Expodireto Special: Massey Ferguson exposes planting technology that optimizes operations

During Expodireto Cotrijal 2019, an agribusiness fair held in Não-Me-Toque (RS), from March 11 to 15, Massey Ferguson presents, through Precision Planting,  vDrive, electric seed dosing controller. The technology makes planting simpler and more economical and is offered as a factory option for the MF 500 and MF 700 planters.

The vDrive is an electric motor that replaces the entire mechanical transmission part of the implement, which requires constant maintenance and lubrication and, consequently, increases planting costs. Connected to the new 20/20 monitor, also from Precision Planting, the system controls planting, line by line, and guarantees seed spacing and distribution, as defined in the soil fertility map, with the highest level of singulation available, reducing competition between plants.

“Each area has productivity potential, and vDrive was created to translate this information into real gains for the farmer. The technology uses soil mapping and varies the quantity of seeds instantly. The integrated control of the electric motor allows reactions in milliseconds to correct the seed population. It’s as if each line were an independent planter”, says Vinicius Gehlen, Product Marketing Supervisor for Planting and Haymaking Implements at AGCO.

Other advantages of the system are the possibility of “turning off” planting in a given row, avoiding seed overlap, and compensation in curves, that is, while in a planter with mechanical transmission all rows rotate at the same speed, with vDrive the rows from the inside they rotate more slowly; and those outside, faster, precisely to guarantee the precise execution of the prescription.

Integrated into the tractor's GPS, the 20/20 monitor makes crop management data driven, with accurate real-time information and an intuitive interface, which displays performance and field conditions seed by seed, plant by plant, drop by drop, optimizing planting, harvesting and application decisions.

MF 500 and MF 700 CFS planters

Aimed at medium and large properties, the MF 500 is intended for planting coarse grains, with precise fertilizer distribution. Composed of a monobloc chassis and featuring polyethylene reservoirs and self-lubricating bushings at the articulation points, the equipment guarantees greater resistance and durability in the most diverse planting conditions.

The MF 700 CFS has versions with 11 to 30 lines and configuration availability in spacings of 45, 50, 76 and 90 cm. The highlight of the line is the central CFS (Central Fill System) seed box with a capacity of 1.450 liters, the largest in the category. Due to this system, the equipment can operate for long journeys and without stops, offering greater agility in supply and profitability for the producer. In addition to greater storage capacity, the MF 700 CFS planter has a wide range of options, such as three soil breakers and four depth limiters and seed compactors in the soil, enabling greater sowing yield and planting more hectares per hour.