Question

Which seed metering mechanism in a planter brushes out excess seeds from the cells of the feed mechanism?

• A. Edge drop
• B. Cut off
• C. Knock out
• D. Flat drop

Hint:

Think of the fixed brush or wiper that levels off a cell as it rotates past the seed pool.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Picture the rotating seed plate of a cell-type feed mechanism moving past the seed hopper. As the cells dip into the loose seed, several seeds may pack into and around a single cell instead of just one.

If this extra seed travels forward, the planter would drop clusters of seeds instead of single seeds, ruining the plant spacing. To stop this, a small stationary brush or scraper is fitted just past the point where the cells leave the seed pool.

This fixed part is called the cut-off, and its job is to knock loose seed off the top of each cell so exactly the seed sitting inside the cell cavity continues on, while the rest falls back into the seed box.

Edge drop and flat drop only describe the geometry of where the cell openings sit on the plate, and knock out is the term for releasing a vacuum-held seed in air planters, neither of which matches brushing excess seed off a cell.

\[\boxed{\text{Cut off}}\]