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.

I think you'll like it! Mine has made me a lot of money over the years.

Yeah, and its fun also!

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.

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.

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.

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.

@@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.

@@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 !

@@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.

sorry, "one" that small.

because you didn't set the height adjustment

On the backside of my Berta snowblower there is a set of skids that keep the 'mouth' of the snowblower above the surface I'm trying to clear from snow. In the early season , before the gravel lot has completely frozen solid, I have these skids lowered down a bit. This effectively raises the 'mouth' of the blower above the gravel lot and keeps the loose stones out of the blower. Unfortunately, this also leaves a layer of snow on the lot, just like you're describing. So, the first place I'd check is to see if the skids on the backside of the blower are set to a position that keeps the cutting edge of the blower too high above the surface you're trying to clear. Good Luck! Jeff

Its a very different beast. I used to use a Gravely walking tractor with a rotary mower. It was almost unstoppable because it was so heavy. With the belt drive the Gravely had a little forgiveness because the belts would slip a bit before the machine stalled out. The BCS is not as heavy so its wheels will slip. This works out well since with all gear drive there is not much slippage in the unit. I don't think a day working with the BCS is as tiring as that big old Gravely was.

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!

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.

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?

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.

Thanks for the note. I had access to a Chechhi and Magli shaker-digger and it was constantly clogged under our fall conditions. Unfortunately, we're usually harvesting in wet soil with green , growing foliage and shaker-diggers don't work well in these conditions. I think I'll continue to focus on getting the US Small Farm chain digger working for me.

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.

If this thing had tire chains it would be even more impressive. Right now the wheels will start slipping before the engine 'bogs' down.

@@alaskaspecialtycrops9521 BCS hasnt changed the basic design since they first came out on the market

They definitely process more snow per minute than any 13hp GX390 Honda. Their snow chute is much less sophisticated, though. For one, it fogs more in dry, fluffy conditions. And I don't believe it throws as far. Which, honestly, for most people in places where single axle tractors are used, is better use of power than wasting limited energy on blasting snow into orbit. Also, the ergonomics is very different. In tight spaces, the hydrostatic transmission on the Honda, not to mention the Honda being only half as long, is much easier and safer to use. While, OTOH, across any sideways slope, the BCS having the engine behind, rather than on top as on the Honda, makes the tractor much less tippy (In Japan Honda and others do sell models with very wide tracks which are not tippy at all. I'm talking about the US made ones.) BCS does sell hydrostatic models as well, now. But they're costly. And less proven (at least in the US) than the Hondas'. As for traction, anywhere a two stage is needed, belts are arguably "better." You can get belts for the BCS tractors. Multiple kinds, even, so I suppose at least one would be similar to the Honda's. You have to install them, though. Which works both ways, as belts do fall off at times, and the fact that the BCS ones are designed from scratch to be owner installed, probably makes fixing things easier. I wouldn't buy a BCS and a snowblower atachment if blowing snow was all I wanted out of it. It's a tool which requires more skill, hence practice, to use properly, that what can reasonably be picked up clearing snow a few times a year.. But the ability to also use plow blades and sweepers on the same power unit, as well as brush, flail and lawn mowers (and other stuff. You can even get a Harley rake to more easily fix up snowmelt damage to dirt roads, which sounded perfect until I saw the price, but at least the option is there...) when winter is over, makes is a great package for those willing to learn to use the somewhat less city-slicker-friendly machine. And the quality is as far from throwaway big-box-store as it is possible to get (Full size John Deere tractors feel more plasticky than the BCS' these days...). The suckers are thick, solid metal everywhere, and designed and built to fully commercial/ag standards. Also, as opposed to most modern equipment (even Honda,) it is made to be largely user serviceable, hence are effectively much longer lasting in competent hands,.

@@paulnorman8274 Yes, I agree that the BCS is pretty user serviceable. I use this machine pretty hard and all I've had to replace was a clutch and all the control cables. The machine lives outside and water gets into the various cables. I need to shout out my appreciation to EarthTools BCS. They've supplied parts and talked me through several repairs. I have a set of adjustable axles for the wheel spacing but I usually take them off when working with the snowblower. I prefer the narrowest spacing so the wheels are completely behind the blower. With some of the soil tools (or when mowing on a hillside) I'll increase the wheel spacing to increase stability but for moving snow on our flat parking area it easiest to keep the wheel spacing very narrow. I've been looking into the track kits available for this model of BCS but I really don't get into muddy-enough conditions to justify their cost. Snow chains would solve my slipping problems on snow and the machine really doesn't slip much on soil. If I was pulling a cart on muddy trails that would be a very different situation. I agree that the BCS is a pretty expensive machine to buy for just the snowblower (and I'd hesitate to move anywhere that snowed enough to tax that blower). Over the years I've picked up quite a complement of attachments and actually, we rarely get enough snow to warrant hooking up the snowblower. I initially purchased the 853 to power a rototiller and the rotary plow. These tools are very well matched to that 13 hp Honda. Since then I've also purchased the flail and sickle mowers. The sickle mower is fast and very effective in grass and small weeds. The flail mower is slower but I've used it to mow 1" diameter saplings other woody brush in the field. Hitting unseen debris with the flail mower is much less violent than hitting it with a rotary mower. I've also fabricated some specialized equipment to attach via the Quick Attach System. The 26 gal herbicide sprayer that I've mounted on a quick attach fitting has made me the most money. Its so maneuverable that I can get in places with the BCS where tractors (or ATVs) could never get in. The BSC is not for everyone but it does certain tasks better than anything else.

@@paulnorman8274 Thanks for that. A good read!

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!

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!

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!

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.

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

@@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.

Ez

@@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.

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.

@@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.