Top Tools For Guidance
September 15, 2008 
View the latest features in guidance systems as manufacturers continue to improve efficiency in GPS-guided application.
Cruizer, Raven Industries
Raven Industries’ Cruizer is a simple guidance system designed to increase efficiency with applications ranging from tillage to harvest. It features a built-in 10 Hz DGPS receiver that offers sub-meter accuracy, an external DGPS antenna, and a 5.7-inch color touch screen display with easy to understand icon-based menus. The Last Pass guidance option leads drivers to one swath-width from any previously applied area. Raven’s Cruizer can be joined with SmarTrax and QuickTrax systems for assisted steering. Cruizer is easily transportable from machine to machine, and allows operators easy viewing of saved and exported maps.
DirectCommand, Ag Leader
DirectCommand, Ag Leader’s application control system, now interfaces with the Raven Sidekick for complete control over chemical injection applications. The InSight display and CAN module will replace the Sidekick console and connect directly to the injection pump, eliminating a monitor from your sprayer/tractor cab.
Outback S3, Hemisphere GPS
The newest addition to Hemisphere GPS’ Outback family is the Outback S3, which combines the market-proven Outback S2 and the Outback 360 with the latest developments in Crescent GPS receiver technology. With an 8.4-inch high-resolution touchscreen display, the S3 provides clear, easy-to-read job data and system status information in real time. The electronically integrated Outback Steering Guide uses GPS data and job-specific details to display simple heading direction and provide precision guidance. Although the high-tech S3 is loaded with features, it’s extremely easy to use.
FarmPRO steering, AutoFarm
This RoGator is running at around 12 mph with AutoFarm’s FarmPRO steering tracking at 1/10th of a foot (1.2 inches) on a 100-foot spray boom. The steering system offers big savings on fertilizer and chemical costs by reducing overlap from several feet to inches, even sub-inch. There’s no double coverage plus a lot less operator stress and fatigue. Photo inset is the Raven Viper PRO screen running the FarmPRO system. One screen handles RTK steering, application control, and boom management – a feature operators love because it greatly simplifies their lives by eliminating cab clutter.
iTEC Pro, John Deere
Deere reports that the industry-exclusive iTEC Pro from John Deere is impressive to watch as a tractor maneuvers headland and end-row turns without a driver touching the steering wheel. When the machine approaches the end of the row, it automatically slows down, and the implement – like the 1720 Series Max Emerge planter shown here – automatically raises in preparation of the turn. Then when the tractor is ready to start on the next row, the implement automatically lowers while the machine speeds up to operating speed.
mojoRTK, Leica Geosystems
The new No-Drift mojoRTK by Leica Geosystems packs all the benefits of RTK-accuracy into a small console that easily fits the radio slot, eliminating cab clutter for a complete system that is easy to use and affordable. Plus, with the agriculture industry’s first remote service and support tool – Virtual Wrench – users no longer have to wait for a technician to drive out. Leica technicians connect wireless to the mojoRTK console to see everything the driver can see, in real time. Technicians can even adjust settings remotely, getting applicators back to work quickly.
AgGPS Autopilot syste, Trimble
The Trimble AgGPS Autopilot system offers automated steering with repeatable pass-to-pass accuracies of less than 1 inch. Autopilot safely drives a rig faster and straighter, reducing operator stress while improving profit throughout the season. It’s easier to do strip tillage or to sidedress fertilizer with minimal crop damage. In the fall, Autopilot perfectly rips straight strips of fertilizer. Users can return in the spring and effortlessly plant precisely on the strips, all without row markers. Autopilot uses a specialized navigation controller to work on slopes as well as on level ground, even when cultivating.
X20, Topcon Positioning Systems
Topcon Positioning Systems’ X20 can perform real-time simultaneous control of guidance, autosteering, spraying, seeding, mapping, and variable-rate application. Its large, bright, color touchscreen is easy to use, and the X20 utilizes the Windows XP Professional Operating System – so operators can add other applications such as wireless networking for connectivity to management systems. This year, Topcon introduced the X20 Weather Station module, which incorporates a combination of sensors to record and report wind conditions, temperatures, and relative humidity.
FieldPilot, TeeJet Technologies
TeeJet Technologies’ FieldPilot is a hydraulic-based, assisted steering that can be integrated into CenterLine 220, CenterLine 230BP, and Legacy 6000 GPS consoles. It features superior hydraulic steering (at a very low cost) and promises 6-inch to 10-inch pass-to-pass accuracy with its built-in WAAS/EGNOS GPS receiver. The FieldPilot makes a manual first pass, then automated subsequent passe, with manual headland turns. Tilt compensation and gyro-stabilization ensure accuracy on side slopes and uneven terrain.
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