Promatta

[Robert MoonShadow]

Anyone ever have any luck contacting these people in France? REALLY want to find a walk-behind toolbar setup or plans for same. With gardens 2 miles apart, I really don’t want to have to pull all equipment back and forth or buy two of everything. Anyone here that creates such or plans for same has a customer…me!

[goodcompanion]

I have spoken with them, several years back. Friendly folks, they invited me to tour member farms, a tour I was never able to take. Their office in Rimont, France is open wednesday through friday, 9 to 5 local time. How’s your French? There is also a book in print, maybe we’ve discussed it on the site before, by Jean Noelle. Here it is on Amazon Canada, not too expensive…

http://www.amazon.ca/Machines-modernes-traction-animale/dp/2858026068/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1306520226&sr=8-1

Good luck

[Robert MoonShadow]

@goodcompanion 27251 wrote:

I have spoken with them, several years back. Friendly folks, they invited me to tour member farms, a tour I was never able to take. Their office in Rimont, France is open wednesday through friday, 9 to 5 local time. How’s your French? There is also a book in print, maybe we’ve discussed it on the site before, by Jean Noelle. Here it is on Amazon Canada, not too expensive…

http://www.amazon.ca/Machines-modernes-traction-animale/dp/2858026068/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1306520226&sr=8-1

Good luck

Non-existant French, although if there were detailed photos, perhaps it would be useful? Anyways, how’d you get them to respond? I understand that they have plans for sale, but don’t usually bother w/ Americans, since they don’t have it translated to English… not sure on that, but just what I’ve heard – do know that they’ve never responded to me so far…perhaps Tiller International has something…

[goodcompanion]

@Robert MoonShadow 27257 wrote:

Non-existant French, although if there were detailed photos, perhaps it would be useful? Anyways, how’d you get them to respond? I understand that they have plans for sale, but don’t usually bother w/ Americans, since they don’t have it translated to English… not sure on that, but just what I’ve heard – do know that they’ve never responded to me so far…perhaps Tiller International has something…

I just called them up. I admit that I wrote email and never got a response from that, even though I wrote in French. Seemed friendly enough, and there is at least someone there to answer the phone.

[Robert MoonShadow]

Erik – Did you get any information from them?

[goodcompanion]

They sent me some stuff most of which I’ve lost. There were some sources of manufactured implements. I think most of their designs are in that book. Tell you what, I just ordered the book. If anything useful is in it I will post about it on this thread.

Hope this helps.

[Robert MoonShadow]

@goodcompanion 27268 wrote:

They sent me some stuff most of which I’ve lost. There were some sources of manufactured implements. I think most of their designs are in that book. Tell you what, I just ordered the book. If anything useful is in it I will post about it on this thread.

Hope this helps.

Cool beans! 🙂

[Marshall]

You mighr want to check with Pioneer, they are working on a tool bar type setup. It is patterned after the McCormick riding cultivator, but with several attatchments.

[Robert MoonShadow]

@Marshall 27339 wrote:

You mighr want to check with Pioneer, they are working on a tool bar type setup. It is patterned after the McCormick riding cultivator, but with several attatchments.

Yeah, when it was mentioned somewhere else on this site, I went ahead and contacted Pioneer…as I posted in their listing here under equipment dealers, they responded & told me that they aren’t working on a walk-behind model. I’ve got large-standard asses, and I think a rider is a bit much for extensive work for them. Besides, since I have no intention whatsoever of giving up my ice cream addiction, I better stick to the more active venue. :rolleyes:
But perhaps once they market the one you’re talking about, I can figure out how to adapt the various tool options onto some sort of homemade wb toolbar.
I’d really like to “keep it in the family” – so if anyone here ever decides to develop one… 😉

[Marshall]

I hear ya on the ice cream addiction. From what I saw it wouldn’t be hard to adapt Pioneers to a walk behind. The different tools hang from th bottom. They have a hook on each side and two bolts go in to hold them on. Basically all you would have to do is remove the seat and bracket and install some handles. It could also be made without the foot steering apparatus.
Just a thought.

[Robert MoonShadow]

Marshal – Do they have this out yet? I’d be interested in seeing photos. I wonder what tools they have (or will) for it.

[Marshall]

No they don’t have it out yet. I wish I would have taken some pictures when I was there. They said there was a few prototypes on local farms to try.
When I was there in April they had a set of discs, spring drags, and they were working on a regular cultivator bottom.

[goodcompanion]

Chapter 5
The Tropicultor

From Machines Modernes a Traction Animals, Jean Nolle. Translated Erik Andrus

Before speaking of why I chose to begin the work of creating the Tropicultor in its current material form, it seems to me important to explain that in 1961 I was still in the same state of grace as I was in 1954, despite the hardships we’d suffered since Independence. My desire always remained the same:

To make an ox-powered tractor in order that the forgotten small farmers may have, in their lives, opportunities equal to large farmers.

This is why the request of IOSTA in France came at the right time to give me a chance to make a start. And it was also in the month of August that I found myself back in Kaboul with a Hippomobile forecart equipped with a cotton seeder, and also a furrower and a cultivator.

