John Deere has announced a raft of new updates to its Operations Center and Gen 4 and G5 Displays which includes the new AutoPath (Boundaries) that the company says represents a simple yet impactful step towards automation.
“AutoPath (Boundaries) creates a seamless end-to-end experience for users, with no source operation or implement-mounted StarFire receiver required, with path plans created in three simple steps,” John Deere said.
The steps are:
1. Select a driven field boundary or an existing guidance line
2. Set a headland size and offset type
3. AutoPath (Boundaries) automatically creates guidance tracks for the entire field.
Following these three steps, operators can create guidance plans for the entire season in one go, before the plan is sent to the display in preparation for the commencement of work when it’s time to put machinery in the field.
John Deere Precision Ag Marketing Manager, Max Cusack, said AutoPath (Boundaries) also delivered an important opportunity for growers to build on their existing investment in controlled traffic farming (CTF).
“This is going to be a great feature for our small grains customers and one we have been waiting for. It will allow operators to take advantage of our path planning tool and, if they are Controlled Traffic Farming, leverage existing guidance lines and investment in CTF,” he said.
“Operators can choose to set up and preview full-field guidance plans online using Operations Center or create plans from the seat of the cab when they arrive in the field.
“This is a John Deere exclusive, and it provides farmers with the flexibility to adjust guidance plans that were created online directly within their G5 or Gen 4 display without having to go back into Ops Center to alter the plan.
“We particularly love that customers can use their existing guidance lines, while capturing the full benefits of AutoPath (Boundaries) and its planning functionality.”
The AutoPath (Boundaries) ‘Align to Boundary’ track generation method identifies the best starting point to begin work in the field, to ensure the perfect first pass, eliminate gaps and minimise overlaps.
In-field guidance tracks can be easily modified using one of the three track-generation methods (Heading Angle, Align to Boundary, or From an Existing Track) and by shifting tracks north/south/east/west (in-field tracks) or inward/outward (headland tracks).
AutoPath can create a single plan for each of the zones applying the same settings to the entire field.
In addition to AutoPath (Boundaries), other key additions to the latest Operations Center include:
For more information, visit John Deere's website.