Alpen, Germany
June 21, 2013
The ideal plough adjustment minimises wear and saves time and fuel costs. For this reason, LEMKEN has equipped its mounted reversible ploughs with the “OptiQuick” adjustment system for many years. The system allows simple, step by step, adjustment of the tractor and plough to provide cost-effective ploughing. Now LEMKEN introduces an audiovisual learning program explaining the steps for the seven most important adjustments on the tractor and plough, and provides an interactive three-dimensional simulation of the Optiquick system.
Good ploughing starts with the wheels. The proper track width provides a balanced weight distribution on the tractor. The program illustrates the effects of different track widths as well as the advantages of a low tyre pressure, which provides high traction and low compaction during field work.
Above all, the proper ballasting of the front axle is important. It affects both the traction and the optimal true track following and reliable steering of the combination. For the best possible plough adjustment, it is also essential that the lower link stabilisers can move freely in the working position. Before mounting the plough, it is also necessary to select the suitable cross-shaft according to the tractor power and the distance to the lower link coupling points. Here, the learning program shows how to determine the proper length for the cross-shaft.
The plough can only be properly adjusted when the tractor is correctly prepared. With the "Optiquick" adjustment system, on all Lemken mounted ploughs, the front furrow width and the tractor/plough pulling line can be adjusted independent of each other. The theoretical part of the learning modules explains in detail how to determine the current front furrow width, how the optimal course of the pulling line should look, and which factors affect their course. The users can then test their acquired knowledge by answering a few test questions.
In the "Optiquick" simulation, after selecting the working width and tractor, the user can test how changing the various parameters affects the working nature of the combination. The turnbuckles on the plough, for adjusting the front furrow width and pulling line, can be controlled using the mouse. The working width can also be changed during the virtual ploughing. At the corresponding zoom factor, the screen shows the tractor and plough combination, whereby the transparent representation of the tractor always enables a view on the geometry of the three point linkage represented by lines. In addition, a picture-in-picture perspective enables a detailed view of the three point linkage. A green fade-in signals the proper front furrow width, while arrows symbolise a change in the lateral pull on the tractor. The user can change the view at any time by tilting, turning, displacing or zooming.
The program can be downloaded and installed using the following link: http://books.lemken.com/agrotraining/optiquick.zip
As a specialist in professional crop cultivation, LEMKEN is one of Europe’s leading companies with more than 1,000 employees worldwide and sales in excess of 300 million euros. Founded in 1780 as a foundry, the family company now has sites at its German headquarters in Alpen, as well as in Föhren and Meppen, where it produces premium quality high performance agricultural machines for tillage, sowing and crop protection. We are constantly working on innovations that bring maximum benefit to our customers. Further information about LEMKEN is available on our homepage www.lemken.com.
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