Near Intersection of I-35 & I-90 Southern Mn. | ShopTeacher - 3/20/2024 21:22
Use an Ag Leader clutch module to run the system. Have the module run a set of relays. Constant power to the coil and ground the coil to the module pins 1 and 2. You can use the high current circuit on the Ag Leader implement harness to power the relay contacts and the clutch solenoids. Put an additional power cable on the tractor and power the clutches off the black plug if you want to keep the clutch power on a separate circuit from the modules. I usually fuse the clutch coils at 15 amps.
I wouldn’t even dream of putting a battery back there. The draw in coil pulls current for a very brief time. The hold current is very very minimal. No need for a battery.
I agree completely. One thing for folks to remember that a seed clutch or half-width disconnect works in a somewhat reverse logic compared to a spray valve on a sprayer. With a sprayer an electrical circuit is completed to cause the valve to OPEN and actually spray. With a planter, the systems completes a circuit to STOP planting. When the circuit is not complete, the Clutch remains engaged and planting continues. This is part of the reason that these clutches are called half-width DISCONNECT clutches rather than half-width ENGAGEMENT clutches.
In the past some large sprayers used some extremely large solenoids to control the spray sections. Some spray controllers were just not able to handle the extreme electrical load required to open several of these at the same time. The situation with two half-width clutches is usually the same in the respect that the electrical load is more than the controller (Clutch Control Module) can handle.
In both cases, the solution is to use a relay for each spray section or each half-width clutch. Much like a runner in a Relay Race, an electrical relay can "hand off" the electrical load. Thus the actual load of cycling the half-width clutches is "handed off" to relays. This reduces the electrical load on the Clutch Control Module. The electrical load on it is only the load imposed by the coils in the relays. The Clutch Control module can easily handle that.
Another quirk of the Clutch Control Module is that it switches ground rather than "hot" as one might expect to activate the Clutch to STOP planting. This isn't really an issue and there is a good reason it is done that way. But anyway, the constant "hot" branching off the Clutch Control module is split and would be connected to a coil terminal of each relay. The Section 1 output from the Clutch Module is connected to the other coil terminal of the left relay. The Section 2 output from the Clutch Module is connected to the remaining coil terminal of the right relay. At that point each relay could be cycled by the Clutch Control Module.
A heavy duty pair of wires from the tractor battery is needed to the planter to provide the current needed for the times when both half-width clutches are cycled at the same time. These are the wires that are doing the "actual work" of holding the half-width disconnect clutches in the DON'T plant position.
The heavy wires coming from the tractor could have a disconnect at the hitch point. A fuse should be places in the "+" wire. This wire would be split into two branches near the relays with one branch going to the Common terminal of each relay. The Normally Open terminal of the left relay is connected to the left half-width disconnect clutch. The Normally Open terminal of the right relay is connected to the right half-width disconnect clutch. The heavy ground wire is split and each branch connects to the remaining terminal of each half-width disconnect clutch. The clutches may already be grounded to the planter frame but having a fixed ground connection to the tractor battery is best. This is in complete agreement with what Shop Teacher is suggesting.
Here's how this works, when the Ag Leader system believes that one or both halves of the planter should stop planting, it will complete ground to the Section 1 and/or Section 2 outputs. This will cause either or both relays to become active and complete the circuit to each or both half-width disconnect clutches.
It is my understanding that at least one model of a planter (Great Plains?) uses power to engage their half-width clutches. Relays can be used with them also but would be wired a bit differently.
As far as adding a separate battery on the planter, I can see how this could work as this is really what I do with my ATV sprayer. I do this there since the vehicle battery is not overly large. In essence, I put another battery in the box of my Ranger and the pump is run off of it via a relay controlled by a switch in the cab. A 14 gauge wire is connected to the vehicle battery to recharge the extra battery. This means the two batteries are wired in parallel giving me adequate current for the spray pump. When the spray pump is off, the vehicle charging system has the opportunity to catch up and bring both batteries back to a full charge. This does involve the maintenance of the second battery during the off season.
Edited by tedbear 3/22/2024 08:07
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Integra controlling Kinze Half Width...extra power needed???
