PROGRESS P50, Machine of the Year 2019

At SIMA 2019 SULKY will be unveiling the new pneumatic seed drill, PROGRESS P50.

The major innovation is the incorporation of three independent hoppers controlled by a single interface on a totally rear-mounted seed drill. This new seed drill is in line with the developments in agricultural uses (companion cropping, localised fertilisation when drilling, multi-species catch crops, mixes of cereal varieties, etc.) in order to reduce the use of inputs whilst maintaining a high yield level. The PROGRESS P50 has been developed as part of a Global Design policy to meet these new challenges.

For Sulky the challenge was to incorporate three hoppers without compromising integration or ergonomics in use. The ergonomics have been completely redesigned in order to facilitate calibration of the three independent metering devices. The calibration test stations have been carefully designed, centralising all operations so that the adjustments are made accurately, with no risk of error and as quickly as possible. To do this Sulky has developed its new control interface, WISO. This may be downloaded onto either an iPad or an ISOBUS console depending on the farmer’s choice of equipment. With the iPad the farmer has an integrated Wi-Fi module enabling him to control his calibration test without having to get back into the cab.

User safety has not been forgotten. Firstly, access is facilitated due to a wide, retractable access platform which is extended by a rear gangway making it possible to access the three hoppers and three metering devices easily. A water supply has been incorporated into the machine enabling the farmer to wash his hands and reduce the risk of contamination by seed treatment products.

The drilling period is stressful for the farmer because the weather window for successful drilling is often limited. Sulky has therefore worked to provide user well-being and comfort. Clogging sensors may be placed on the machine row by row. When a sensor signals a problem, a cab alarm indicates which row is concerned on the WISO interface. To save time when loading, the hopper cover can also be opened remotely from the control interface using an electric actuator.

The planting of seeds is a key point on a seed drill. The PROGRESS P50 is fitted with the new TWINDISC drilling toolbar applying up to 50 kg of pressure per element. Fitted on a parallelogram with an integrated packer wheel, this furrow opener guarantees very good control of drilling depth as well as strong soil/seed contact for perfectly even emergence. This drilling toolbar provides even more productivity and comfort. It is fitted with articulations with reinforced watertightness and requires no maintenance (lubrication).

Benoit Egon journaliste et chef de rubrique machinisme Terre-Net média, Gilbert Jouan Directeur Général Sulky, Lionel Leveillé Responsable R&D Sulky, Stéphane Billerot Directeur Commercial, Alexis Guilloton Chef produits semoirs Sulky, Julien Burel PDG Sulky, Luc Seconda Directeur Délégué CIP Médias

Finally technology has not been overlooked. In addition to the WISO application and the associated Wi-Fi functions, the PROGRESS P50 can manage the starting/stopping of the automatic metering devices by GPS in headlands or even automatic variable rate application. It is even possible to manage independent maps for each embarked product.

In unveiling this new PROGRESS P50 seed drill SULKY is restating its commitment to new agricultural and ecological techniques. Sulky is making the multi-hopper technology more accessible (at present it is only possible on trailed seed drills) and is now making it accessible to many more farmers.

Range:

Also available with furrow openers with 3 rows of coulters, or 2 rows of 100 kg Cultidiscs in widths of 3.00 m, 3.50 m or 4.00m.