4wd articulated Combine
http://www.hpj.com/archives/2013/jan13/jan28/012
2Tribine3PIXsr.cfm
Tribine can revolutionize the grain harvesting industry
By Bill Spiegel
TRIBINE INVENTOR—Bob Dillon is the inventor of the
Tribine, a new combine that brings together Class VII
combine threshing capacity with 1,000 bushels of
grain storage capacity. The machine has been
impressive in preliminary tests. (Courtesy photos.)
UNIQUE PACKAGE—The Tribine's front module is a
modified Gleaner S77 combine; the rear is a unique
grain tank manufactured by CrustBuster/Speed King.
Inventor Bob Dillon refined the machine on a shop near
Moundridge, Kan.
Farmers can receive their first look at the first major
change in combine platform technology in more than
six decades at the Ag Connect Expo in Kansas City Jan.
29 to 31.
Ag Connect is the official coming-out party for the
Tribine, an innovative harvester that combines the
threshing capacity of a Class VII combine with the
grain-holding capacity of a 1,000-bushel grain cart in
a package that is smaller and lighter than other
combines of similar capacity. The Tribine is the
brainchild of Indiana farmer Ben Dillon, who has spent
the past 15 years building, tweaking and perfecting
combines to overcome what he believes are the
maxed-out grain capacity of today's modern
harvesters. It adds a third component to the traditional
reap-and-thresh setup of a combine harvester: a
1,000-bushel grain handling module that allows
farmers to make a mile-long run harvesting 250-
bushel-per-acre corn, without needing to stop to
unload.
"Conventional combine architecture is maxed out at
400 to 450 bushels," says Dillon, who farms near Deer
Creek, Ind. "Handling 15 billion bushels of corn
produced in the United States alone is a tremendous
logistics problem."
Kansas roots
While the Tribine took shape in the corn fields of
Indiana, it has been refined in a rented farm shop in
central Kansas, between Moundridge and Hesston. It's
an ideal location, because Kansas firms AGCO and
Crustbuster/Speed King have played major roles in the
manufacture of the prototype machine.
The front half--or module--of the Tribine is
essentially a Gleaner model S77 combine, with the
grain tank removed and replaced with the combine's
370 horsepower engine. The only modification to the
engine is the addition of three hydraulic pumps, used
to power the machine's all-wheel-drive, four-wheel
steering cylinders and massive unloading auger.
What makes the Tribine revolutionary is the rear
module, designed by Dillon and built to his exacting
specifications by Crustbuster/Speed King. The rear
module features 1,000 bushels of grain storage
capacity, with an unloading auger capable of filling a
semi truck in two minutes. To accomplish that, "the
rear module has some cool engineering," says Rhein
Herrman, an engineer with Crustbuster/SpeedKing.
The 22-inch diameter unloading auger, located at the
machine's rear, has 23-foot reach, allowing the Tribine
to be equipped with a 12-row cornhead or 35-foot
grain platform. The auger is designed in two pieces;
the bottom auger is mounted at a less than 45-degree
angle from horizontal, which improves grain flow
speed. A sealed joint between the lower and upper
augers prevents grain loss; meanwhile, the upper
auger can pivot fore and aft, up and down to enable
operators to fill an entire semi with a minimum of
movements.
"We used a lot of engineering know-how on the auger
system," Herrman says.
Clean grain is transferred from the threshing module
to the rear module via 12-inch auger. Inside the tank,
the drag auger stretches from one corner of the cart to
the other, whereas most grain carts use an auger fixed
to the center. This improves unloading speed and
capacity.
Chaff comes out of the front module, and is
distributed via two hydralic fans situated on the
second module.
Unique steering
Similar to an articulated four-wheel-drive tractor, the
Tribine is articulated and can turn 30 degrees either
side of center. In addition, the rear axle can either turn
conventionally, or crab steer, enabling operators to
fine-tune the machine's movements. The rear module
can get 3.5 feet closer to a truck or grain cart than the
front module. The machine has an extremely sharp
turning radius, and in the field, makes just two tracks,
limiting compaction. Steering functions are controlled
in the cab.
