WORLD NEWS
Back in the 1980s, brothers Mike, Gregg
and Don Tvetene were working at their
family-owned Tvetene Turf Farms in
Billings, Montana, USA. The business was
faced with a critical labour shortage at the
same time that it was experiencing huge
demand for their turf. Out of necessity,
the brothers conceived of an automatic
turf harvester that could cut and stack
sod using just one operator. Their biggest
motivator, recalls Gregg, was the years of
hard work they had put in stacking turf by
hand on the family farm.
The brothers worked by trial and error
to get an automatic stacking harvester
working smoothly. Mike focused on the
electronics while Gregg worked on the
hydraulics and Don handled welding and
fabrication. At the time, mobile electronic
systems were not sophisticated enough
to handle the tasks required, so Mike
designed a system that would control
stacking, harvesting and drive functions.
The brothers formed a new company,
Trebro Manufacturing, Inc. Their
hands-on experience, hard work and
continual testing and trials resulted in
the introduction of the ‘AutoStack’, the
first successful automatic stacking turf
harvester in 2000.
The AutoStack was an instant success
as turf producers from around the world
were eager to take advantage of the
benefits of labour savings, increased
production and improved quality of the
finished product. Trebro and the AutoStack
were also recognised with an Industry
Innovator award from the Turf Producers
International and the Montana governor’s
exporting award.
The AutoStack, and now the AutoStack
II, use an automated Ultra Steer system to
guide the harvester with precision while
the operator watches over all aspects of
the harvesting process. Trebro explored
several different sensor technologies for
the steering system before selecting Senix
ToughSonic 14 ultrasonic sensors.
Senix ultrasonic sensors are mounted
on the steering arms of the AutoStacker
and AutoStacker II where they monitor
the harvest line to maintain ¼” steering
accuracy. The ToughSonic 14 was selected
for its tough all-weather construction and
its ability to communicate rapidly with the
Trebro’s electronic control system through
an RS-232 interface. The Trebro AutoStack
II is the ultimate high production automatic
turf harvester.
Trebro Manufacturing has now sold
more than 750 automated harvesters
in 22 countries. It has employees in
the US, Canada and the UK, with parts
warehouses in all of these locations plus
Europe and Australia. And at its heart are
the three Tvetene brothers.
Manufacturing
Ultrasonic sensors in agricultural automation
Trebro Manufacturing has sold more
than 750 automated harvesters in 22
countries.
Mammoet has seen a growing need for
cranes with significantly more lifting capacity
than the market has seen thus far.
8
AUGUST 2019
www.equipmentandhire.co.za