"We are primarily using the Align to Boundary feature because we really love that we can have things perfect on one side of the field (no partial passes) and be able to use that same efficient plan throughout the entire year with all our equipment."
Be confident and stress-free, knowing that all operators have the right guidance tracks from start to finish. The Align to Boundary guidance track generation method provides the most efficient first pass through the field, resulting in no skips and minimal overlap. Using this method, AutoPath will default to the longest side of the field boundary you are planning work for and build from that side across the entire field using the track spacing input by the user.
Users can precisely adjust the boundary line being used to create the in-field guidance tracks. Unless farmers have perfectly square fields, which we know is uncommon, users will want to adjust the dots to achieve the most efficient guidance plan and for the most accurate performance when the machine is ready to execute the planned work. See 'PRO-TIP' below.
AutoPath creates guidance tracks for the entire field using crop row data recorded during the first pass through the field, whether that be a fertilizer application, tillage, or planting pass. The exact crop row or fertilizer location is captured and mapped using an implement mounted, StarFire™ Receiver, which means that fundamentally, farmers don’t need to do anything different as they work a field. In fact, adding this technology makes their lives easier as time passes.
AutoPath lets users begin each 'next pass' through the field quickly and confidently using their previously recorded data to guide them.
Check out some of the additional advantages AutoPath (rows) can provide its users.
- Automatically generates field guidance tracks for the next pass, accommodating for equipment width, based on actual planted crop rows.
- Accomplish work you could not manually. - Stay precisely on top preplant fertilizer strips when planting. Stay off emerged crops when spraying, without having to slow down in fear of damaging crops. Don’t count guess rows when you’re harvesting crops. Oh, and don’t use your hands to steer the machine while you’re at it.
- Reduces hunting for guess rows when spraying or harvesting a field.
- Makes harvesting easier in down crop conditions, and less than ideal conditions in general.
- Farmers can now easily use implements and machines of varying widths. Plant with a 24-row planter and harvest with a 16-row corn head with no issues. AutoPath keeps you on established guidance tracks that accommodate each machine, reducing the risk of partial width passes.
- Eliminates the complexity of trying to manage guidance tracks, especially in standing crops, from tillage to harvest.
- Helps maximize overall yield by reducing crop damage. When spraying at high speeds, even a few short seconds of driving over crop can cause measurable yield losses. Take harvest into consideration. In higher yielding corn, every second of driving on the row can lead to 17.6 L (0.5 bu) or more in loss. Over the course of a day, the amount of damaged crop can add up fast, impacting your bottom line.
- Row crops are rarely simple, straight lines, and fields often have irregular boundaries. Planting around water holes, waterways, or terraces adds complexity, but these challenges can be easily overcome with the AutoPath, path planning tool.
