His Tree Planter Uses Electronics, Hydraulics To Plant Accurately

His Tree Planter Uses Electronics, Hydraulics To Plant Accurately WOODLOT EQUIPMENT Miscellaneous 25-2-25 A Georgia tree farmer called Jeff Dillman, Ames, Iowa, a couple of years ago for help in re-engineering a tree planter. Dillman owns a company that makes planter clutches and distance measuring wheels. Intrigued by the request and with some tree planting of his own to do, Dillman looked into existing equipment for planting trees and other large seedlings. "I know about corn planters and planter clutches, but I was no expert on tree planting," he says. After looking at existing tree planters, Dillman decided he could make a better machine. "I wanted to incorporate some of the corn planter technology that has been proven in recent years," says Dillman. Dillman equipped a 5 by 7-in. toolbar with a heavy-built Kinze-type parallel linkage that supports a hydraulically-operated planting unit. A Yetter no-till coulter ripper point mount on front of the planter. The right side of the bar is fitted with a large rubber-tired measuring wheel wired to an electronic counter. The counter hooks into the hydraulics on the planting unit. Every time the wheel moves a preset distance, it triggers the hydraulics to drop a sapling into the ground, where it opens and leaves the plant. Closing wheels behind the unit firm the soil around the seedling. Each time the planter unit cycles, an operator riding on the planter must drop another seedling into the planter unit. "It takes only about a second for the planter to drop down, set a tree, and recycle to the up position again. "The machine can be set up to do check planting, like corn used to be checked," Dillman says. "If the trees can be aligned straight across the field and at 45-degree angles from either side, you can keep most of the weeds and grass down between them with a mower or brush cutter." Dillman says the planter can be used to plant into tilled strips or to set trees or seedlings into landscape film or biodegradable fabric over tilled soil. "With film, your weed control expenses are mostly up front, but survival rates tend to be higher." The planter can be operated by a small utility tractor, although Dillman says a number of units could be mounted on the same toolbar. Sells for just under $7,500. "It would be a good machine for local conservation districts to have to rent out to farmers for reforestation," says Dillman, who's thinking about doing custom planting work with it. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Jeff Dillman, Tru Count, Inc, 409 South Bell Avenue, Ames, Iowa 50010 (phone 515 232-8285; fax 515 232-8286; Website: www.trucount.com).

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.