TTA PackPlanter

The TTA PackPlanter, recently brought to market by Bouldin & Lawson, is a small, economical and versatile transplanter. The machine design combines the features of a high-speed production transplanter with an entry-level price point. On-the-fly adjustments for planting depth and plant shift for overly developed top growth, as well as gripper design with pusher pins to assist extraction of plugs, make the TTA PackPlanter a great primary transplanter for the small grower or a supplemental transplanter for the large grower.

Design and Performance

"When we came up with the concept for this machine, we looked at entry-level transplanters and attempted to incorporate both innovations and improvements to what was currently available," said Steven Biles, international trade director and TTA product manager at Bouldin & Lawson.

The TTA PackPlanter is a lightweight, narrow (83 x 34 x 71 inches), 16-gripper machine that works with a variety of plug trays, from 72-512 and flats from 1204-606. It has a production speed in excess of 19,000 plugs per hour and offers growers an entry-level price point in the $50,000-60,000 range, as well as a fast production speed.

"Price was the first thing that attracted me to the transplanter," said Bart Olson owner of Olson's Greenhouse Gardens in Santaquin and Salem, Utah. "When I went to a demonstration that Bouldin & Lawson offered, I discovered that the machine was half the price of my 32-gripper, and it plants probably 75 percent of what the 32-gripper would do." Olson purchased the PackPlanter immediately after the demonstration to use at his smaller location in Salem.

TTA's use of a combined drive system for the pick and place unit, which uses two Servo Motors tied together with a common drive, allows for smooth, precise and fast movement and drastically increases the cycle time or production rate of planting. "There is no other transplanter that moves vertically and horizontally like this machine does," Biles said. "This is the first transplanter that utilizes a combined drive system, or what we call a Gantry System. The advantage is that we are able to get fast movements with a smooth, fluid transition."

The design also features on-the-fly adjustments, such as variable speed planting, planting depth, plant shift, travel height and tray ejecting. "Planting depth adjustments are very easy," Olson reported. "Our machine operator has never worked in production before and has immediately picked up on it."

Adjustable side plant shifts help in the extraction of problem plugs by shifting the grippers so they move horizontally across the tray and get under the foliage before moving down to extract the plug. The maximum gripper spread for container to container transplanting is from a single 512 plug into a pot up to 41/2 inches, a 288 plug into a pot up to 6 inches and a 72 or 84 plug into hanging baskets of up to 10 inches.

Maintenance

According to Olson, the TTA PackPlanter outperforms other transplanters in speed as well as easy changeover for the plug tray and finished containers. The transplanter does not require any reprogramming. Plug tray and flat settings are stored in memory for easy access, along with a self-diagnostic to insure minimal downtime.

"A technician rarely has to come in to make adjustments," Biles said. "The operator can program any size container. Your plug trays and your finished flats are stored in the memory."

The gripper adjustments and replacement with no tools make the TTA PackPlanter easy to maintain. "At this point," explained Olson, "the only thing we do is just clean the machine at the end of the day and lube it at certain areas. We have to replace a gripper finger every once in a while," Olson added, but "the grippers are very easy to change; it's just a matter of undoing a screw with your hands."

In addition, the lightly designed pick and place unit minimizes the wearing of the machine's bearings, as well as the wearing of the transplanter moving parts.

Final Words

On-the-fly adjustment, which the operator can do while the machine is running, easy changeover and simplicity of operation confirm that the TTA PackPlanter is a great entry-level transplanter, as well as supplemental transplanter for larger growers who need multiple automated transplanting lines for different products and container sizes. "It is critical to have a good transplant machine," Olson said. "I've been really happy that we've purchased this one, and I have already recommended the product to others."