Microelectronics beats muscle in today's farm machinery

Monday, February 3, 2014

This year's crop of bright ideas at one of the world's biggest farm tech shows indicates computer control remains the main development area

by NORMAN DUNN

It is no real surprise that innovative application of microelectronics lies nowadays behind most pioneering ideas in farm machinery. Mind you, the crowds around the giants of the tractor and combine world at this year's Agritechnica in Germany, billed as the biggest event of its kind, proved that it's hard for most of us to resist the sheer drama of these metal monsters. But there's a new generation bypassing the awesome machinery and stopping much more often at bright ideas powered by electricity, not diesel.

Take Merlo's new Turbofarmer telescope loader, for instance. This is the world's first plug-in electric vehicle for everyday work under commercial conditions on European farms. A 30 kWh lithium battery powers the Turbofarmer 40.7 Hybrid in electrical mode. There's also a comparatively small 76 h.p. diesel auxiliary engine that automatically turns on to charge the battery when this gets low and takes over some of the jobs during charging, such as powering the hydraulics for lifting arms.

But the Turbofarmer works just fine on electrical power alone, lifting a maximum four tonnes load to seven metres if need be and touching 40 kmh (25 mph) moving between jobs. The battery on its own can keep the loader working for around four hours. Because the diesel engine is only needed as charger and standby power, it uses 30 per cent less fuel in normal working compared with a same-capacity conventional loader, according to the Italian manufacturers of the Turbofarmer. In electrical mode, this versatile machine is almost noiseless and emission-free, which means the Merlo can work safely for longer periods in closed-up buildings.

The microwave effect for maximum fertilizer efficiency.  
Another first among the bright ideas last fall takes us to fertilizer spreading, with German manufacturer Rauch launching what is hailed as the world's first fully automatic system for monitoring fertilizer distribution from a twin-disk spreader.

There have been computer control systems in the past, but the new Rauch AXMAT concept, developed along with IT specialist MSO, takes a preset pattern for the field in question and continually monitors and controls operation to make sure this pattern is followed precisely with application amounts continually varied according to yield or soil maps, if required.

The AXMAT approach is built around microwave sensors situated on arms over each revolving disk. Controlled from these points are hopper unloading valves and point of deposition where the fertilizer hits the disks. Another unique factor is that these sensors react immediately to any changes in fertilizer granule size, weather (e.g. wind speeds) or field contours with compensatory action to maintain desired spread pattern. At the same time the system allows full in-cab recording of the fertilizer operation with GPS field mapping capability.

The airflow answer for faster potato harvests.
Not extra power but instead fresh air – and lots of it, under high compression – is the innovative modern answer to achieving optimum separation of stones, clods and tubers found on new Grimme potato harvesters at the Agritechnica event.

Grimme, global market leader in this sector, says it recognizes the cleaning and separation requirements during harvest as one of the great bottlenecks in the operation nowadays, especially when multi-drill harvesters are increasingly common, even on smaller European farms.

Its new solution to this problem is the "AirSep" trash and stone separation system. This replaces agitators and separation baffles with blasts of highly concentrated air through a perforated floor section of the croplift elevator. The continuous airflow actually "floats" the tubers over the heavier stones and wet clods, which fall away towards a trap door.

First advantage of this concept is speed. Grimme has been testing in real conditions over some seasons now, and the company finds a two-row harvester can lift and load 60 tonnes of tubers per hour with acceptable cleaning performance, even on a cloddy field. Using brush separators on the same type of harvester usually gives a loading rate of about 30 tonnes an hour, says the German manufacturer. What's more, separation is done much more gently with air. Grimme AirSep will also be saving labour costs as from next harvest. The concept comes first as an option on the German company's SV 260 trailed potato harvesters.

Combine simulator – a saviour in training solutions.   
Some new developments in farm machinery leave you thinking: "This should have come in years ago." Claas' prize-winning concept of an online simulator to train combine – and soon also big tractor – operators, is one of these developments. This makes training in the farm office or at home in the sitting room a realistic possibility because Claas turns your PC monitor into a virtual combine cab with all controls operating in front of you.

Presented on-screen is the same CEBIS terminal, joystick and all controls that you find in the global market leader's modern combine types such as the Lexion. And, like all proper simulators, the Claas concept is realistically interactive, meaning there's immediate feedback for every action taken. Optimum settings and speeds are identified through crop flow and threshing efficiency indicators, just like out in the harvest field. Even the noise of the combine's powerful diesel heart is right there in the office with you.

Claas sees the development as valuable on every farm – for best possible harvesting performance through training and refreshing operators and, of course, for avoiding damage to increasingly valuable machinery. Check it out for yourself at: http://app.claas.com/lexion2011/en-no/animationen/cebis/animation_cebis.php BF