All-Mechanical Row Guidance System

All-Mechanical Row Guidance System GUIDANCE SYSTEMS Guidance Systems 17-6-18 "Farmers who've seen it can't believe how well it works and how simple it is," says Howard Ham, one of the developers of a revolutionary new all-mechanical guidance system for ridge-till planters, cultivators, and other implements. "It keeps the planter on the row as well or better than any other guidance system on the market but without the use of complicated electronics or hydraulics," says Ham. "When we held our first field demonstration this fall, manufacturers of conventional guidance systems told us they'd tried to come up with a reliable all-mechanical system for years but that this was the first one they'd ever seen that got the job done." Ham says the new system has been field-tested for two years on over 2,500 acres. It was designed by Lou Siebert, a mechanical engineer and machinist in Henderson, Neb., and Richard Fixemer, a farmer near Sutton, Neb. Fixemer originally purchased a 3-pt. mounted electric-over-hydraulic guidance system for a planter but wasn't satisfied with the performance. He modified it by mounting a hinge on the planter V-wheels so they would pivot as they followed the ridge. Then he put an electronic sensor on the hinge so it would signal shifts in planter position to the hydraulic guidance hitch. Fixemer says the modificaton improved performance but the system still wasn't accurate enough. That's when Lou Siebert suggested connecting the hinged V-wheels with a 22-in. dia. coulter that would actually guide the planter. They mounted the coulter on a hinging bracket near one end of the toolbar and ran a tie rod from the coulter to the hinged V-wheels so that when the V-wheels turn, the coulter turns too. "It works like the rudder on a boat," says Siebert, explaining that by mounting the coulter toward one end of the toolbar, it has the leverage to swing even a big planter or cultivator. Ham says most farmers who first see the system don't believe the coulter will exert enough force to swing the planter. "One way to understand the principle is to think of handling a 12-ft. long 2 by 4. If you try to pivot it back and forth by grabbing it in the middle, it takes considerably more force than if you just move one end of it back and forth." On smaller planters and cultivators, one coulter is enough to shift the planter back and forth. On a 12-row or larger, Ham recommends mounting a system at either end, or you could put a coulter and tie rod on both sides of a set of V-wheels. Ham says the patent pending' system can be adapted to existing V-wheels, or you can buy a complete kit. Suggested dealer price is $2,800. Ham says he, Siebert, and Fixemer have set up a company to produce units on a limited basis but they're looking for dealers, distributors and manufacturers interested in the idea. For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Howard Ham, F.S.H., Inc., Rt. 1, Box 1, Saronville, Neb. 68975 (ph 402 773-4846).

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