Interesting JD Specialty Tractor

[jgrreed]

With the hills around there, we could just lay the roller coaster tracks on the ground.:laughing:

Sure, we'll end the run in the valley in Fort Qu'Appelle (my hometown), and the coaster-riders can hit the Country Squire lounge for a drinkie after!!

The GPS accuracy is nuts!! Hard to imagine that we were taught to 'eyeball' the lines when spraying or seeding!! I always overlapped a wee bit, as bare spots were embarrassing for the entire growing season.....

-Jer.

 

[aczlan]

The GPS accuracy is nuts!! Hard to imagine that we were taught to 'eyeball' the lines when spraying or seeding!! I always overlapped a wee bit, as bare spots were embarrassing for the entire growing season.....

IIRC, the Deere system uses Differential GPS. They had a setup on display at Empire Farm Days last year and it used a base station, then sent signals to the receiver in the tractor, allowing it to see where it was better than just the standard GPS. I think they said that it was accurate to within a foot.

Aaron Z

 

[jgrreed]

IIRC, the Deere system uses Differential GPS. They had a setup on display at Empire Farm Days last year and it used a base station, then sent signals to the receiver in the tractor, allowing it to see where it was better than just the standard GPS. I think they said that it was accurate to within a foot.

Aaron Z

I think that's similar to the WAAS system for aviation that allows airliners to fly precision approaches in near zero vis.

I wiki'd it.... Differential GPS (DGPS) is rated to 10m lateral and vertical accuracy, but actually does down to 2.5m. WAAS (Wide Area Augmentation System) is rated at 7.6m, and actually is good down to 0.9m.

They are both a form of "error correction" system that up's the accuracy of the existing GPS signals.

Absolutely amazing.....can't wait to get my hands on some hardware that'll do that!!

-Jer.

 

[JD755]

Accuracy is a function of how much you want to pay. Yes, the best accuracy requires a base unit set up in the field to provide error corrections.

 

[D7E]

Most farmers over 2000 acres own a self propelled these days but the deeres never really were that popular here..The rogator is always the popular one.
Although these are newer larger models pictured on this thread there are plenty of 4000 acre farms running these !

 

[jgrreed]

Accuracy is a function of how much you want to pay. Yes, the best accuracy requires a base unit set up in the field to provide error corrections.

They're not oulandishly expensive though, are they??? Couple grand gets you into it, no??

-Jer.

 

[JD755]

Don't know what the cost is, but a local dealer has set up base stations on towers to cover six million acres with the maximum RTK accuracy. Saves costs and setup of doing that part yourself.

 

[CinderSchnauzer]

They're not oulandishly expensive though, are they??? Couple grand gets you into it, no??

-Jer.

Not sure which "it" you're referencing. I recall a number of $26,000 coming up in a conversation, but then not sure what that all referred to either. I believe there is hardware, software and subscription / activation pricing that comes together to form the total package of whatever one is trying to accomplish.

Here's a link to some of the components with some pricing

Select a Model

 

[Duffster]

IIRC, the Deere system uses Differential GPS. They had a setup on display at Empire Farm Days last year and it used a base station, then sent signals to the receiver in the tractor, allowing it to see where it was better than just the standard GPS. I think they said that it was accurate to within a foot.

Aaron Z

IIRC they are more accurate than a foot. A foot wouldn't work worth a darn for planting. I believe it is a inch or so.

 

[JD755]

IIRC they are more accurate than a foot. A foot wouldn't work worth a darn for planting. I believe it is a inch or so.

Accuracy with RTK is one inch. See charts in my previous posts.

 

[Cyclone Jake]

Accuracy with RTK is one inch. See charts in my previous posts.

While JD only lists one inch accuracy, RTK has the ability to get to sub-inch accuracy horizontally (1 cm), and vertically (2 cm).

 

[Cyclone Jake]

Most farmers over 2000 acres own a self propelled these days but the deeres never really were that popular here..The rogator is always the popular one.
Although these are newer larger models pictured on this thread there are plenty of 4000 acre farms running these !

The RoGator is made by AgChem who is owned by AGCO and located in Jackson, MN. They also make the TerraGator spreaders. My personal favorite is the Hagie with the sprayer bar in the front. They go up to 1600 gallons and you can remove the sprayer bar and add other attachments including an automatic detasseller.

http://www.hagie.com

 

[Cyclone Jake]

DW's cousin has one of those GPS units & they can move it to different machines. Apparently they can download topographical features so if, for instance, the area is too alkaline the sprayers know to shut off. When doing thousands of acres the savings in diesel fuel, fertilizer, seed from not over spraying can save big $$$. Apparently you can purchase different levels of accuracy. He said at the highest level when they plant the rows 8" apart, they can come back next year and split that and put a new seeding right down the middle.

Its actually a bit more inclusive than that. The company I work for makes precision planting equipment that has the capability to be run with the GPS technology. The farmer takes the control unit, places it in his tractor, and it can automatically shut off individual rows if going over waterways, and vary the seeding rate using a hydraulic drive depending on condition. They take the same unit into their sprayer to control the spraying, and use the same unit in the combine. The yield monitors in the combine track and store the yield data in the unit which can be later analyzed. They can then adjust seed populations and fertilizer requirements for the different areas of the fields in the spring and summer to improve yields in the lower yield areas of the field. It is really very impressive and is still fairly young technology. The advances over the next few years should be very great.