Something a bit different

Post by **Brian** » Mon Feb 22, 2010 5:42 pm

About ten years ago we were asked to put together an electrical and electronic control system for a six row folding prototype potato planter.

Planters changed and the two we built did not go into full scale production although the units got sold after testing was complete.

Last week, one developed an electrical problem and I have been out in a shed on the Cambridgshire Fens, sorting it out. Just the sort of job I love (?) I have been in an unheated shed, with the wind blowing in the door, playing with electrical circuits that I only built two off, ten years ago!!

All is back now working and I am thawing out in the office. I took some pictures as she folds up, ten years on she is still an impressive beast.

Tiger · Post by **Tiger** » Mon Feb 22, 2010 8:05 pm

Nice bit of kit brian, first problem in ten years. Not bad going

Pascal · Post by **Pascal** » Mon Feb 22, 2010 9:46 pm

Hi Brian,

It's indeed an impressive beast!
But I am also impressed by you fixing this kind of machines!

Supertractorman · Post by **Supertractorman** » Tue Feb 23, 2010 10:06 pm

Should think that will make even a Petrol Dexta grunt.

David

Post by **Brian** » Tue May 04, 2010 4:30 pm

Today I got a chance to see this bit of kit in the field for the first time and it really was impressive. In the 10 years since I designed and built the electrics, I had never seen it in work until today. The tractor on the front is a New Holland 7060, around 200 hp.

The land we were working in was the sort that I would love to plough, it leaves the soil engaging parts looking like a chrome finish. Extremely highly polished. It is like a series of small "crumbs". It is fen silt in the fens near Benwick, Cambridgeshire.

The planter was giving a slight problem with the electric clutch feed that brings the potatoes to the planting element so I had to walk (?) alongside to watch the feed belts.

This thing plants 6 rows of potatoes AT A RUN!!

And it was a heck of a big field!! One round and I felt like I had run a marathon.

Nice to get back to the office for a bit of a rest! Also nice to see the future of farming. I had worked over the weekend with Dotty, doing a bit of grass cutting, ploughing and muck carting, but today showed me the "real" world.