Rice Farming

When Pierre Etcharren was toying with the idea of a drag scraper equipped with not one—but two—laser receivers to re-level his fields about seven years ago, fellow farmers laughed at him.

Etcharren, who farms near Maxwell, Calif., shrugged off the comments and worked with Pete Eberhardt of “Laser Man” and Jerry Porter of Porter’s Welding to turn his idea into reality.

Etcharren admits the first scraper, a jury-rigged Veritrack bought at a sale, was rough. He has since commissioned Porter’s Welding of Orland, Calif., to build a 22-foot-rig from the ground up, incorporating what he learned from the first rig.

Since he’s been using the twin laser-equipped scraper to level his fields, Etcharren has found he can flood faster because of the uniform slope.

He also has reduced herbicide costs because uniform water depth helps suppress weeds, and he doesn’t have weed problems associated with high spots in the field.

And his critics? They’ve been silenced and are now climbing aboard.

“There are a couple dozen running right now, but you have to consider three years ago, there were only four,” says Eberhardt, owner of Laser Man in Durham, Calif. “And we are just at the tip of it.”

When flat means flat
The boom is being spurred by changing cultural practices prompted by rice straw incorporation and the rice straw burning phaseout. Tri-planes and some stubble disks dump dirt wherever they turn in the field, typically at the end of the row, and create a higher lip around it.

“The tri-plane will put it flat wherever it goes. But if it’s 6 inches lower in the middle of the field or at the corner of the field, it will not tell you,” says Porter, owner of Porter’s Welding. “With the laser drag scrapers, you set it to flat, and it will be the same one-half mile away.”

Growers also are looking at becoming more efficient and are trying to cut costs, and the laser rig fits in well.
“They chisel once, disk once and they are ready to pull in their laser,” Eberhardt says. “There’s not as much compaction. They roll and are ready to go, so putting that ground into production becomes cheaper just because they have eliminated a step.”

Laser drag scrapers are intended for touching up fields that have already been leveled. They are not designed to put virgin ground to grade.

Two are better than one
Eberhardt has worked with most of the growers running laser-equipped drag scrapers. He recommends they go with twin masts on units 18 feet and wider, even though it adds to the overall price of the rig.

If you’re running a single-mast unit, one side of the blade may tip as you turn, even though the laser sensor in the middle still registers level. And as the blade tips, it does not repair the problem areas.

With two independent laser receivers, each will sense if one side of the blade is lifting and will adjust a set of wheels on the back accordingly to ensure the entire blade remains level. This also will fix the low spots along the levees in the borrow area and take out the high spots in the corners.

The independent wheels on the back also allow growers to increase ground speed while eliminating the harmonic bounce, or duck walking, associated with the fix-wheel carry-all types of scrapers.

Typically, an operator can pull a laser-equipped drag scraper 5.5 to 6 miles per hour and cover 80 to 90 acres during a good day, Eberhardt says.

Overcoming transport challenges
Porter, who has built nearly all the dual laser drag scrapers in the Sacramento Valley, says the units can run as wide as 30 feet.

Until recently, the actual rig width was determined by the widths of the bridges they were transported over, and was typically limited to 24 feet or fewer.

But Porter says a new design that allows growers to break the scraper down to 12 feet wide will help them overcome transport challenges.

Porter fabricates the scrapers to order, using half-inch steel for the frame and 3/8-inch reinforced steel for the moldboard. The cutting edge is high-carbon steel.

A 20-foot scraper weighs about 8,500 pounds and requires a tractor with about 300 horsepower. A 24-foot unit would require a tractor with about 400 hp.

Depending on the size, the base scraper units cost between $12,500 and $16,700, Porter says. Transport wheels and a folding tongue add another $4,000.

A seamless marriage
If you own a relatively new tractor—a John Deere 8000 or 9000 series or a Case-IH—hooking up the laser equipment is a relatively easy “plug-and-play” process, Eberhardt says.

Laser manufacturers TopCon and Trimble have worked with the two tractor manufacturers to ensure the computers that receive the laser signals interface with the tractor hydraulics.

This ensures you can drive their proportional controls, which improves ground speed and accuracy. Older systems use what Eberhardt refers to as “bang-bang” valves that raise or lower the scraper in stairsteps. These types of systems are hard on the tractor hydraulic system, he says.

For other tractors, such as Cat Challengers or older John Deere and Case models, external proportional valves are available.

Although Eberhardt recommends a dual-mast system for larger scrapers, the tractor cab features only one combined operator interface control panel for simplicity. You’re also able to adjust the scraper speed and deadband from inside the cab for windy days.

“You can train the least experienced operator to go out and do this task,” Eberhardt says. “We found it to be fairly easy for these guys to catch on.”

A complete scraper with two laser units will cost about $45,000, but the actual price depends on the scraper size. It will be less if you already have a laser tower.

As part of the price, Eberhardt provides one-on-one training.

Contact Vicky Boyd at (209) 571-0414 or vlboyd@att.net.