The machine's body is aluminum, with pieces riveted
together similar to what one might find on an airplane.
The aluminum skin attributes to the machine's
relatively light weight; it also was cost-effective for
this prototype machine.
"In the long run, plastic body panels make sense if
you're building several machines. For our purpose of
creating a working prototype, aluminum is well suited,"
Herrman says. The body pieces were fabricated,
installed at the rented space in Kansas. Much of the
machine was painted there, too, in "Tribine Orange,"
Dillon says - because orange is his favorite color.
The cab comes from the Gleaner S77, although
Herrman says there is proprietary software that
controls the machine's all-wheel-steer system and
auto-steer capabilities. There also is a video monitor
system through which the operator can monitor the
rear wheels and auger.
Compact machine
The Tribine is hauled on a trailer custom-built by
Landoll Corporation, based in Marysville. The trailer's
top deck has innovative carriers for each of the
machine's four tires and wheels; the steel frames can
be moved via forklift and positioned right at the hub,
so operators can easily bolt onto the hubs.
At just 35 feet long and less than 15-feet wide, the
Tribine actually has smaller transport dimensions than
many Class VII combines.
The machine's tires are key to the relatively light
footprint; the special Goodyear radials are four-feet
wide and six-feet tall. Ground compaction is, "less
than a Class VIII combine, and far less than a 200
horsepower tractor pulling a 1,000 bushel grain cart,"
Dillon says.
At Ag Connect
The Internet has been abuzz with farmers interested in
seeing the Tribine in person. It will be on display at Ag
Connect in Kansas City, and Dillon hopes to gain input
from grain farmers. He had the machine working on
his farm in December, harvesting corn he had saved
from fall harvest. It performed as expected, he says.
"We've generated a lot of interest on the Internet and
have been able to reach people all over the globe
instantly," Dillon says. "Conceptually, the Tribine is
right on the money. We want to see the Tribine in the
field with lots of farmers. And then, I need to find a
production partner."
Date: 1/28/2013
http://www.hpj.com/archives/2013/jan13/jan28/012
2Tribine3PIXsr.cfm
Tribine can revolutionize the grain harvesting industry
By Bill Spiegel
TRIBINE INVENTOR—Bob Dillon is the inventor of the
Tribine, a new combine that brings together Class VII
combine threshing capacity with 1,000 bushels of
grain storage capacity. The machine has been
impressive in preliminary tests. (Courtesy photos.)
UNIQUE PACKAGE—The Tribine's front module is a
modified Gleaner S77 combine; the rear is a unique
grain tank manufactured by CrustBuster/Speed King.
Inventor Bob Dillon refined the machine on a shop near
Moundridge, Kan.
Farmers can receive their first look at the first major
change in combine platform technology in more than
six decades at the Ag Connect Expo in Kansas City Jan.
29 to 31.
Ag Connect is the official coming-out party for the
Tribine, an innovative harvester that combines the
threshing capacity of a Class VII combine with the
grain-holding capacity of a 1,000-bushel grain cart in
a package that is smaller and lighter than other
combines of similar capacity. The Tribine is the
brainchild of Indiana farmer Ben Dillon, who has spent
the past 15 years building, tweaking and perfecting
combines to overcome what he believes are the
maxed-out grain capacity of today's modern
harvesters. It adds a third component to the traditional
reap-and-thresh setup of a combine harvester: a
1,000-bushel grain handling module that allows
farmers to make a mile-long run harvesting 250-
bushel-per-acre corn, without needing to stop to
unload.
"Conventional combine architecture is maxed out at
400 to 450 bushels," says Dillon, who farms near Deer
Creek, Ind. "Handling 15 billion bushels of corn
produced in the United States alone is a tremendous
logistics problem."
Kansas roots
While the Tribine took shape in the corn fields of
Indiana, it has been refined in a rented farm shop in
central Kansas, between Moundridge and Hesston. It's
an ideal location, because Kansas firms AGCO and
Crustbuster/Speed King have played major roles in the
manufacture of the prototype machine.
