Office 270-785-0999 | FAX 270-785-3766

Martin Row Cleaners

Martin row cleaners are an effective way to eliminate the problems caused by excessive crop residue, while maintaining the benefits of mulched row middles. Residue is not buried, it’s just moved aside to improve planter performance. Row cleaners lightly till the seed zone to facilitate faster soil warming, rapid and more even emergence. Row cleaners also offer the benefit of eliminating planter unit bounce, which has been known to result in skips and poor depth control. Martin row cleaners are available in two configurations, rigid and floating.

Rigid Row Cleaners

Rigid row cleaners are more aggressive and may be preferred in heavy residue situations. Rigid row cleaners are cheaper, but they generally don’t provide the consistent residue movement and tilling action of the floating row cleaner.

As result of their compact design, rigid row cleaners are also available for 20” planters.

Rigid row cleaners (above) may also be more difficult to set, especially across different soil types, varying residue levels, differences in topography and soil moisture. Setting fixed row cleaners to operate this deep may result in erosion on rolling ground, so this setting this deep should be avoided unless they are intended to assist with moisture seeking. Be sure to level the planter too, as this can cause rigid row cleaners and the planter unit to dig into the soil and change the geometry of the closing system.

Rigid row cleaners may furrow and skip, especially on undulating soils as illustrated above.

Floating Row Cleaners

Floating row cleaners are available for most planter brands and may be used ahead of no-till coulters or Martin UMO fertilizer openers.

Martin floating row cleaners come equipped with threaded depth adjustment to limit the downward travel, while allowing the semi-mounted frame to follow the contours of the land. This adjustment system is also a welcome addition if floating row cleaners are used in conventional soils. Wheel weights and down-pressure springs are also both available to help part heavy residue in no-till situations.

Side treader wheels are a recommended addition to the floating row cleaners because they help prevent unwanted trenching in loose, soft soils and increase traction. With side treader wheels installed, the teeth on the floating row cleaner wheels do not penetrate the soil deeper than 1 ½”. The cleaning and tilling action of floating row cleaners allows improved performance of the disc openers and also allows them to create a better defined V shape.


Floating row cleaners fitted with side treader wheels move residue more consistently than a fixed row cleaner and also eliminate skips or furrowed out areas of the seed zone. Floating row cleaners installed on 30” centers clear residue in a zone wide enough to allow the gauge wheels to run within the cleaned zone, this reduces gauge wheel bounce and improves depth placement consistency.

Contact Phil at Needham Ag Technologies to order or request additional information:
270-785-0999 or by email at phil@needhamag.com

Needham Ag Technologies, LLC | 4911 Kentucky 81 North | Calhoun, Kentucky 42327

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