THE Continental VF tyres have been fitted to a SAM Horizon 4000 self-propelled sprayer . “ This is the first time the new VF tyres with pressure sensors have been fitted to a sprayer in the UK and we hope that other sprayer operators will want to introduce this technology to help reduce soil compaction ,” says Continental agricultural tyre specialist Richard Hutchins .

ContiPressureCheck™ is a new system that monitors the pressure and temperature of

tyres to provide the operator with the information to prevent tyre related issues such as underinflation or overloading . “ VF tyres with sensors are the future for farming . On the road these tyres enable the vehicle to carry forty percent more load than a standard tyre at the same pressure . Alternatively , in the field , the pressure of VF tyres can be lowered by forty percent compared to standard tyres , even when carrying the same load . This spreads the weight of the vehicle over

a larger surface area and reduces soil compaction ,” explains Mr Hutchins .

The sprayer is owned by James Goodley , who runs an arable farm in Norfolk . The tyres are helping him to adapt his farming methods as part of a move to a zero till system . “ I want my sprayer tyre pressures as low as possible to maximise the footprint and minimise compaction . My concern has always been to not run them too low , and that is where the tyre monitor comes in , because it can tell

the operator if the pressure is safe and correct ,” says Mr Goodley .

The Continental VF TractorMaster 600 / 60R30 162D / 159E tyres are part of a larger range that is now available in the UK . “ Demands to reduce the impact of heavy machinery on our soil are being met with new technology . Our hope is that others will choose to invest , in the way that Mr Goodley has , to help improve farming methods in the future ,” concludes Mr Hutchins .

THE high-accuracy products come from Canadian manufacturer Dryer Master , whose DM510 control system fully automates the grain drying process with minimal manual intervention .

“ The new DM100 is a lower cost , less sophisticated version that still provides an element of control to relieve the workload of whoever is managing the dryer ,” notes Barry Higginbottom of Kentra .

Grain moisture is measured at the discharge point and adjustments to the discharge rate are made automatically when operator-set high , low and target moisture levels for each of three discharge speeds are hit .

Unlike the fully automatic DM510 , the DM100 requires the speed set points and moisture targets to be adjusted periodically to maintain optimum performance .

The Dryer Master DM100 measures grain moisture at the discharge points and provides an element of control to relieve the workload of whoever is managing the dryer .

The new Moisture Monitor Pro records grain moisture and temperature at the discharge – with the option to add an intake sensor as well – to help operators achieve consistent results from fully manual control .

The Moisture Monitor Pro from Kentra could be used with batch grain dryers and to record the average grain moisture of consignments received by commercial mills and stores .

As with the DM510 fully-automatic and DM100 semi-automatic systems , values are shown on a colour display , are accessible remotely using a mobile phone and can be downloaded to farm computer records .

These features are also common to Dryer Master ’ s new Load Monitor , a system that can be used with batch dryers or to record the average moisture of entire lorry or trailer loads of grain at the intake of a feed or flour mill or a commercial grain store .

“ The sensor is fitted in the grain flow line – for example in a duct where grain passes from the intake pit to an elevator – and Load Monitor automatically starts logging as soon as the sensor detects grain flowing across it ,” explains Barry Higginbottom of Kentra .

“ The finished record includes a consignment identifier and time stamp , and compared with sampling , using Load Monitor means there is no delay to tipping incoming consignments and the moisture reading will be fully representative of the bulk .”