1. A Pneumatic Dibbling Machine for Plastic Mulch
- Author
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null M. J. Lawrence, null D. R. Buckmaster, null W. J. Lamont, and null Jr.
- Subjects
Tractor ,Plasticulture ,Engineering ,business.product_category ,business.industry ,Horticultural crops ,General Engineering ,Control reconfiguration ,Mechanical engineering ,Plastic mulch ,Cylinder (engine) ,law.invention ,law ,Pneumatic cylinder ,business ,Simulation - Abstract
A machine capable of placing planting holes for a wide variety of spacings in plastic mulch beds with very little physical reconfiguration was designed and tested. The three-point hitch mounted machine was demonstrated with two horticultural crops which have widely varying within-row and between-row spacing requirements: onions and potatoes. The piercing mechanisms were powered by pneumatic cylinders, and the on-board controls allowed users to adjust the number and spacing of holes. Switches enabled between-row spacing to vary by placing from one to four planting holes across a standard 76-cm (30-in.) bed. For the algorithm used, a dial was set to create the within-row spacing between 15 and 61 cm (6 and 24 in.). These control settings and a fixed tractor speed acted as inputs to a microprocessor which calculated hole placement frequency and initiated cylinder activation.
- Published
- 2007
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