Oggun Tractor in Alaska

[@alaskaspecialtycrops9521]

I'm pretty impressed with this little tractor so far. In addition to being very functional, its unique design generates comments wherever I bring it.

[@baccoff3308]

Nice looking Tractor!

[@alaskaspecialtycrops9521]

Yeah, and its fun also!

[@alexlongoria3893]

Questions, Did you find that you had enough clearance for the plantings and does the spiders have enough distance where it does not bind within the implement area?

[@lamarhauck882]

Jeff, the GPS suggestion is quite doable, but is it worth the programming to develop an APP for low ground speed, short travel distance tasks? I think not. However, the probability of you knowing the simple metrics of acres, number of rows per plot and length of rows of any plot with any crop for any field gives you all the data you need with your cell phone to calculate/tabulate mph, km/h, fpm, task time per acre in minutes/hours/shift, etc. You could set all that up to do all those features while having lunch at a local eatery and still have another productive shift to which to return to finish your day! Note: you need to set that up in your phone anyway if you still plan on developing valid cover crop data for an agency or a client next year.

[@alaskaspecialtycrops9521]

The simplicity of a simple speed readout has an advantage. Driving at 2 mph (or 3 ft/sec) I enter the plot, turn on the seeder, drive the 35' plot, glance at the speedometer to verify speed and shut off the seeder just before I leave the plot. All of this in 12 seconds, so I need the simplicity of a single speed read out. As all plot work, it takes longer to set up than it does to actually do the plot. Our plots are physically laid out in the field with tape measures and stakes following maps we've made in the office so the mapping capability of the GPS is kind of wasted. I have access to several grades of GPS. Unfortunately, since we don't have an RTK system with a base station both the Garmons and the Trimbles take a while to get a good position fix. When we're taking geo-referenced soil samples in the field it often takes 30 sec per site to lock in the satellites. At 61 deg N, we lock in fewer satellites than you're used to at lower latitudes Thanks for the ideas and please keep them coming!

[@blaablaahi]

Would love to know more about you seed potato operations.

[@alaskaspecialtycrops9521]

Matt, Thanks for the note! I grow certified seed of about 20 potato varieties for retail sales to both home gardeners and commercial Market Gardeners. I also ship seed potatoes to Rural Alaska communities. Additionally, I'm trying to develop a new variety (Susitna Gold) that I think has good market potential for the restaurant trade. Many of my customers want their seed potatoes to be pesticide-free so I bought the Oggun primarily for cultivating to avoid using herbicides. I'm thinking of making a video of the operations going into small-scale seed potato production.

[@shyflyzz]

Just a note to say ,why don't you trail a small dump trailer behind the potato digger and dump ant the end of the row or bag them at that point? En joyed your video,I think that tractor has umlimited potential

[@alaskaspecialtycrops9521]

Short answer is that the Oggun is barely enough tractor to pull the digger by itself. I'm not sure it could also pull an additional dump trailer. Long answer is when I used the digger with a larger tractor, and had a team of pickers to pull the junk off the digging chain, dumping the spuds off the end into a wagon is a viable strategy. Unfortunately, if no workers are available to pull the junk off the digging chain the unit sends a mixture of potatoes, vines and dirt off the back which makes a real mess in the trailer, rather than a nice batch of relatively clean potatoes. If I have adequate workers available I usually have them pick the potatoes off the chain and let the junk go over the end. You end up with a much cleaner product in the harvest totes.

[@sdfft820]

Can you pull a combined bed shaper and plastic layer with the oggun

[@alaskaspecialtycrops9521]

Good question, I'm not sure if it could. My guess is that the Oggun could run a smaller combined bed shaper/plastic layer, especially if it is the disk-style bed former. With the tractor's relatively light weight, pushing large amounts of soil isn't one of its strengths. Since the Oggun can raise the 4' Bush Hog on the rear 3-point lift arms it could probably also lift a bed former/plastic layer. I think that if you used a disk-styled bed former, that 'rolls' the soil into the bed, you wouldn't have much problem. Unfortunately, for the style of bed former where sheet metal plates 'extrude' the soil into a large raised bed, the Oggun may not be enough tractor to accomplish that. For a research project planned for next summer I need a 3' plastic layer so I'm going to have to come up with something over the winter. For now, I'm thinking of doing it in two separate passes. On the first pass I'll make the raised bed with a set of disks on both the mid-mount 3-point arms and another set on the rear arms. On the second pass I'll rig a roll of plastic (and drip tape) from the mid-mount arms reposition the rear disks to act as covering disks for the edges of the plastic. I'm certainly open to ideas!

[@philipblass6544]

i would be tempted to mount the rough cut mower under the tractor, no need for skid plate. the idea of a separate engine on the potato digger might be best as then the tractor engine is only for locomotion.

