" option that allows you to turn off the down pressure, allowing you to "float" through the trouble spot without getting stuck!

Manual Opener Control

• PHD™ Openers - changes to the hydraulic pressure adjusts the downforce on the hoe opener/packer assembly.
• PCD™ Openers - changes to the hydraulic pressure adjusts the downforce on the cleaner/packer wheel assembly.

Opener Pressure Adjustment

Along with opener up/down control, the Model 500 provides downforce adjustment on the opener assemblies.

• Each increment of the up/down button provides a change of 50 psi of hydraulic pressure.
• A gauge on the hydraulic block allows you to verify the hydraulic pressure being displayed on the control box.

Note: The 500 Control Box is not available with the 3420 TransFold™ PHD™.