Steketee ECO-DAN automatic steering system

Het The Steketee Eco-dan automatic steering system
Development and innovation has been a key value at Machine Factory Steketee for many years. Steketee developed many patented products such as the Torsion Weeder, for example. Together with Danish comany ECO-DAN, Steketee developed a way to weed at a distance of only a few centimetres close to the crop row, without the drivers effort.

ECO-DAN's ATC system (Advanced Tool Control) allows steering and guiding various machines in row crop cultures in a simple, economical and effective way. Sowing machines, field crop sprayers, weeding machines, etc., can be steered with great precision, being within a tolerance of approx. 3 cm and driving speeds of 4 to 12 km/h. ECO-DAN's ATC control system automatically corrects every change in course of the tractor against the crop row.

When turning at the field edge, the steering frame automatically centres the device. During lowering the machine is always steered straight over the crop rows or the steering track. With help of a track examination device the machine can also be shifted sideward from the tractor cabin. On the monitor one needs to key-in whether the vision system should detect a steering track or plant row. Furthermore the row interval should be indicated. When the system is unable to detect the plants or the steering track, an alarm is given. This may occur in case of uneven emergence or large local weed concentrations. In such a case the steering frame is automatically fixed, making the driver take over, possibly with lower speed.

The weeder is suitable for weeding in:

- Sugar beet
- Vegetables such as lettuce and cabbage
- Potatoes
- Maize
- Soy beans
- Flowers
- Cereals