Air-Powered Soil Sampler Makes Quick Work Of Job

Air-Powered Soil Sampler Makes Quick Work Of Job ATV'S ATV'S 24-2-6 A new air-powered fully automatic soil sampler takes hundreds of samples an hour and is designed to make a tedious job easy. One push of a button takes each sample. The "Air-Probe" was introduþed at the recent National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville, Ky. Most interest is expected from co-ops and custom operators, but some large farmers will be able to justify it. A farmer could use it on his own land and do custom sampling for others, the manufacturer notes. The unit is designed to be used for grid sampling. It mounts on a 2-wheeled trailer and is equipped with a large turntable that holds 20 small containers. Power is supplied by a small air compressor, and the controls are mounted on an ATV or pickup that pulls the trailer. When activated, a small rake first removes residue underneath the probe. An air cylinder then forces the probe down to an exact depth. Once the sample has been taken, a tilt cylinder pivots the probe over into one of the containers, and another cylinder ejects the soil core into the container. After one grid has been completed, the turntable is rotated to the next container. The unit eliminates sampling depth variation and encourages higher accuracy by making it easy to gather more samples per acre, says the company. It takes only about 15 seconds to collect one core sample or about 240 soil cores per hour. A water dripping system lubricates the probe to eliminate plugging. A spotlight allows 24-hour operation. The probe will penetrate up to 1 1/2 inches of frost, and uses Oakfield replaceable tips. Sells for $9,800 plus S&H. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Furrer FAB Designs, 2358W 50N, Reynolds, Ind. 47980 (ph 219 984-6505; fax 6464; E-mail: furregj@furrerfabdesigns.com).

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