Modern seeders and planters rely on accurate product delivery across every bin, feeder and metering system. Each feeder needs a drive source, usually hydraulic or electric. While both options have their place, many electric motor setups still rely on older concepts that were not designed around today’s more complex seeding systems.
As machines add more bins, products and sections, the limitations become more obvious. More motors can mean more power demand, more cabling, more setup time and more potential points of failure. For farmers, that can create frustration during a tight seeding window. For OEMs, it can make machinery harder to design, build and support.
This is the challenge Farmscan AG set out to solve with a high-efficiency motor and control solution designed specifically for seeders, planters and OEM machinery applications.
The Challenge with Standard Motor Options
For many years,12V motors with worm-drive gearboxes have been the industry standard for electric drive applications. They remain widely used, but modern seeding equipment demands more efficient, lower-power and more directly controllable solutions.
As machines add bins, feeders, products and independently controlled sections, the limitations of conventional motor arrangements become more apparent. Extra power demand, additional cabling and inconsistent motor response can create more complexity for both operators and machinery manufacturers.
To meet these demands, Farmscan AG has focused on a more efficient approach to electric drive and machine control for modern seeding equipment.
More Efficient Power at the Metering Roller
Farmscan AG has been developing a high-efficiency motor and control solution designed from the ground up for seeding and planting equipment. The goal is to support accurate product delivery, reduce unnecessary complexity and make integration easier for OEMs.
Designed around the demands of agricultural metering systems, the solution focuses on improving efficiency, delivering power more directly where it is needed and providing more control options across the machine. This includes accurate response, consistent speed and reliable communication within the wider seeding control system.
As part of this solution, Farmscan AG can offer electric motors with helical-drive gearboxes that can provide up to 35% greater power efficiency. This efficiency gain is largely achieved through the helical gearbox design and the use of precision-ground gears.
Compared with traditional worm-drive gearboxes, helical-drive gearboxes can transfer power more efficiently. Worm-drive gearboxes are often cheaper to produce, but in applications that require high reduction ratios, such as 30:1 to 100:1, they can generate significant heat and wasted energy.
This allows more power to be delivered directly to the metering rollers, reducing unnecessary power demand while supporting more consistent product delivery across the machine.
The control system also uses Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) technology to manage motor speed. When used at frequencies optimised for the supplied motors, PWM can support higher turndown ratios and more linear control of motor speed. This helps the system manage motor output more accurately across changing application requirements.
For seeders and planters with multiple driven feeders, this can help reduce some of the power, cabling and control challenges that create downtime and frustration in the field.
Smarter Section Control with Direct CANbus Motors
Where applications require section control, Farmscan AG can also offer direct CANbus-controlled motors for smaller motor applications up to 100W.
These motors suit most section-controlled seeders and are available in both 12V and 24V configurations. Unlike traditional open/shut section control, which simply turns a section on or off, direct CANbus control allows each motor to respond individually within the wider seeding system.
This gives the system the ability to vary application rates on a section-by-section basis, rather than applying one uniform rate or simply switching sections on and off.
This can allow the system to:
- provide true variable-rate application across individual sections of the seeder
- vary rates across the machine during turns to help maintain planting density
- deliver more precise control across different bins, products and operating conditions
For farmers, this means greater confidence that product is being delivered at the intended rate across the full width of the machine.
Designed for OEMs Integration
For OEMs, this motor solution is not just a replacement part. It is a component designed to fit into new seeder and planter builds, as part of a complete control system. That makes it easier to design machinery around cleaner cabling, accurate motor response and better integration from the start.
Electric drive performance depends on the interaction between motors, wiring, ECUs, monitors and the wider machine control system. By offering high-efficiency helical-drive motor options, PWM motor-speed control and direct CANbus-controlled motors options, Farmscan AG can help OEMs develop accurate and more scalable machinery systems from the start.
The range can support multi-bin, multi-product and section-controlled equipment without adding unnecessary complexity. For unusual or specialised applications, tailored motor and control solutions are also available.
A Better Approach to Modern Seeder Control
As seeding equipment becomes more advanced, every driven and monitored function on the machine plays a role in overall accuracy and reliability.
Farmscan AG’s motor and control range gives farmers and OEMs a more capable alternative to traditional electric drive arrangements, with improved efficiency, direct control options and tailored solutions for specialised agricultural machinery.
Looking for a motor-control solution for your seeder, planter or OEM machinery project? Contact Farmscan AG to arrange an obligation-free visit and discuss your application.