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Alberta startup sells no-tech tractors for half price

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Re: Alberta startup sells no-tech tractors for half price

#371
A few years ago, during the initial stages of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, John Deere was remotely bricking any tractors that were stolen by Russia.

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/05/01/europe/russia-farm-vehicl...

I'm sure this was meant to be a story about the bad guys being thwarted, but it only made my blood run cold. A single company can remotely destroy the agricultural sector of a country if they felt like it.

This is a welcome development.

Re: Alberta startup sells no-tech tractors for half price

#372
post #336

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The irony is cars got screens largely due to the backup camera mandate which was intended to be a safety feature. Governments are very bad at understanding unintended consequences.

A screen for the backup camera doesn't necessarily mean everything has to be through the screen at all. Most Toyotas I've seen have a screen for the backup camera and the carplay/music/gps console, but everything else is still knobs and buttons. This is true on both my 2013 and 2026 Toyotas.

Also true on my 2020 RAV4 and 2025 Tacoma.

I tried a 2025 Ford Maverick for a year before I traded it for the Tacoma. All the AC/Heat/Etc controls were on the screen. Couldn't stand it. Put me off of ever considering a new Ford again.

Re: Alberta startup sells no-tech tractors for half price

#373

I want this for cars but to keep the modern powertrain. So an EV without the tracking/touch screens, etc etc. Or an internal combustion engine car that is just simple and efficient (and again, no tracking). I'll take the low-tech but nice features like heated seats and power windows still thank you.

a 2010-16 corolla is basically this

Re: Alberta startup sells no-tech tractors for half price

#374
post #327

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hum... i can understand your throwaway status. You are certainly aware that we , in Canada, have expertise in software that is quite a bit more advanced than tractor software.

[flagged]

What's going on here? You're responding like an unhinged AI.

Re: Alberta startup sells no-tech tractors for half price

#375
post #207

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I learnt to drive on one of those. I'm a city kid but my grandfather was a wool farmer. Every school holiday we'd visit and I's spend my days literally puttering around the farm, which was pretty huge (~2000ha). When I started out, 13ish or so, I had to stand on the clutch to get it down. If you gave it enough beans and dropped the clutch it'll pop a wheelie! (Don't tell my grandpa)

Honestly, I still had to practically stand on the clutch with mine! I'd teach someone to drive it and say, "now push down on the clutch". They they would heave and struggle, then eventually succeed and look victorious. I'd say, "well done, it is now half way down! But that's all you need for now!" EDIT: To fully explain: It has a two-stage clutch. You half-press it and it disconnects the wheels from the engine. If yo…

Why was the clutch so heavy? Did it serve some purpose or was it just due to the limitations of the technology at the time?

I have certainly driven cars with lighter and heavier clutches (I live in EU, automatics weren't popular until recently and are still far from ubiquitous) but I couldn't tell you why every model just doesn't get a light clutch for comfort. A diesel Subaru I drove had a particularly heavy clutch as I recall, so at stop lights I would pop into neutral instead of holding the clutch down for an extended period.

Re: Alberta startup sells no-tech tractors for half price

#377

I want this for cars but to keep the modern powertrain. So an EV without the tracking/touch screens, etc etc. Or an internal combustion engine car that is just simple and efficient (and again, no tracking). I'll take the low-tech but nice features like heated seats and power windows still thank you.

I've been dreaming of doing an EV conversion on my 2008 Honda Civic that I barely even drive. No cellular radio, no OTA updates, no touchscreen. I lack the mechanical skills and time though, and I'm not aware of people in my area that do conversions as a service for anything but like high end classic cars(which a Honda sedan is not).

Re: Alberta startup sells no-tech tractors for half price

#378

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you looking for a monitor? xD

No. Monitors are small, and suited for one person working close up. I am looking for a television without the "computer" inside of it. Yes, of course, it needs to have a computer to decode and display images, but I don't want it to be running a stripped back version of Android, that shipped out of date and hasn't received any updates, with apps that are laggy and often not current relative to other "smart" providers,…

That's fair. We do have some fairly large monitor, but yeah, we still need a TV for 75 inches or larger.

Re: Alberta startup sells no-tech tractors for half price

#379

I want this for cars but to keep the modern powertrain. So an EV without the tracking/touch screens, etc etc. Or an internal combustion engine car that is just simple and efficient (and again, no tracking). I'll take the low-tech but nice features like heated seats and power windows still thank you.

That's the pitch behind the Slate truck right? Just the basics to make it a functional vehicle and then you add only what you want.
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