When it comes to getting ultra accurate with GPS kit, it’s not just the tractor that needs steering but also the implement. Two years ago La Forge showcased a sliding headstock arrangement that replaced the standard version fitted to drawbar-pulled kit. This enables a satellite receiver mounted on the drill or cultivator to use the tractor’s hydraulics to slightly nudge the machine to one side if it wasn’t pulling quite true or was suffering downhill drift on side-slopes.
Now the company has developed a three-point linkage version that sits between the link-arms and the implement headstock and has the ability to offset the machine by up to 500mm thanks to its side-shift facility.
With the implement in work, one link-arm is free-floating to allows the machine to follow movements from the tractor and DynaTrac frame. When it’s lifted out of work a hydraulic ram locks it in place to stop any side-sway..
With prices starting from £9,000, its really suited to jobs involving high-value veg crops such as ridging, bed-forming, drilling and hoeing. With a simple valve-block and an electronic position sensor, the unit isn’t overly-complicated but does require an RTK system and receivers on both the tractor and implement to give it guidance.
