An autonomous bale mover which is currently being developed by US agri company Vermeer promises a cut down on tedious on-farm tasks.
The concept, nicknamed 'Bale Hawk', travels autonomously via onboard sensors to locate bales, pick them up and move them to a predetermined location.
The machine aims to help save labour time and associated costs, by eliminating the manual step of moving bales.
The autonomous bale mover senses where it is relative to a bale, allowing it to plan a route to pick up that bale.
It can pick up three bales at a time before delivering and unloading them to a predetermined location.
Vermeer R&D manager Kent Thompson said: “Our team is dedicated to developing practical ways to help forage producers make the most of their available labour and get the most out of their time in the field.
“We work to identify solutions that producers don’t even realise are possible, all focused around their hay operation.”
The wireless, battery-powered temperature sensors will help operators monitor baler bearing temperatures from the cab.
Vermeer says this will help by providing predictive maintenance notices to farmers before the bearing reaches its end-of-life.
“When given this information ahead of time, operators can order new bearings and replace them before they reach the end-of-life or fail due to contamination, which helps keep balers in the field when it matters most,” added senior engineer Nathan Dockter.
