Tractors Converted To Do Driverless Fieldwork

Tractors Converted To Do Driverless Fieldwork TRACTORS Conversions Connor Kingman of Kingman Ag Services converts conventional farm tractors to autonomous operation Kingman says driverless tractors are important in agriculture because there’s such a shortage of qualified farm labor He says they work well because they’re not fatigued by weather or time in the field and their speed and location can be continuously controlled to work 24 hrs a day with minimal human supervision At the Tulare Calif farm show in February 2020 Kingman and one of his customers Ted Sheely of Azcal Management demonstrated a Deere tractor equipped to spray fruit and nut trees The tractor’s seat and steering wheel were replaced by high definition cameras lights and a LIDAR light detection and ranging system A larger diesel tank was added to give the tractor additional range along with an air-conditioned compartment to hold the computer system which can be controlled by a computer or a smart phone app Kingman says the tractor has been tested in Sheely’s fields doing tillage work and pulling sprayers They’re working on equipment so it can be used for tree and vine trimming Unlike many row crop vehicles that use GPS Kingman’s system which they can adapt to Deere Case IH Kubota and New Holland tractors uses cameras that visually steer the tractor even during foggy hazy or dusty conditions Kingman says in the future an autonomous system might also be used for crop inspections bunch counts on grapes tree health and other observation protocols that are now being done manually Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Kingman Ag Services 555 Philan Circle Lemoore Calif 93245 ph 559 947-3355; www kingmanag com

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