Controlling a conventional tractor of any age without setting foot in the cab needn’t rely on nerdy meddling with a complicated canbus system, according to Albertan farmer Vincent Pawluski.

He has devised a series of bolt-on, layman-friendly mods that use actuators to work the controls in much the same way as a human operator.

His first kit, the RC FarmArm, was a remotely controlled console that could physically turn the key, press buttons and shunt levers on static tractors running a slurry pump, grain dryer or forage bagger.

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But the latest iteration – the FarmBot – takes that a good deal further by not only turning the tractor on and off, altering engine revs, engaging the pto and working two hydraulic valves, but allowing someone outside the cab to drive it.

It works entirely differently to every other high-tech system that offers this facility, as it remains purely mechanical.

As such, the actuators are laid over the physical controls, effectively working them just like an operator’s hands.

This “analogue” approach avoids fiddling with any electronics, that may risk invalidating warranties on newer tractors.

© MAG/Oliver Mark

Clutch, transmission and steering controls

On top of the features offered by the standard FarmArm, the FarmBot version can depress the clutch, select a direction, handle powershift steps and steer the wheel. 

The only thing it’s unable to do is change the transmission range.

Power for the system comes from a standard accessory power plug in the cab, and there’s a backup battery wired in to keep it working should the tractor’s alternator fail.

All the components are 3D printed at the company’s base in Grand Prairie, Alberta, and are designed to fit pre-existing holes and mounting points, which saves butchering any of the interior trim.

Almost all the parts clamp on, including the steering wheel servo, so they can be quickly removed.

The kit will also include cameras for inside the cab, which gives the person driving the tractor remotely full sight of the controls and dash.

It’s currently still in the development phase and the roll-out will likely be slow, as most tractor models require a bespoke design to suit their specific control layout.

So far, the company has devised one setup for a noughties Versatile and is assembling two systems for John Deere 8RXs.

Both will be used to run grain carts, where an autosteer combine leaves the operator’s hands free to control the tractor instead.

According to Pawlution, this will cut both labour and fuel costs; no driver sat thumb-twiddling in the cab means the tractor needn’t sit with the engine idling purely to run the air-conditioning system.