John Deere has been awarded a silver medal by the DLG committee in advance of Agritechnica 2017 in Hanover, Germany (November 12 to 18) for its AutoTrac Implement Guidance.
AutoTrac Implement Guidance uses a camera mounted on the hoe which calculates the predicted track along the plant rows. In addition, a John Deere StarFire satellite receiver is attached to the hoe. Steering control is thus achieved using an RTK signal and is particularly useful where plant rows are uneven or interrupted. The tractor is controlled in the same way, with both the camera and StarFire GPS receiver mounted onto the cab.
All information is shown and settings entered on the tractor’s CommandCenter display. Sideways movements of the hoe are governed by an electro-hydraulic control unit on the tractor, which works with a hydraulic side stabiliser on the lower links while the three-point hitch’s upper link position is continuously monitored.
The AutoTrac Implement Guidance system steers not only in straight rows but also on slopes and around corners. Corrections and cross shifts of more than 500mm of the hoe’s tools are possible, while two patented hydraulic disc coulters fixed onto the tractor’s hitch block ensure precise tracking accuracy, especially at high speeds.
