Tractor guidance recommendations ('search sux on TBN')

[dodge man]

A couple of terms, GPS is the US system. GNSS is everybody. Glonass=Russians. Galileo=Europeans. Bediou(sp?) is the Chinese.

When I first started using GPS about 30 years ago it was not unusual that there were not enough satellites to work but about 8 hours a day. You had to use mission planning to schedule your day, which might be best in the middle of the night.

My point is if what you get is a true GNSS system there are so many satellites that it’s good all day and works better in sketchy areas such as near trees.

 

[paulsharvey]

BTW, I did some more digging on the Ez Guide 250; and trimble no longer supports it as of Jan 2019. There are apparently other sources for support/updates/ect, but thats something I would absolutely factor in. It almost looks like they said "here's a working, simple, cheap system, we better kill it off quick"

 

[CalG]

I really know nothing on the GPS topic, but I walked the property lines of my small holding and was amazed at the repeatability of the "TRACK" function using Gaia.

I walked a parcel earlier this year that I was considering, and the "track" was very close to the plot description, indicating my wavering walks along a stone wall..

I can't say how recording position would help while spraying, But the cost of the app is ZERO in it's basic form.

 

[Torvy]

I have family that uses the functions on their equipment. Pretty amazing watching a swather do most of the work itself. The driver gets it started and keeps up with any consumables.

They use the stuff directly from the equipment mfgs, iirc. Not aftermarket.

 

[WM75Guy]

Trimble has joined with AGCO to form PTX Trimble. The EZ-Guide 250 was replaced with the GFX-350. Looks to be available for $1,350 with the NAV-500 controller (antenna).

 

[anomad]

I’m a retired land surveyor and have used gps for a while. If you take something like a phone or other single gps unit out you get what is considered an autonomous position. That’s considered to be 10 meter accuracy (33 feet). It’s usually better than that but even if it’s 10 feet that’s not enough to drive a tractor by.

You need what are called corrections. This gives you better accuracy. Usually you have to pay for this service. Something called WASS is free and improves accuracy but still probably not good enough for ag use. Around here I know John Deere offers a yearly subscription. I just googled it and it’s a $1000 to $2000 a year depending on what you get.

There is this misunderstanding that gps gives you this outstanding accuracy’s and it’s just not true. Before I retired the last system we bought from Trimble was about $60,000 and came with two units. GPS also doesn’t work well in the woods.

I think the esteemed dodge man^^ had a typo and meant WAAS, Wide Area Augmentation System. That will get you in the ballpark, like he said, but it isn't going to drive a sprayer anywhere close. For that you need a RTK, Real Time Kinematik, GPS system and buy or adopt whatever service is in your area. Some areas provide service for little or no cost. There are steps in between WAAS and RTK depending on where you are. Sensors and interfaces for your tractor are going to cost thousands of dollars to do all that.

Or you could go old school and use analog row markers...