Custom built Machine

[Gadgetman]

Thought the crew here could appreciate this one. A lil proud of it as it has run good from day one.

Getting to build and operate prototypes like this makes my job fun. Built on this one the winter of 07,put a full season on it tweaking any bugs,then tore it down for sandblasting and a fresh paint job. The 1st pic is what it looked like after teardown. The 2nd after the fresh coat of paint then 12 days at work later.

To put size in perspective, those tires are over 6 ft tall. This machine was designed to spread liquid lime in Agriculture applications. Hundreds of acres and up to 1.5 million lbs of lime per day,at a capacity of up to 850 gals. per minute. The most I've spread so far was 23 Semi truck loads (103,000 gals) in one day,but I'm certain with more trucks and the right fields 30 loads a day is obtainable.

Will also mention that it can either be operated in manual mode,or be controlled by a computer. It has the ability to apply at a variable rate with a prescription entered from the data accumulated by a testing machine that probes the ground in 75 ft grids. With guidance from GPS,a computer controlled hydraulic driven pump,and the data work collected,the field receives lime where it needs it. It's the correct PH levels needed for optimum yields that we're after.

This is a one of a kind machine,built with a specific purpose in mind. An AG Chem 1903 dry fertilizer chassis was stripped and stretched 4' to accommodate the 2700 gal. tank. 33' booms were built for an 80' swath through the field. The main powerplant is a 3176 Cat coupled to a 2 speed auto tranni with a large torque converter. The amplified power is then sent through a 13 speed manual transmission for a wide range of ground speeds. A small 70 hp turbo 4 cylinder diesel pony motor is used only to turn a large 36 gpm hydraulic pump. All that oil is computer controlled via a servo valve that decides how much is sent to the hydr. motor (which turns the 6" x 5" product pump),or is bypassed through a cooler and into a 100 gal. reservoir.

The product exits the pump through a 5" mag flow meter,then splits the booms into 4" lines. Each boom has 4 vertical manifolds feeding a total of 24-13/16" orficed custom made nozzles. Ahead of each nozzle is an 1 1/4" pneumatic computer controlled diaphragm,which divides the nozzles into 3 circuits. These circuits open and close depending on ground speed and the gals. per acre your wanting to achieve.

Field speeds under load range from 6.5 mph at 833 gals. per acre, to 21 mph at 250 gals. per acre. Road speed is 42 mph. Weight empty is 41,600 lbs, with a 32,000 lb. payload that can be dispersed in under 4 mins.

 

[bill onthehill]

Wow! That makes a "normal" spray rig seem tiny. Never heard of spraying lime. Should help cut down on the lost time due to windy days and sinking trucks in wet fields. How bad is the compaction from such a big unit?

 

[Gadgetman]

Yes it does, was actually running lastweek in winds over 50 mph/gusts over 60. This stuff doesn't blow unless disturbed,such as driving back over it. The pattern contains large drops,so doesn't move much with wind. Compaction is good,better than a lot of small rigs. The tires are 42" wide with a 12" x 42" footprint per when loaded. A diesel pickup leaves a deeper track than this rig.

Not looking forward to the day she gets buried in mud. With all the waterways and crossings it goes through,that day is likely coming.

 

[AndyGrevis]

wow. may i ask how much you got into it?
separate pump engine for contant flow/rpms? what comp control it? not familiar with beasts like that, so would be extremely intersted to see/understand more in details

 

[Gadgetman]

Not really sure Andy. The rig was sorta Frankenstiened,and hard to put a finger on the hrs spent on it. Always coming and going from the field or other projects. But I'd guess under 100k.

Yes, the pony motor is for constant rate. Run it at the max rpms needed,and let the puter compensate for ground speed and rate changes as you cross different zones. We've been using the Viper Pro system,works well with the data compiled for prescriptions. Use radar for quicker reacting groundspeed adjustments,and the GPS for placement. Opted so far to use a Raven light bar,but think now the autosteer might be worth installing on this rig. Probably next season.

The ground tester we use is 3point mounted on a 70 hp tractor. It's timed to cycle every 10 seconds,so choose the ground speed to probe every 75'. Then make passes every 75' across the field to make your grid. Each cycle it drops a stainless tube 6" into the ground,pulls up a core sample,reads it,and washes the probe off for the next sample. This is for the PH testing. It also takes electrical reading from disc blades for other information.

Now we have the field divided into 75' x 75' zones,with a PH prescription for each zone. Up till now all lime application was done at an averaged blanket rate,with data collected from a half dozen random hand probes. Most fields vary a lot,so much was getting lime it didn't need,while other areas were shorted. This new data is overlayed onto mapping software,then entered into the rig's computer. Zones may vary from a rate of 100 to 800 gals. (1/2-5 ton) per acre in the same field.

