«Previous    Next»
“Shear Bolt Monitor” For Ripper And Knife Shanks
“Our new monitoring system automatically detects broken shear bolts on tillage shanks. It lets you know right away when a shear bolt is broken so you can immediately get it working again,” says Adam Bjerketvedt, Precision Ag 360, Hancock, Minn. The company introduced its Shank Patrol monitor at the recent Iowa Power Farming Show in Des Moines.
  The patent pending system consists of an in-cab LED monitor, wire harnesses, mounting brackets, sensors and magnets. It can be installed on conventional tillage rippers or any tillage or manure application system that has a shear bolt-style shank or knife. A bracket bolts onto each shank and protects a sensor, magnet and wiring. The sensor detects when the shank is out of its correct position and shows the broken shank on the in-cab monitor.
  “As soon as a bolt breaks, the sensor trips and an audible alarm goes off. A glance at the LED monitor will show you which shank is broken. Once you install a new shear bolt, the system automatically resets itself,” says Bjerketvedt.
  The Shank Patrol can be used on Case 870 and 875 rippers, Deere 2700 and 2730 rippers, DMI 530 Ecolo-Tiger and 730, Case 530 and 730, Wil-Rich Soil Pro 513, Dietrich 70 and Sunflower 4600 series shanks. The company also hopes to develop the system for strip-till equipment and anhydrous applicators.
  “Our goal was to keep the system as simple as possible. Everything bolts on, with no welding or drilling required,” says Bjerketvedt.
  According to Bjerketvedt, many farmers break ripper shanks in the field without knowing it and don’t find out until much later. “As soon as a shear bolt breaks, you’re losing money because a broken shank won’t penetrate the hardpan. One farmer went into a 40-acre field with a 5-shank ripper and didn’t discover until he finished the field that a shank was broken. He walked all the way back across the field to see where the shank broke, and found that it happened on the first pass so 20 percent of his field never got ripped.”
  The shear bolt monitor also benefits liquid manure injection equipment, says Bjerketvedt. “With liquid manure injection the manure is exposed to the air, so you’re losing nitrogen due to volatilization. Also, there’s a greater chance for runoff if the manure doesn’t get covered up with soil.”
  He says the Shank Patrol’s price is specific to the model and number of rows. “Our goal is to keep the price for an 11-shank ripper or narrower at less than $5,000. Anything bigger than an 11-shank model would cost a little more based on size,” says Bjerketvedt.
  Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Precision Ag 360, 42244 260th St., Hancock, Minn. 56244 (ph 320 288-6062; precisionag360@gmail.com; www.precisionag360.com).


  Click here to download page story appeared in.



  Click here to read entire issue




To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.
Order the Issue Containing This Story
2018 - Volume #42, Issue #2