What does a four-row machine do for a grower planting six?

In version 2 we hung each hoeing module off the toolbar on a parallelogram linkage and put it on its own gauge wheel, so it follows the ground. Working depth held steady over uneven land.

But something was left: the machine was a four-row machine. For a grower planting six, we had no good answer.

One machine, a width that changes

The main carrier profile is a fixed 2 metres. Where it is needed, 50 cm pieces are added at the ends and the working width goes up to 4 metres.

The modules clamp onto that profile, so it is not only how many there are that can be chosen but where they sit - whatever your row spacing is, the modules go there. Getting from four rows to six takes added profile, not a new machine.

The air system grows with it

Six modules cannot run on four modules' worth of air. A wider build gets a higher-flow compressor and the tank goes up to 100 litres.

Tractor power is adequate either way; going wider changes nothing at the tractor end.

Row following: the profile instead of the discs

In version 2 the row was followed by sprung discs. The camera saw the deviation, a pneumatic cylinder angled the discs, and the discs bit into the soil and pulled the frame back.

Version 3 slides the profile the modules hang from instead. Fewer parts, a more direct correction, and a method that does not depend on the soil holding the discs.

The mechanism was reworked too

• A sheet-clad profile frame. The carrier was made stiffer.
• A smaller housing. The mechanism box was reduced in size and weight.
• A removable rear sweep. The sweep does the finishing pass and comes off when it is not wanted.

To be straight about it

We have no field measurement for version 3 to share yet either. What this post describes are mechanical changes; the 98% detection accuracy and 250 ms blade response come from version 1's four-month trial on lettuce and squash.

What version 3 is worth in the field is something we will measure next season and publish the same way.

If you would like to see it in your field

ÇAPABOT is one machine, and you decide how many rows it hoes. Leave a demo request and we will work out the configuration for your crop and your row spacing together.