Flow Monitoring System (FMS) Installation Service for Planters and Strip-Tills

Mounting your FlowBoards is a simple bolt-on operation.  The bracket is predrilled with holes for mounting to the frame via the U-bolt and the FlowBoard.

If you are replacing a redball system, you will most likely just mount the FlowBoards in the same position. You may even be able to reuse the same bracket. 

However, unlike redballs, you don’t need to see the FlowBoards. Feel free to get creative with mounting positions. We do recommend mounting the FlowBoards towards the center of the group of rows each board will feed to make running the hoses to the row units easier. You can also bolt the boards directly to the planter as long as you can run both the wire harnesses and the hoses without interference.

1. Mount the FlowBoard bracket to the planter

   You will receive large U-bolts with your kit that goes around the planter bar and attaches to the aluminum C-channel bracket. Position the U-bolt around the planter bar where convenient and bolt the aluminum C-channel bar to it via the larger holes at the bottom of the bar with the supplied nuts. The flat side will go toward the bar, leaving the empty cavity facing out. 

   If space allows, mount the FlowBoard bracket on the rear side of the planter so the FlowBoard will sit over the bar when mounted. This will minimize interference problems when the planter is folded. Often, you will have interference issues with other objects already mounted to the bar, so you’ll have to mount it on the front. Get creative if you have to. OnSite FMS can be installed almost anywhere as long as your wire harnesses can reach from board to board (extensions are available).

   If your planter requires you to mount your FlowBoards on the central beam, we offer an optional bracket that bolts on top of the beam. This style of mount features a centered bar that can hold a FlowBoard on each side of it, making it perfect for up to a 24 row planters (or a 12 row planter with dual products). The bracket also includes a mounting point for a 12V pump.  

2. Mount the FlowBoards to the bracket
   Mount the FlowBoard to the remaining two holes toward the top of the bar with the included hardware. Mount the FlowBoards with the flowmeters facing forward toward the cab of the tractor. This ensures Row 1 on the monitor is the leftmost row when looking back from the tractor. If you mount the boards backwards without reversing the plumbing, Row 1 will be the rightmost row unit.
3. Check for clearance
   Fold the planter carefully and make sure that the FlowBoards do not touch anything else mounted to the planter. Usually, the liquid tank is the biggest obstacle to avoid. Depending on your planter, you may need to trim the U-bolts down with an angle grinder so they don’t touch the center bar. Reposition the board as necessary until it clears everything.
4. Repeat the process until all of the FlowBoards are properly mounted

If you are installing liquid for the first time on the planter, you’ll need to install your check valves before we run our lines to the row units. If you bought them from us, you will receive brackets that allow you to bolt them directly to the parallel arm of your row unit (or wherever you want them). 

If your planter already has check valves installed, you can obviously skip this step and move on to running your lines to each row unit.  

1. Mount the bracket to the parallel arms

   This is a simple one bolt operation. Use the supplied bolt through the larger hole on the angled end of the bracket to secure it to the parallel arm or any other mounting point of your choice.     

2. Mount the check valve to the bracket
   Mount the check valve to the bracket using remaining two holes. You may either bolt it on with the included hardware or simply zip tie the unit to the bracket.
3. Add your metering plates (optional)
   This doesn’t have to be done now, but many of our customers like to do this step while they’re already working on the check valves.
4. Repeat the process until all rows have check valves

Running your lines is pretty straight forward. We usually start at Row 1 and work our way across the planter, but you can do it however you choose. 

When you run your hoses follow the other hoses and wire already secured to the planter. This is almost guaranteed to be the safest path around the planter and should eliminate a lot of potential problems. Leave yourself a fair amount of slack in the lines, especially if your lines have to go across the fold. We will trim them up in the last step. 

The steps below outline our process, but there isn’t a wrong way to run your hoses. 

1. Add a VERY loose zip tie around the FlowBoard’s post to help wrangle hoses
   You’ll run all your hoses through this, as you go, so the looser the better.  Just click it a couple of notches, leaving it as loose as possible. This isn’t absolutely necessary, but it makes the whole process easier and makes the finished product look a lot nicer.
2. Run your lines one by one with the supplied hose
   Run the hoses one by one. Both the FlowBoards and the check valves have slide-in fittings. Just push the hose into the fitting until you feel it seat. No tools or clamps required.

