Tree Planter - Tree Spacing Timer

[Canada_CT230]

I found this...not sure if it beeps or not.

DIGITAL MEASURING WHEEL Distance, sound, speed and temperature measuring systems from OnsiteTools.com

It has an 'AUTO COUNT' feature that counts pre-determined distances.

I just have to find a North America based unit and verifiy the beep ability.

 

[JerryK]

It has a seat for the wife...that is who is inserting the trees into the planter at the interval. I'll be driving the tractor.

Maybe something as simple as painting a white line across one of your rear tires to look at... 11 feet is probably close enough. I hand plant hundreds of trees each spring and fall..just pace off to get my spacing. My wifey is from northern Alabama, and is part Italian and Cherokee... I could see her maybe put in a few trees, before she would be driving and I would be plopping the trees into the trench back in the dusty rear. Either that, or I might want to eat out for a few years... Those Canadian women must be a tamer breed....

 

[Craig Clayton]

As you are using a 10' spacing and appear to have no need to alter the spacing then I believe a simple mechanical system would work.

I will give you a brief layout for a adjustable electrical spacing method ( I have taken several night schools courses in this field )
automobile brakes use ABS which has a none contact magnetic pickup in behind the hub, this counts at very high speeds the toothed wheel and when there is a predetermined difference the ABS operates your brakes
If you bought a 120 VAC micro PLC by Siemens or Klnockler and used a 12 V to 120VAc inverter to produce the power to run it
on the tractor wheel place maybe 6 magnetic brackets and 1 magnetic proximity switch on the tractor.
In the PLC you make a UP counter each time the prox is made and when the counts equal the distance required the bit is set and the ouput contact sounds the horn.

If your tractor wheel was 12' circ div by 6 = 2' per count
1 count is 2' plant a tree

etc

12 count at 2' = 24' plant a tree.

when I was playing writing a counter program for a store turnstile a visiting electricial engineer looked at my program and said could I add another door counter and I did it quite easily he knew the program was mine and not copied.

Now for a simple mechanical fixed 10' spacing.

A rear trailing bicycle wheel with the chain sprocket driving another sprocket worked out when 10' of travel has happened a simple bracket clunks a tin cow bell.

Craig Clayton

 

[Canada_CT230]

Well she helped me hand plant 750 trees every year for the last 4 yrs. Now, I can't hand plant anymore due to a medical issue. Hence the planter. This DigiRoller measuring wheel looks promising.

I may not want 10 ft spacing... I put the last trees in at 6ft spacing as they are gonna come out sooner than huge mature tree size. Having the adjustability would be really nice and not a fixed setting.

 

[massy1635]

The video showes the planter towing a white disc on the ground just behind the person planting. That might be a spacing wheel. Could it be something as simple as a wheel that has a pin mounted so that every revolution the pin would hit another metal "finger" and make a clink. Did you ever attach a baseball card to your bike so it rubbed on the spokes of your bicycle when your were a kid? Size the circumference of the wheel to the spacing you want.

 

[aczlan]

If you want to plant 1 tree per revolution, tape a strong magnet to the rim and put a normally open magnetic switch like: https://www.inventables.com/technologies/magnetic-switch-with-wide-angle-sensing-zone-normally-open where it will pick it up.
Then hook that to a relay and fire whatever you want off of the relay (light, horn, buzzer, etc).
You said that you have an 11' circumference wheel, if you want to plant a tree every 5.5', you can put 2 magnets on 180 degrees apart.
This is similar in concept to a bike speedometer, but it would run a light/horn instead of registering another pulse to the speedo unit.

Aaron Z

 

[leonz]

I recently bought a Detco 101 tree planter (Detco, Inc. Tree Planters, Spades, and Tongs) and I need a way to equally space the trees while planting.

I have seen the trailing chain method and that is a possibility but I saw this video on YouTube. The chain method would be more of a nuissance as you have to look backwards.

Planting Christmas Trees - YouTube

They have some kind of timer or measurment device that beeps when a certain distance is driven.

I have done some searching but haven't found anything. I don't know what it is called so that makes it harder to find.

Any help would be appreciated.

Dont hate me for suggesting it BUT-


A Mingo Paint Marker used for spacing chain saw cuts on logs would be of some use OR an inexpensive walk behind measuring wheel with a quantity of sidewalk marking paint to space the plant settings mounting the Mingo on the front of the wheel.

 

[Canada_CT230]

I thought about the door alarm magnetic switches. I did think that I could put one or more magnets on the rim.

Solution #1:

Magnetic Switch on Rim...
Would the normally open magnetic switch handle the 12v power. The specs on the one I listed was 100mA @ 100v. I don't know how much power is drawn thru the tractors horn. Would I burn out this mag switch?



Solution #2:

Measuring Wheel...
I have found two measuring wheels. The first is a DigiRoller Plus II unit that beeps at a set distance. You can youtube the DigiRoller and see a video of the Auto Count feature. I am not sure if that beep will be loud enough to hear behind the tractor.

The second measuring wheel I found was just a cheap unit. I simply counts the distance. No fancy features. If it has a large LCD display you might be able to watch it count up...I don't think this is as efficient as a beep. Looking diverts your attention too much.

 

[aczlan]

I thought about the door alarm magnetic switches. I did think that I could put one or more magnets on the rim.
Solution #1:
Magnetic Switch on Rim...
Would the normally open magnetic switch handle the 12v power. The specs on the one I listed was 100mA @ 100v. I don't know how much power is drawn thru the tractors horn. Would I burn out this mag switch?

Switch just runs a relay and the relay handles the load. Anything more and you will probbaly burn it up.

Aaron Z

 

[Canada_CT230]

Switch just runs a relay and the relay handles the load. Anything more and you will probbaly burn it up.

Aaron Z

Now your talking stuff that I don't know anything about. Basic electrical is ok but relays, circuit boards, etc. are above my understanding.

I can however follow instructions very well.