At the beginning of the year 1962 I was in Madagascar without the forcart but with publicity materials. As I distributed them, I surveyed the largest number of operators I could regarding whether they thought the research worthwhile. I became convinced it was as soon as I learned that a local blacksmith was trying to copy the machine I had designed. I am sure he knew that he was giving me the response I had hoped for.

From the big island, I came back to Europe via Uganda and Kenya where I carefully studied the land and the methods of farming, thinking of how my next machine would work. Having accumulated a lot of observations, I drafted my Tropicultor in the month of November as a variant of project C in plate 20 as I spoke of earlier.

Fabrication went on through April 1963 because I insisted, as is my habit, to bring the prototype about with my own hands without any help from the state.

And the thing the journalists would later call “the poor person’s tractor” was presented for the first time in the tropics in September 1963, with its cousins Ariana and Sine*, in Senegal, where, five years earlier to the day, I had successfully introduced my three first-generation implements. I was almost able to believe that I was finally becoming credible. But not entirely. Those who had taken up use of my implements but hadn’t been able to make them work did not want to be made known publicly!

Later I changed the name from tropiculteur to Tropicultor when I realized that the French vowels are unpronouncable in English and in Spanish.

Plate 87. The Chassis 822

The Chassis 822 is a fleshed-out version of Project C, shown in plate 20 in relation to the horse forecart. The “bridge” form of the chassis is obtained by bending two tubes 50 x 60 at 90 degrees on each end and by welding them, each facing the other, at a 50 degree angle in gussets with a shape matching the contour of the tubes and with the axle embedded. This vis-a-vis arrangement is very strong–the force received by each tube are cancelled out by the others.

On the top, the two tubes A are tied together by two brackets D welded equally at each end, so that the upper surface serves as a seat, and the vertical faces serve as support for the connection point X for the lever system that runs from one side of the implement to the other.

On the top, on the rear tubes, we’ve welded a stem F, bored with three holes, with which, no matter which way is needed, the attachment of the pole end bracket U can be adjusted to different heights in order that the front of the pole (T) can match the height of the oxen. Traction is applied to the front tube (A) by means of a hook welded under the pole. (Skipping a sentence here that I can’t figure out, correction later).

Such is the first version of the Tropicultor chassis created in 1963, and which would be perfected in 1972 after my trials in Honduras. This improved chassis (which wasn’t any different in terms of dimensions, was numbered 928. It is shown in plate 91, but the tool array is depicted in the next plate also refers back to it.

*translator’s note: Ariana and Sine are earlier platform systems designed by Noelle

[goodcompanion]

Here is Plate 87. Let me know if this chapter is useful. Translating it is hard work! Subsequent sections of this chapter include the tool array and toolbar system, alteration of the wheel arrangement for different jobs,reversible and double-gang plows using this platform, cultivators, subsoiler, rake, furrower, seeders of various kinds, disc, hiller, beet-lifter, sicklebar mower, brushhog, cultipacker, land leveler, land plane and more. There are also complete metric plans for this platform.

[goodcompanion]

Bonjour mesieurs et mesdames de Prommata,

Je vous ecris comme adherent de l’association DAPNet, une organization a but non-lucratif pour avancer l’utilization des animaux de trait et l’agriculture et silviculture durable. Nous nous sommes formes recemment, et nous maintenons un site de ouebbe (http://www.draftanimalpower.com) en anglais, mais nos membres sont partout dans le monde, mais plutot les anglophones.

Certains de nos membres s’interessent des techniques de Prommata beaucoup! J’ai commande le livre de Jean Noelle et bien sur c’est remplit avec renseignements tres importants. Je comprends que c’est le but de Prommata de distribuer le savoir y dedans partout dans le monde, donc j’imagine que ca ne poserait aucune problem si je traduis quelques chapitres pour mes collegues, pour seulment les buts non-lucratif et educationels. Mais je voudrais bien savoir si vous de Prommata reservent certains droits de traduction et dissemination.

Aussi, j’imagine que il y aura des clients qui voulait commander des equipements. Il y a quelques annees, vous m’avez envoye queques feuilles avec equipements et leurs prix, mais je l’ai perdu, dommage. Mais peut-etre vous pourriez me dire si des machines de Prommata fait en Europe sont toujours disponible, et si les fabricants sont capables de les preparer et les livrer pour transport maritime.

En general, notre communaute des adherents a beaucoup en commun avec la votre, et j’espere que nous pourrions travailler ensemble pour avancer l’interet du animal travaillant. Je serais tres content de vous render compte de nos activites dans le nord-est de l’Amerique, et boucoup d’entre nous sont egalement interesses en les votres.

Veuillez pardonner l’absence d’accents car ma programme de couriel n’en est capable.

Amicalement,

Erik Andrus
boulanger, et fermier aux chevaux de trait
Canton de Ferrisburg
Vermont, USA

Basically this email describes DAPNet and mentions that certain members are interested in the work of Jean Nolle and Prommata, mentions that I’m translating some text for educational purposes and asks if this is okay, asks if Prommata equipment is for sale and can be shipped overseas, and expresses hope for future collaboration. I wrote this just as a member, not from any position of leadership or what-have-you.

[Author]

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