The
Corporation manufactures the Dixon Versatile Imprinters.
VERSATILE IMPRINTING UNIT
Seven-foot heavy-duty imprinter with one moving part and a 3-point hitch (overall width is 8-foot so that it can be transported without wide-load permit). Imprinting unit is designed for the following attachments.
VERSATILITY ATTACHMENTS
• Round Bottom Seedbox with large diameter flexible vane agitator driven by tire contacting imprinting teeth (one moving part) to permit applying mixes of seed, fertilizer and inoculants.
• Tow-tongue attaches to three-point hitch on imprinter with 3 pins to permit towing from tractor drawbar.
• Rear-mounted Hydraulic Lift Wheels to permit lifting, loading, and transport of imprinter with tow-tongue.
• Rear Wing Hitches for attaching imprinting units to the right and left rear corners of the lead imprinter to permit towing 3 imprinters at once in a Vee formation. (Vee formation provides a 21-foot imprinting width)
21 Ft.
BRIEF DETAILS
Versatile Imprinting Unit can be used with farm or industrial tractors equipped with either front or rear 3-point hydraulic hitches for renovating degraded lands where an adequate supply of seeds are present in the soil bank. Otherwise, seeds can be scattered onto the land area to be imprinted with various types of inexpensive broadcast seeders. A four-wheel drive tractor with a front-end loader and rear 3-point mounted imprinter makes an efficient imprinting rig. The front-end loader increases front-end traction while providing the forward ballast needed for hydraulic lifting of the imprinter.
Seedbox Attachment converts the imprinting unit into a 3-point seeding imprinter so that revegetation can be accomplished in a single operation with a simple, durable machine having only 2 moving parts-the imprinting roller-and-axle assembly and the Seedbox agitator assembly.
Tow Tongue Attachment coverts the Imprinting Unit with a three-point hitch to a single point hitch to permit towing the imprinter with a tractor equipped only with a drawbar. This Tow Tongue Attachment permits linking 3 imprinters together for towing in a Vee formation to imprint a 21-foot width. The Tow Tongue can also be used in conjunction with a bulldozer equipped with a ripper tool bar and hitch when light ripping aids imprinter penetration in extremely hard soils. This approach makes ripping and imprinting a single rather than two operations.
Hydraulic Lift Attachment when used in conjunction with the Tow Tongue Attachment permits the lifting of the imprinting roller off the ground to permit sharp field turns, and loading and transport of imprinters on trucks and trailers.
Rear-Wing Hitch Attachment permits towing three imprinting units at once in a Vee formation for a 21-foot imprinting width. All three imprinting units are equipped with tow tongues. The Vee formation is especially useful where large land areas are to be imprinted with large drawbar-equipped tractor and a single operator. If the imprinters are also equipped with seedboxes the revegetation project is a once-over operation.
The logo of the Corporation reflects the fact that imprinter design is based on many years of rainwater infiltration research. Imprints hold soil and water resources in place through a simple funneling action as depicted by the raindrop falling into the Vee. The V-shaped imprints which are one-square-foot in size and shape, funnel resources such as seed, rainwater, litter, and splash -eroded topsoil to the bottom of the Vee where they can work in concert to germinate seeds and establish seedlings. The closed microwatersheds provided by the imprints give much better soil and water conservation than the no-till and other drills that make continuous furrows that, in turn, bleed resources downslope especially during intense storm events. Pollution of stormwater runoff with soil sediments, phosphorus, and nitrogen is greatly reduced by land imprinting.
The versatility attachments readily adapt the Imprinting Unit to a wide range of field situations and conditions that the land manager must confront in his efforts to make land more productive, thereby achieving land management goals. Land management goals that can be readily achieved with land imprinters include both the restoration of historic ecosystems and the creation of new ones having specific benefits to humans and wildlife. With time and further development, additional Versatility Attachments will be added to the four listed above for even greater adaptability of imprinting to an even wider range of field conditions and management goals. Currently under development are a rolling coulter gang for hard soils and a small covering roller for large seeds. Also, a method for towing two imprinters in tandem is being devised for a 14-foot imprinting width.
POTENTIAL USES
• Prairie restoration
• Savanna restoration
• Woodland restoration
• Forest restoration
• Cropland restoration
• Wildland restoration
• Other land restoration
• Urban lands
• Landfills
• Park lands
• Mined landsBureau of Land Management
• U.S. Forest Service
• Bureau of Reclamation
• U.S. Corps of Army Engineers
• Natural Resource Conservation Service
• National Park Service
• U.S. Department of Transportation
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• State Departments of Transportation
• State Departments of Environmental Quality
• State Land Departments
• State Agricultural Departments
• State Departments of Mining
• Industrial lands
• Military bases
• Roadsides
• Right-of-ways
• Riparian areas
• Wetlands
• National monuments
• Oilfields
• Recreational areas
• Natural disaster areas
• Non Governmental Environmental Organizations
• Private Land Managers
• Farmers & Ranchers
• Gardeners and Landscapers
• Land Conservation Consultants
• Erosion Control Consultants
• Flood Control Consultants
• Pollution Control Consultants
• Weed Management Consultants
• Stormwater Management Consultants
• Landfill Management Consultants
• Solid Waste Management Consultants
• Agricultural Land and Farm ConsultantsPOTENTIAL MARKET
Given the foregoing long lists of potential uses and users the potential market for the Dixon Versatile Imprinter is vast. Not listed are the governmental agencies and non-governmental organizations involved in degraded land improvement in developing Countries. These include agencies such as the World Bank, Agency for International Development and The International Monetary Fund; and non-governmental organizations such as The Worldwatch Institute, CARE and the World Wildlife Fund. The United Nations also strives to improve land in developing Countries through its Food and Agriculture Organization and the U.N. Environmental Program. The Dixon Versatile Imprinter is especially well suited for use in developing Countries because of its adaptability, simplicity, and effectiveness in land improvement. Once introduced, the can be manufactured locally with perhaps a few parts requiring importation such as roller bearings. Most of the imprinter is fabricated from structural steel that is available worldwide.
The Imprinting Foundation
1616 E. Lind Road
Tucson, AZ 85719Close Window to Return to List
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