High Tech in Agriculture and Farm Equipment

Gearmotors Improve Productivity

As seed planters get wider, the standard mechanical linkages that control the metering of each individual planting unit have certain limitations.

Driving each unit of the planter with a small electric gearmotor allows individual row control as well as curve compensation. This ensures that the seed population is exactly as prescribed and maximizes the productivity of every acre. Power is provided by the battery or alternator on the tractor or implement.

A manufacturer of electric planter drives sought out Bodine Electric to be the supplier for their gearmotor. They needed a gearmotor that could:

• Operate from the tractor’s 12 volt battery
• Attach easily to the seed planter
• Deliver the torque and speed needed to dispense seeds at a precise rate
• Communicate with their microprocessor
• Withstand the harsh farm environment

Bodine Electric responded with a custom gearmotor that met all of their requirements. Bodine engineers designed a 12 Volt winding that, in combination with an appropriate gear ratio, delivered the exact speed and torque needed (click here for more about Bodine low voltage products). Bodine’s small right-angle type 24A4BEPM-3F/H gearmotor features multiple mounting options for different mounting orientations. An encoder was added to the motor to communicate speed feedback to the microprocessor.