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Laid out on the floor with the discharge sock tied off, a drill can be driven over the sheet, the hopper emptied and the machine moved out of the way.
While a 3.0m x 3.0m sheet of heavy-duty PVC might not seem to be cutting edge technology, sometimes the simplest ideas can often be very effective.
The Agricontract SeedSock expands on that basic PVC sheet, featuring lifting loops in each corner and a flexible discharge spout in the middle. It is said to make emptying a seed drill or fertiliser spreader hopper a whole lot easier.
Laid out on the floor with the discharge sock tied off, a drill can be driven over the sheet, the hopper emptied and the machine moved out of the way. The sheet is then gathered up and lifted using pallet forks or a hook attachment on a telehandler or front-end loader.
The 1.4m long outlet ‘sock’ at the centre of the sheet can be untied and the seed residue released into a sack or bulk bag.
Arable farmer Olly Harrison – known primarily for his YouTube videos and farming nearly 2,000 acres in the NW of England – came up with the idea, when he noted the time taken during drilling when changing from one seed variety to another.
By chance, his neighbour manufactured bouncy castles, so was well equipped to manufacture a bespoke “sheet” that could withstand the rigours of life on the farm.
He says that a lot of drills are awkward to empty and usually involve dumping seed on to a concrete floor, then sweeping and shovelling it into a sack. The SeedSock makes the job a whole lot quicker and easier by discharging on to a sheet that turns into a temporary container when lifted off the ground.
Other uses can include emptying a fertiliser spreader hopper after a mechanical break-down or preparing a “home -brew” cover crop seed mixture on the floor, like mixing concrete with a shovel, then loading it from the SeedSock into a drill. The large sheet can also be used to cover empty hoppers or seed or fertiliser on a trailer as weather protection.
The SeedSock is fully tested for CE/UKCA approval with a maximum load rating of 400kg SWL.
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The Advanced Vehicle Suspension system, available on Optum 360, 390, and 440 models, responds to changing conditions, automatically adjusting how the suspension reacts to absorbs shocks and controlling vehicle movement.
In operation, sensors monitor the vibrations transmitted from the tractor chassis to the operator cabin, allowing the system to adjust suspension damping in real time. The control system incorporates key priorities, such as comfort at lower speeds and stability as speed increases, while also reacting to factors such as lower tyre pressures, where the tyres absorb more of the initial shock.
Case IH said as suspension requirements change throughout the working day, as tractors move between the paddock and road transport, the system manages suspension response in the background as tasks, speeds and conditions change, leaving the operator without the need to make manual adjustments.
Richard Hollins, Optum series tractors global product manager, said: “Pioneering technology must earn its place in the working day. Farmers and contractors will judge an investment by what it delivers, including manageable ownership costs, dependable up-time and the versatility to tackle different jobs. With AVS, we are putting intelligent control to work for comfort and stability, without giving the operator another setting to manage.”
Organised by FederUnacoma, the Italian Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers Federation, the contest has been part of EIMA since 1986, with the Technical Evolution distinction awarded to products that introduce original improvements to solutions already manufactured or patented.
www.caseih.com
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