Don’t let leveling be a drag Dual laser-equipped scrapers pay dividends by improving water, fertility management
By Vicky Boyd Editor
When Pierre Etcharren was toying with the idea of a drag scraper equipped with not one—but two—laser receivers to re-level his fields about seven years ago, fellow farmers laughed at him. Etcharren, who farms near Maxwell, Calif., shrugged off the comments and worked with Pete Eberhardt of “Laser Man” and Jerry Porter of Porter’s Welding to turn his idea into reality. Etcharren admits the first scraper, a jury-rigged Veritrack bought at a sale, was rough. He has since commissioned Porter’s Welding of Orland, Calif., to build a 22-foot-rig from the ground up, incorporating what he learned from the first rig. Since he’s been using the twin laser-equipped scraper to level his fields, Etcharren has found he can flood faster because of the uniform slope. He also has reduced herbicide costs because uniform water depth helps suppress weeds, and he doesn’t have weed problems associated with high spots in the field. And his critics? They’ve been silenced and are now climbing aboard. “There are a couple dozen running right now, but you have to consider three years ago, there were only four,” says Eberhardt, owner of Laser Man in Durham, Calif. “And we are just at the tip of it.” When flat means flat The boom is being spurred by changing cultural practices prompted by rice straw incorporation and the rice straw burning phaseout. Tri-planes and some stubble disks dump dirt wherever they turn in the field, typically at the end of the row, and create a higher lip around it. “The tri-plane will put it flat wherever it goes. But if it’s 6 inches lower in the middle of the field or at the corner of the field, it will not tell you,” says Porter, owner of Porter’s Welding. “With the laser drag scrapers, you set it to flat, and it will be the same one-half mile away.” Growers also are looking at becoming more efficient and are trying to cut costs, and the laser rig fits in well. “They chisel once, disk once and they are ready to pull in their laser,” Eberhardt says. “There’s not as much compaction. They roll and are ready to go, so putting that ground into production becomes cheaper just because they have eliminated a step.” Laser drag scrapers are intended for touching up fields that have already been leveled. They are not designed to put virgin ground to grade. Two are better than one Eberhardt has worked with most of the growers running laser-equipped drag scrapers. He recommends they go with twin masts on units 18 feet and wider, even though it adds to the overall price of the rig. If you’re running a single-mast unit, one side of the blade may tip as you turn, even though the laser sensor in the middle still registers level. And as the blade tips, it does not repair the problem areas. With two independent laser receivers, each will sense if one side of the blade is lifting and will adjust a set of wheels on the back accordingly to ensure the entire blade remains level. This also will fix the low spots along the levees in the borrow area and take out the high spots in the corners. The independent wheels on the back also allow growers to increase ground speed while eliminating the harmonic bounce, or duck walking, associated with the fix-wheel carry-all types of scrapers. Typically, an operator can pull a laser-equipped drag scraper 5.5 to 6 miles per hour and cover 80 to 90 acres during a good day, Eberhardt says. Overcoming transport challenges Porter, who has built nearly all the dual laser drag scrapers in the Sacramento Valley, says the units can run as wide as 30 feet. Until recently, the actual rig width was determined by the widths of the bridges they were transported over, and was typically limited to 24 feet or fewer. But Porter says a new design that allows growers to break the scraper down to 12 feet wide will help them overcome transport challenges. Porter fabricates the scrapers to order, using half-inch steel for the frame and 3/8-inch reinforced steel for the moldboard. The cutting edge is high-carbon steel. A 20-foot scraper weighs about 8,500 pounds and requires a tractor with about 300 horsepower. A 24-foot unit would require a tractor with about 400 hp. Depending on the size, the base scraper units cost between $12,500 and $16,700, Porter says. Transport wheels and a folding tongue add another $4,000. A seamless marriage If you own a relatively new tractor—a John Deere 8000 or 9000 series or a Case-IH—hooking up the laser equipment is a relatively easy “plug-and-play” process, Eberhardt says. Laser manufacturers TopCon and Trimble have worked with the two tractor manufacturers to ensure the computers that receive the laser signals interface with the tractor hydraulics. This ensures you can drive their proportional controls, which improves ground speed and accuracy. Older systems use what Eberhardt refers to as “bang-bang” valves that raise or lower the scraper in stairsteps. These types of systems are hard on the tractor hydraulic system, he says. For other tractors, such as Cat Challengers or older John Deere and Case models, external proportional valves are available. Although Eberhardt recommends a dual-mast system for larger scrapers, the tractor cab features only one combined operator interface control panel for simplicity. You’re also able to adjust the scraper speed and deadband from inside the cab for windy days. “You can train the least experienced operator to go out and do this task,” Eberhardt says. “We found it to be fairly easy for these guys to catch on.” A complete scraper with two laser units will cost about $45,000, but the actual price depends on the scraper size. It will be less if you already have a laser tower. As part of the price, Eberhardt provides one-on-one training. Contact Vicky Boyd at (209) 571-0414 or vlboyd@att.net. .
Return To Top