   It doesn’t really matter how you run your lines. We tend to start with row one and work our way across the planter, following the wires and hoses already mounted to the planter. Be sure to leave a fair amount of slack in the lines to allow for the planter’s natural movement. We generally start from the FlowBoard and run out to the check valves. Then we make sure we have enough slack for a nice loop above the FlowBoard, cut the line, and attach it to the correct flowmeter.  

   Here are some tips we’ve learned over the years.

   • Run your hoses with the planter partially folded.
     It will be easier to see where hoses need extra slack if the planter is partially folded. Open it up enough so you can work, but keep it as closed as possible.
   • Run with the loom on the planter whenever possible.
     This is a good general rule. The wires and hoses on your planter come from the factory with the correct amount of slack for folding. Use this as your guide.
   • Leave lots of extra slack for hoses that run across the hinge.
     Hoses that run across the hinge need lots of extra slack to ensure they don’t get stretched when the planter folds. We send plenty of hose, so give your planter some room to move.
   • Leave big loops above your flowboards for now.
     Leave about a 6″ high loop above the FlowBoards for now. We will trim them in the last step, but we may need a little extra slack when securing the lines to the planter once all the lines are run. We will trim the loops down and remove any extra slack in the last step, so leave yourself an extra 6″ so you don’t have to rerun a hose that was cut a few inches too short earlier in the process. 
3. Zip tie your hoses to the planter starting the furthest away from the FlowBoard
   Now that all the hoses are run to the row units, we can secure them as a group to the planter. At this point you will likely have a fairly unruly mass of hose. We will straighten them all out and create a professional looking bundle when we secure the hoses together to the planter with zip ties.

   Start at the row unit the furthest away from the FlowBoard and work your way back to it. Add rows to the bundle as you move inward. Secure each new hose into the bundle with a zip tie, leaving the correct amount of slack for each check valve.  

   Straighten the hoses and make them all run together as a bundle, pushing any extra slack down the planter toward the FlowBoard. Do the same for the other side, moving any extra slack in individual lines down the row toward the FlowBoard. You should end up with a very professional bundle of hoses when you’re done.  

4. Trim the hoses to length one by one
   Now that you’ve pushed any extra slack down the lines to the FlowBoard, you may have some pretty unruly loops. Your flowmeters also probably look like they’re about to jump off the board. This just means the hose loops are too long and creating pressure on the flowmeters.

   Now that we have all the lines secured to the planter at the correct length, we can do a final trim on our hoses to give our FlowBoard a professional look. 

   1. Detach one hose at a time from its flowmeter for trimming.
      Remove a single hose from the flowmeter by pushing down on the little ring at the top of the flowmeter while pulling up on the hose. It can get a little fiddly, especially if you have big fingers, but it’ll release easily once it goes. DO NOT remove more than one line at a time. Trust us.
   2. Determine the correct length and position of your hose. 
      Gently position the hose so that it has a natural bend down to the flowmeter. You want a gentle 3″ to 4″ loop above the board, but the hose will tell you what it wants to do. Now that the hose is loose, you can easily move it around and reposition it in the bundle until it is happy to connect to its flowmeter. The goal is to have each hose come up to the same height and curve down in a gentle arc to its flowmeter. It should look somewhat like a fountain of black hose when you’re done.
   3. Trim your hose and reinsert it into the flowmeter.
      If you did it right, your flowmeter shouldn’t bulge away from the FlowBoard. If you are unsure of how long to cut, err on the side of caution and leave a little extra. If the flowmeter bulges out away from the board, the hose is too long. Simply remove the hose and trim it again. You can usually tuck an inch or two of hose down behind the FlowBoard to fine tune the flowmeter tension as well.
   4. Repeat until each hose is trimmed and you are happy with the look.

A few tips:  

• Remove one hose at a time from its flowmeter to trim it
  Only remove one hose at a time. Ever. Invariably something will distract you and you’ll lose track of which hose is which. If you must remove more than one at a time, label them before you remove them. Trying to trace back a hose to figure out which row it goes to is much more difficult now that they are all zip tied in a bundle to the planter. Save yourself the hassle.
• The 3″ to 4″ loop above the FlowBoards allows for trimming later.
  Give yourself enough excess hose so you can easily trim the hoses if they start leaking at the fitting later. This is fairly common for this type of connector and is easily fixed by trimming and reseating the hose. By leaving extra slack, you should be able to trim the hose several times before you would have to replace it. Three to four inch high loops seem to be the sweet spot for low tension on the flowmeters with some extra room for trimming. Do the same by the check valves if you can.