At the Agritechnica show Väderstad unveiled its first precision drill, but, as you might expect from the innovative Swedish manufacturer, the Tempo is no ordinary seeder. Stand-out features include an on-board alternator and an all-new seed metering system. We had the opportunity to work with a six-row Tempo TPF6 in Hungary
In Eastern Europe and Russia, maize is an arable crop of real importance. And in the UK the ‘sunshine plant’ accounts for around 140,000ha. Reason enough, then, for Väderstad to extend its drill portfolio to encompass precision planters. Available in six- and eight-row formats, the Tempo incorporates a number of features that enable it to plant at travel speeds of up to 20km/hr.
One of these key attributes is the machine sporting its own alternator, which ensures the drill’s electric motors can call on a reliable power supply for driving the seed and fertiliser metering units. So, even before you consider the machine’s performance potential, the Tempo acts as a good example of how electric components could play an increasingly important role on future farm equipment, and it will be interesting to see whether the likes of Deere’s 6RE tractors possess enough electrical oomph to power the drill directly.
But back to the Tempo. The already mentioned alternator is located on a floating drawbar — it’s height adjustable via a crank — with a pto-powered belt providing drive to both the alternator and fan. By splitting the air flow, the fan is able to propel fertiliser to the coulters and seed to the metering units. Air flow for the granular fertiliser is sent down a large diameter hose to the metering units, while air flow for the seed runs through the box section drawbar and then down short hoses to the seeder units. It’s a well laid out distribution system that keeps the machine refreshingly free from hose clutter.
For more up-to-date farming news click here and subscribe now to profi and save
