Guidance Caddy For 3-Pt Equipment

Guidance Caddy For 3-Pt Equipment GUIDANCE SYSTEMS Guidance Systems 15-6-2 First-of-its-kind equipment caddy turns mounted implements into pull-type units, reducing the need for high-horsepower tractors when using automatic guidance systems, according to Progressive Farm Products, Hudson, Ill. The innovative pull-behind rig is equipped with its own new-style built-in guidance system. The two-wheeled "Auto Kaddy", which is fitted with a 3-pt. hitch at rear, simply hitches to the tractor drawbar and is powered by the tractor's hydraulic outlets. The caddy's axle articulates around a center pivot point and is pushed and pulled by a pair of hydraulic cylinders. When the implement drifts, the axle automatically pivots the implement to keep it on or between the rows. A set of "wands" under the axle follows the row, sending signals to an electric control box. "It lets you use a tractor with only half as much horsepower as required for a 3-pt. mounted guidance system. It saves you the cost of a bigger tractor and reduces soil compaction," says Rich Follmer, president. "Extra horsepower is required to lift heavy 12- and 16-row planters and cultivators when you use a conventional 3-pt. automatic guidance system. The problem is that you lose leverage when a 3-pt. guidance system is added between the tractor and implement. "Without the caddy, it takes a 200 hp tractor to pull a 16-row cultivator with a guidance system. With the caddy, you need only a 90 hp tractor. Another advantage is that our pivot hitch design has much more side-to-side flexibility than a 3-pt. guidance system. Your tractor can be 30 in. off the row, but the Auto Kaddy will still keep the implement on the row." Sells for $9,300. For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Progressive Farm Products, RR 1, Box 17, Hudson, Ill. 61748 (ph 309 454-1564).

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