To make the rig more effecient it's setup for high volume verses high pressure. The nozzles are designed to throw a 12' pattern at only 9 lbs. When you start out the first circuit of nozzles open up until a preset rate is reached,then the second circuit opens,and the 3rd as groundspeed increases. With this setup,running a variable rate job crossing zones,the computer opens and closes the pneumatic nozzle circuits,and adjusts the hydr. servo valve to match the flowmetered rate with the speed your traveling. Simple huh?:tong

Something else we can do in the process is hydr sew alfalfa and grass seed. Our liquid lime weighs approx. 12lbs a gal. (think runny peanut butter). The seed is suspended in the tank after a good circulation,and broadcasted with the lime.

 

[willie59]

Some kids never grow up. They start out as a little kid riding a tricycle...then when they get bigger...they make a tricycle on steroids! And they still have fun playing in the dirt!

 

[Gadgetman]

Hell Yea, spent too many years in a damn office. Gimme dirt and smoke


Da trikes pack less,
All of our floaters are trikes.

 

[Michaeljp86]

There is one of thosse gators running around here with 5 wheels, it has a big poop injector on back.

The bottom pic looks like you could drive that beast right onto your roof.

 

[Gadgetman]

Lol, yea took the pic on the berm against our big roundtop,dry fertilizer storage.

The tank is off one of those 5-wheeled (tandem axled) rigs,actually has 4 wheelwells cut into it. We choose to stay with a single axle on the rear,to keep from ripping up the soil so bad in tight turns. Run on a lot of alfalfa. Doesn't seem to be an issue at all carrying the load. Frame is plenty beefy and the tires barely squat.

 

[Michaeljp86]

Looks like one nice workshop, I wish I had one that size.

 

[Gadgetman]

You know how it is tho, they're never big enough.

With 6-semi's, 4-tandem nurse trucks, 4-90' floaters, 3-rowcrop sprayers, 20 some fertilizer trailers with mechanical pumps, 3 hi-loaders, several tractors, and all the projects I have going thru the year.....Wish it was twice that size.

Rainy days can get crazy in there. :Banghead

 

[Michaeljp86]

You know how it is tho, they're never big enough.

With 6-semi's, 4-tandem nurse trucks, 4-90' floaters, 3-rowcrop sprayers, 20 some fertilizer trailers with mechanical pumps, 3 hi-loaders, several tractors, and all the projects I have going thru the year.....Wish it was twice that size.

Rainy days can get crazy in there. :Banghead

The rainy days are funny, you think geez it must be pouring out. Then you look outside and its a little sprinkle.

My workshop is only 24x36, Im the 3rd generation raising hell in it though. What I really hate is the beam over the door gives you only 7'2" to get something in. I already messed up the rain cap on my IH 484. There is plans for a 40x60x14, I hope pretty soon.

 

[Gadgetman]

Has been a busy season,just about done. Ran quite a bit in western KS for other outfits. Put a bunch of highways miles on her,but I'm looking for a detach trailer. Nothing I've found fits right,so it looks like another winter project modifying one.

Made a few vids of this machine,

YouTube - Lime-gator

YouTube - Lime-gator maxed

 

[Gadgetman]

Got lucky this winter and found an old mechanical de-tach that had to of been built for this machine in mind. I done very little work to it,for it to fit like a glove. I did make rubber fenders that can be driven over. A lil more work with permanent oversized signage,a bulk fuel tank,a tool/parts box,a hydralic system for quicker drop n loads,and a new paint job to match the gator. She loaded and pulled great. 12' wide and 13'-6" tall (just legal/legal).

The one pic is of her trial run 60 mph down a highly crowned sand road. The air bag 102" suspension running inches off the ground helped it feel very stable. Now, how tall were those train tracks??

 

[mustbecrazy]

Wow. neat machine. We have some spray rigs sort of like that in the grass seed fields around us but usually junk machines with an old pickup motor in them. Do you do this kind of work for free or do you pay to do it? Sounds like fun. Gene

 

[harmetp]

I had a big A 4500, but wanted a 2505

Your rig looks nice and that's an interesting way to control flow by opening up more nozzles. Liquid lime probably doesn't flow well through smaller orifaces even with more pressure.

I used to haul manure from the barns to the field with the big A, but the loosy goosy 4 wheel steer was terrible on the road. The biggest problem is that it only held 3500 gallons. Now were back to a houle 6000 gallon tank and tractor and tend to nurse it with semis. However, I'd really like to figure out a way to have a 5 wheel chassis hold a 6000 gallon tank so I could go down the road at 30 mph (faster than the tractor's 18mph when we don't nurse) or have it nursed. Normally they have 4000 gallon tanks and I wonder if a 6000 is just too heavy for that chassis.

Thanks,

Pat

 

[powerjoke]

Back when I had the old Big-A's I had one with a Cummins and a allison automatic.

I have to say that I am not familiar with "liquid lime", do you have to make the Slurry yourself or do you buy it or????

Pj