In contour farming operations, it is important that the path of an implementprecisely follows the path of the tractor that pulls it. An alternativeimplement positioning method is proposed that avoids the use of steeredcoulters or wheels: unequal drag forces from differential dig depths of theimplement's wings linearly slews the rig, changing its path. Theexperimental rig, an AFM-880 cultivator, has a span of 10m and adrawbar length of 5m. It was found that position could be arbitrarilly setversus the nominal center by as much as 48 cm if the wing heights werecaused to differ by 30 cm. The calibrated simulation of the uncontrolled,natural path of a trailed rig on a sinusoidal path was compared with thepath generated when the rig was actively steered differentially, showing asignificant reduction in path undercut, a prerequisite to garnering the fullbenefits of controlled traffi
展开▼