[@alaskaspecialtycrops9521]

Thanks for the comments. I'm not sure that I have the room to mount the Bush Hog on the underbelly 3 point. I had the tractor in a warm shop last weekend and crawled under to scope out the mounting points for a skid plate. After seeing how recessed the hydraulic hoses and fittings are I think I may just mount a 2' by 5' piece of 1/4" thick UHMW plastic under there. That should be enough to 'guide' the branches underneath without grabbing the hoses. As for the digger, the manufacturer is advising me to try the other ideas before adding an auxiliary engine. While they think it should work in theory they've never had anyone try it. I bought the coulters and will try those modifications first. Again, please keep the ideas coming!

[@bwayne40004]

I was impressed with the distance hauled. 4200 miles according to Google Maps. And I suspect that was the scenic route.

[@alaskaspecialtycrops9521]

From Alabama to Tacoma on a car carrier and then barged from Tacoma to Anchorage

[@bwayne40004]

@@alaskaspecialtycrops9521 Still wow! Very much the travel adventure! And keeps it in US territory the entire time too for simplicity I suspect. Thanks and good luck, Merry Christmas.

[@ehsanktkkhan7099]

Ez

[@alaskaspecialtycrops9521]

@@ehsanktkkhan7099 It took a bit of coordinating to use a car hauling service because the company usually crates the tractor and ships it in a box. But yeah, all things considered, it was pretty easy for me to get the machine shipped to Anchorage.

[@jgiajnorio]

Any updates on your speed readout? I’m curious on adapting it for my allis g

[@alaskaspecialtycrops9521]

I haven't implemented it yet. I practiced a bit and was able to get an accurate plot speed by locking in the engine RPMs and using a stopwatch to time the duration of getting through the 30' plot. After a few practice runs I could consistently do my runs within a 10% variance. Although 10% is too sloppy for spraying its fine for cover crop seeding. I haven't given up on the bike computer but I haven't needed it yet.

[@charlesfensky2105]

Great video. Consider a wireless bicycle computer that uses GPS so item can be stand alone/wheel size independent. (may also want to look into an iphone equivalent).

[@alaskaspecialtycrops9521]

Thanks for the idea. I'll do some googling on the topic. The Cateye bike computer I purchased can be programed to accept a large variety of wheel sizes. I'm thinking of putting additional magnets on the wheel to trick the computer into giving me more accuracy at the low speeds in which a tractor operates.

[@jasonwhitler4167]

Nice peice of equipment. I'm kinda surprised that the pto isn't belt driven with an electric clutch. That would take a lot of demand off of the hydraulic system

[@alaskaspecialtycrops9521]

Thanks for your idea. I wonder if my problem couldn't be solved by putting a flow control valve on the pto line. Currently, with the digger I run the Oggun wide open for maximum oil flow to all systems. My pto is spinning so fast that I've got the flow control valve on the digger set to about 3/4 flow bypass. But, since the pto pump is separate from the drive motor pump savings on one system may not be beneficial to the other system. I guess I've got to talk to my local hydraulics person... I'm not sure that a mechanical (belt driven) system would be that much more efficient than the hydraulic system.

[@md.fuelkiller1990]

@@alaskaspecialtycrops9521 A PTO with mechanical drive is a very good thing in Agriculture since you have applications where you need to get your moving speed matching a specivic PTO speed. When you look up old manuals for seeders or tilling equipment, there are mostly certain lists with matching values on Speed/PTO.

[@daviddaniken7248]

For your skid plate, could you just use the 2X4's the hold your spray tank and custom cut a sheet of plywood to get the job done and screw it to the bottom of the 2X4's? Cheap and easy, plus you've got it half done already.

[@alaskaspecialtycrops9521]

After crawling under the machine I've decided to use a piece of 3/16" ultra-high molecular weight Polyethelene. Its tough, flexible and lightweight. Its also 'slippery' to let the sticks and junk just 'slide' through. There are enough mounting points underneath that I won't have problems attaching it to the tractor. Thanks for the comment!

[@johnmcnally322]

Thank you for making this video. There is very little info available on these tractors and this is very helpful.

[@alaskaspecialtycrops9521]

Thanks for the note. I've been working with tractors for decades and I did a lot of homework before I finally choose this machine. Its not the ideal tractor for everyone but it sure does check a lot of boxes for my strange situation. Its amazing how easy it is to work with the company to make modifications to the machine. I'd like to modify the hydraulic system so the company arranged a conference call with their hydraulic consultant. He spec'ed out what changes I should do and where to get the necessary parts. I'm not sure that the other tractor companies would do something like that. The tractor is probably off to the local fabricator next month to stretch the frame an additional 24" for an upcoming project. This machine is designed to be modified to meet your changing needs.

[@MrPhotodoc]

Get you an Allis Chalmers G. They were doing this in the 40's.