The front half--or module--of the Tribine is
essentially a Gleaner model S77 combine, with the
grain tank removed and replaced with the combine's
370 horsepower engine. The only modification to the
engine is the addition of three hydraulic pumps, used
to power the machine's all-wheel-drive, four-wheel
steering cylinders and massive unloading auger.
What makes the Tribine revolutionary is the rear
module, designed by Dillon and built to his exacting
specifications by Crustbuster/Speed King. The rear
module features 1,000 bushels of grain storage
capacity, with an unloading auger capable of filling a
semi truck in two minutes. To accomplish that, "the
rear module has some cool engineering," says Rhein
Herrman, an engineer with Crustbuster/SpeedKing.
The 22-inch diameter unloading auger, located at the
machine's rear, has 23-foot reach, allowing the Tribine
to be equipped with a 12-row cornhead or 35-foot
grain platform. The auger is designed in two pieces;
the bottom auger is mounted at a less than 45-degree
angle from horizontal, which improves grain flow
speed. A sealed joint between the lower and upper
augers prevents grain loss; meanwhile, the upper
auger can pivot fore and aft, up and down to enable
operators to fill an entire semi with a minimum of
movements.
"We used a lot of engineering know-how on the auger
system," Herrman says.
Clean grain is transferred from the threshing module
to the rear module via 12-inch auger. Inside the tank,
the drag auger stretches from one corner of the cart to
the other, whereas most grain carts use an auger fixed
to the center. This improves unloading speed and
capacity.
Chaff comes out of the front module, and is
distributed via two hydralic fans situated on the
second module.
Unique steering
Similar to an articulated four-wheel-drive tractor, the
Tribine is articulated and can turn 30 degrees either
side of center. In addition, the rear axle can either turn
conventionally, or crab steer, enabling operators to
fine-tune the machine's movements. The rear module
can get 3.5 feet closer to a truck or grain cart than the
front module. The machine has an extremely sharp
turning radius, and in the field, makes just two tracks,
limiting compaction. Steering functions are controlled
in the cab.
The machine's body is aluminum, with pieces riveted
together similar to what one might find on an airplane.
The aluminum skin attributes to the machine's
relatively light weight; it also was cost-effective for
this prototype machine.
"In the long run, plastic body panels make sense if
you're building several machines. For our purpose of
creating a working prototype, aluminum is well suited,"
Herrman says. The body pieces were fabricated,
installed at the rented space in Kansas. Much of the
machine was painted there, too, in "Tribine Orange,"
Dillon says - because orange is his favorite color.
The cab comes from the Gleaner S77, although
Herrman says there is proprietary software that
controls the machine's all-wheel-steer system and
auto-steer capabilities. There also is a video monitor
system through which the operator can monitor the
rear wheels and auger.
Compact machine
The Tribine is hauled on a trailer custom-built by
Landoll Corporation, based in Marysville. The trailer's
top deck has innovative carriers for each of the
machine's four tires and wheels; the steel frames can
be moved via forklift and positioned right at the hub,
so operators can easily bolt onto the hubs.
At just 35 feet long and less than 15-feet wide, the
Tribine actually has smaller transport dimensions than
many Class VII combines.
The machine's tires are key to the relatively light
footprint; the special Goodyear radials are four-feet
wide and six-feet tall. Ground compaction is, "less
than a Class VIII combine, and far less than a 200
horsepower tractor pulling a 1,000 bushel grain cart,"
Dillon says.
At Ag Connect
The Internet has been abuzz with farmers interested in
seeing the Tribine in person. It will be on display at Ag
Connect in Kansas City, and Dillon hopes to gain input
from grain farmers. He had the machine working on
his farm in December, harvesting corn he had saved
from fall harvest. It performed as expected, he says.
"We've generated a lot of interest on the Internet and
have been able to reach people all over the globe
instantly," Dillon says. "Conceptually, the Tribine is
right on the money. We want to see the Tribine in the
field with lots of farmers. And then, I need to find a
production partner."
Date: 1/28/2013
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