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The Third Arm was recently showcased at the Irish Ploughing Competition.
Sometimes the simplest designs can have a dramatic effect on making a job so much easier.
Who hasn’t encountered problems when hooking up a tractor to a close-coupled implement like a fertiliser spreader or sprayer – particularly those with any degree of girth?
In practice, it’s often near impossible to get the tractor’s rear linkage arms lined up with the linkage pins on the implement, meaning there’s a need to enter the ‘crush zone’ between the rear fender and the implement, raising questions around safety, particularly if a second person is helping. Of course, an operator can resort to the farmer’s friend, baler twine, but it’s not an ideal situation.
The Third Arm, recently showcased at the Irish Ploughing Competition, was designed by beef and sheep farmer Phillip Dixon to allow a tractor driver to stay safely in the tractor seat and adjust the rear linkage arms to line up with the pins on the implement, before reversing into the ideal attachment position.
Weighing in at only 3.5kg and intended for Cat 1 to 3 systems, the device drops over the linkage arms and uses a linear motor to move the arms inwards or outwards to the ideal position, offering up to 200mm of electrical movement or 150mm of mechanical adjustment.
In operation, the device is dropped over the link arms, secured with turn screws and plugged into the tractor’s auxiliary electrical supply. From the seat, the operator uses a small key fob to move the arms to the desired position, ready for attaching and securing with a lynch pin. Once the link arms are secured, the Third Arm is removed, stowed away and any stabiliser secured.
Whilst originally designed with safety in mind, by removing operators from the ‘crush zone’ it also offers convenience and time saving, while removing the need for a second to become involved with hooking up implements. It also means that anyone who has put a few pounds on over winter, won’t need to take up a crash diet for the spring campaign.
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With the biannual Italian EIMA machinery Expo less than a month away, Case IH has taken out a Technical Evolution award for the Advanced Vehicle Suspension system available on its Optum 360–440 series tractors.
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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