Prototype Robotic Bale Collector

Prototype Robotic Bale Collector BALE HANDLING Last summer Vermeer Corporation showed off the Bale Hawk their new automated bale handling system to a select group of farmers and dealers Mark Core VP of Vermeer Corporation explains that due to labor shortages interest in automated tools is high “You set up a geofence and define your field area in GPS ” says Gregory Laughlin senior software engineer Vermeer “The Bale Hawk moves through that area and collects bales to be stacked in one place ” The machine uses a Light Detection and Ranging Lidar system to recognize bale shapes in the defined area moving from the outside toward the center gathering round bales and placing them in rows for later pickup and transfer The 6 000-lb Bale Hawk powered by a Deutz engine uses rubber belts to gently scoop handle and transport three 1 400-lb bales at a time Laughlin says the vibration of the machine has been an issue for the Lidar units but he’s confident special equipment can be built to counteract the problem The Bale Hawk is not yet available for sale Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Vermeer 1210 East Vermeer Road Pella Iowa 50219 www vermeer com

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