[@alaskaspecialtycrops9521]

Yes and No. The Oggun has a lot of the design elements from the Allis G but it behaves much differently. Absolutely no disrespect to the G. I've used a number of Gs (and would readily buy one if the price is right). To me, the G is more like riding a slow, powerful motorcycle while the Oggun behaves more like a small tractor. I really like the Oggun's hydraulic 3-point arms and the conventional 6-spline PTO. The Allis G couldn't run, much less lift that 4' Bush Hog. Also, the Honda engine is about double the horse power than the Continental engine in the G. That said, the G is a great tractor and I'm always on the lookout for one in decent shape.

[@forcesightknight]

Does it have a half track option?

[@alaskaspecialtycrops9521]

I have not seen one but you might want to talk with your local fabricator... That's the beauty of this system. Its simple and stout so you can modify whatever you want. Although you might gain some traction (and decrease ground pressure), I think you'd lose a lot of the incredible maneuverability that the wheeled version has.

[@santiagosabinogutierreznoa9405]

Felicitaciones y saludos desde pais de los Incas .

[@oby-1607]

I would add another hydraulic pump for increased flow and pressure. A lot of excavators use this so as not to depend on the one pump to power everything.

[@alaskaspecialtycrops9521]

Thanks for the comment. If you pause the video at 0:38 you'll see the stack of hydraulic pumps. One controls the drive wheel motors, one controls the steering cylindar along with the mid and rear 3-point arms. The furthest one from the Honda engine runs the pto motor. Although they share a common reservoir the systems are separate. I talked to Oggun about increasing flow capacity but their hydraulic specialist thought that would tax the Honda 680 beyond its capability.

[@wearemilesfromnowhere4630]

I like the development work they've done with the basket weeder. I was close to buying a Tuff-Bilt but they're lacking in some ready made implements. Great video. Lot's to think about.

[@alaskaspecialtycrops9521]

I've been considering the FInger weeder that is available for the Oggun but I haven't seen a Basket Weeder for it. Tilmore has a nice one for their machine so I wonder if the Tilmor basket weeder can me modified to fit an Oggun?

[@sheilamclaughlin963]

Hopefully it’s a category 1 standard 3 point

[@ВалераРовбо-э3е]

В колеса вставити гідромотори. Гідравлика працює від стиснутого повітря.

[@md.fuelkiller1990]

State of the art 1957, Fendt Toolcarrier System, except much better than this (even the Seeder is engineered similar). Look into it, you get some masterpiece of implement designs...And thats not an airseeder btw

[@alaskaspecialtycrops9521]

Thanks for the connection. I Googled the Fendt Toolcarrier System and what a neat tractor. The more recent versions look to be much larger than the Oggun but I did find a photo of an older model and you're right, it looked very similar. The seeder actually is an air seeder (Gandy Orbit-Air Research Model). At the time of the video I had not fabricated the bracket to attach the blower that supplies the air or the tubes that carry the seed. That maybe why you didn't recognize it as a tiny air seeder. I'll try to post a video of the seeder next growing season.

[@md.fuelkiller1990]

@@alaskaspecialtycrops9521 An Airseeder is not needed in my opinion. A normal mechanical drill will do it plenty. Airseeders are only efficient above a certain machine size and seeding speed. It would be best driven by sprocket wheel since there seems no PTO with synchron turning speed. Like I said, the oggun has a major design issue to that. Also the leveling is following the rear axle which should be compensated by some contact wheels on the tool itself if the depth of the seeding should be constant.

[@alaskaspecialtycrops9521]

@@md.fuelkiller1990 Good Point. I don't need an air seeder but its what I've got so I'm using it. One of the reasons that I chose an air seeder is that it gives me the option to seed cover crops in the space between the rows without putting the seed in the row of standing vegetables. The tubes give me much more precision in broadcast seeding than a regular drop seeder or cyclone seeder would. I agree that there are some advantages to a ground-driven unit, especially when drilling the seed. But for broadcasting the seed I prefer the air seeder. I'm also able to use the air seeder on larger tractors. I'm intrigued with your note about the PTO being synchronized with speed. Both PTO speed and drive speed are associated with engine rpm but they aren't synchronized on a hydrostatic drive. Like any tractor, raising the Oggun's engine RPM increases the speed of the PTO. I also agree that if the objective is to drill seeds to a consistent soil depth contact wheels would be very helpful but for this project the seeder is set up to broadcast the seed across the surface. Thanks for the thought provoking comments !

[@kevincoblentz9084]

@@alaskaspecialtycrops9521 I'm very interested in that seed set up. I did a quick google, and couldn't find on that small. I'm looking at adding something small to a plastic layer or my tractor for cover crops between my plastic beds. Any advice on that specific small model? Thank you.

[@kevincoblentz9084]

sorry, "one" that small.