Bumblebee

June 2001: by Kermit DeHaai

	The Bumblebee Self-Propelled Disk is a complete tillage tool eliminating the need for a four-wheel drive tractor. All disk blades are powered; the machine actually propels itself through the field on the blades. By raising the wheels completely off the ground, you eliminate the tire tracks for a uniform seed bed. You will be able to get in the field much sooner after a rain, up to two days sooner on gumbo. Heavy tractors seal and compress the soil below the seed bed so it cannot absorb water. Since there is minimal compaction with the self-propelled disk, you can expect a substantial increase in yields in heavy soils. :You can choose between shallow tillage for incorporating chemicals or primary tillage up to 10 inches deep. The Bumblebee will save on fuel because you will be making fewer passes over the field in order to obtain a uniform seed bed and in some cases only one pass will be necessary.
The powered blades do get a little slippage, but it is used on the self-propelled disk to an advantage. Compare this slippage to a sharp knife cutting a piece of wood; straight pressure won’t cut it, slant the knife, and the wood cuts easily. This slippage causes you to maintain the depth you want up to 10 inches deep in virtually any soil. The self-propelled disk is not just a disk; it is a complete tillage tool. There will be ample power to pull any implement including a 12 row, 30 inch planter, grain drill, or anhydrous application equipment.
	The manufacture of the first production model Bumblebee began in the fall of 1981. The 36 foot wide Bumblebee has an 8V92T Detroit Diesel engine equaling 450 horsepower. It is all hydrostatically driven with six identical low-speed, high torque motors driving each of the four gangs and the two wheels. There are six identical pumps driving these motors. The two motors driving the two right gangs are on one fingertip control and the two motors driving the two left gangs are on one fingertip control so that you can speed up or slow down one side or the other for navigation purposes. The dual controls will also make it possible to make the rear gangs go faster than the front or vice versa, making a rototill effect in your seed bed. Each Poclain French-made hydrostatic motor will produce 13,000 foot-pounds of torque. The Eaton pumps will deliver 73 gallons of oil per minute, which will run each wheel motor approximately 85 rams per minute. The 450 horsepower from the engine can all be absorbed into the torque of the blades, making an 88 wheel-drive machine, which will enable you to pull any implements. At field speeds you can also apply up to 140 horsepower of the engine’s 450 horsepower to the wheels, making a 92 wheel-drive machine.
I used the finest components available on the market for the Bumblebee. I used the best Fafnir disk bearing with a grease able triple seal. The hoses are Aero-quip brand and the cab is built by Cozy. The rice tires are Goodrich brand. The 88 disk blades on the production model are Crucible 32 inch blades, 5/16” thick with 3 ¾” concave and 9 13/16” spacing. The front gangs have notched blades. Top speed on the blades is approximately 7 ½ miles per hour. The frame is built of high stress steel. The overall length of the machine is 34 feet. This machine is called the Bumble Bee because many said it could not work ( JD, IH and MF tried) and like the Bumble Bee who does not know it is not supposed fly but does, the self-propelled disk works.

Kermit M. DeHaai, Inventor of the Bumblebee

Kermco-DeHaai, Inc

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