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A remote-controlled unit allows cabbage and cauliflower growers to harvest without a driver seated in the tractor cab.
Dutch Case IH and Steyr tractor dealer, Van der Werf Mecanisatie – based at Zwaagdijk, north of Amsterdam – has developed a remote-control unit that allows cabbage and cauliflower growers to harvest without a driver seated in the tractor cab.
While self-propelled mechanical harvesters continue to make inroads, most Dutch growers continue to cut cabbages and cauliflowers by hand.
These are centred around placing the cut vegetables on lateral conveyors and a packing platform carried behind a tractor.
Typically operating at creep speeds as slow as 130m/hour, most growers use an extended cable behind the tractor to operate it remotely.
Van der Werf has taken the format a stage further and ditched the cable with a dedicated remote-control unit. Recently shown on a Case IH Maxxum 115 at a local machinery show, the conversion has been on offer for many years and the dealer reckons to have sold in excess of 100 systems, all over Holland – mainly to cauliflower growers.
Activating the system is said to be easy, with only three steps. After the tractor is started and set at idle, the operator engages the creeper gears and turns on the remote unit, which connects to an on-board receiver.
The remote can be programmed to only start the tractor and reverse it. However, most growers opt for a six-function configuration including stop, forward, gear changes or down and steering to the left or right. The remote system is only used when crossing a field, so headland turns are carried out by the operator.
The dealer notes that the Case IH Maxxum is the most popular tractor for the conversion but has also installed the kit on several New Holland and Steyr tractors.
The easiest conversion is for tractors with a mechanical transmission, with the dealer noting that CVT transmissions are very difficult to automate.
Depending on the tractor and the number of functions required, the cost of the conversion is typically around $7,000 to $8,500.
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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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