Project Description
Phone: 07 873 7871Email: kaltrack@yahoo.co.nz
Website: www.mtksystems.com
Company: MTK Systems Ltd.
Location Map
Singh’s invention, the Max-Trak Quatro, has won him $5000 and professional marketing help by the Fieldays organizers to enable him take his project to a bigger global audience. Singh beat off 53 other entries to clinch the title at Fieldays, which is the biggest showcase of its kind in the southern hemisphere.
Born and bred in Otorohanga, Singh milks 500 cows on two dairy farms and also runs a contracting business, Kalvin Singh Contractors. He also has more than 30 years’ engineering experience in Waikato.
Although Singh has been fine-tuning his Maxi-Trak Quatro for the past four years, he actually developed the Maxi-Trak 10 years ago and patented it.
In layman’s terms, Singh said often 4WD tractors found it very hard to pull heavy weights because the front wheels of the tractor would end up off the ground because of the weight at the rear.
“Tractor manufacturers often tell tractor owners to add weights to the front of the tractor to help keep it on firm ground.
“But with the Maxi-Trak Quatro, weight is transferred to the front of the tractor, thus enabling a smooth and easy tow, increased performance, low fuel consumption, and greater protection of the machinery,” said Singh.
“At present, to increase the traction on a four-wheel drive tractor, ballast is added, increasing the tare weight of the entire tractor; this increases fuel consumption and reduces performance while increasing wear and tear to tyres and tractor components and adding to ground compaction,” Singh told the Indian Weekender.
“Adding ballast to the front of a tractor while working on hill country decreases a tractor’s efficiency even further, requiring the weight to be carried uphill against gravity and having to hold it back while descending.
“We recently had a breakthrough, and are now able to transfer load to the front wheels of a four-wheel drive tractor.”
While the Maxi-Trak developed 10 years ago transferred weight to the rear wheels of a four-wheel tractor, applying weight to all four wheels was still an issue.
“We transfer weight from the implement that is being towed by allowing the draw bar to be able to travel a preset amount,” Singh said.
“While it is attached via a chain to the front of the tractor ahead of the front wheels and above the centre of gravity at the rear, for example, top link or top of plough arms.
“As the draft force increases between the tractor and implement, the load/weight increases on the tractor at the points where the chains are attached.”All hydraulics are controlled by buttons located at the rear, just behind the cabin.
While Singh has filed a patent application for the Quatro, he already has obtained patent for the Maxi-Trak in New Zealand, Australia, United States and Canada.
Singh said he would focus on marketing his invention. Several big tractor manufacturers from New Zealand and Australia had shown a lot of interest, he said.
Singh’s invention attracted huge interest at the Fieldays, which this year promoted the theme “Innovation for Future Profit”. This year’s Fieldays attracted more than 120,000 visitors from around the country and overseas.
A third generation Indian born and bred in Otorohanga, Singh is helped in the business by his children – sons Kaylem and Sunil and daughter Nikki.
Worldwide Distributors Wanted