December 21, 2006 -- Farm & Ranch Guide - A relatively new auto steer system that combines the basic WAAS GPS signal with sensor inputs from the field operation is providing the ultimate in auto steering performance for field operations, according to Scott Longlet, an Arthur, N.D. area farmer and one of the partners in Reichhardt Electronic Innovations, Inc.
These input sensor signals can be generated from a variety of field profiles and once fed into the controller box create the guidance information to steer the vehicle.
“Our base product delivers sub-inch accuracy at no extra cost,” Longlet said. “We are able to offer accurate repeatability with or without GPS signals and are the only company to offer alternative signal inputs like ultrasonic or tactile sensors to steer a vehicle.”
Longlet pointed out that farmers are beginning to discover that simply relying on a GPS signal for auto steering isn't the complete answer. For instance, he noted, farmers can follow a GPS signal when planting a row crop such as corn, but later in season find that the planting GPS coordinates don't always accurately follow the rows. That's because the pull-type planter will have some side draft due to varying soil conditions or land terrain features and not pull directly straight behind the tractor.
As a result the rows can be off, and the wider the planter, the greater the discrepancy.
To adjust for variations such as these, the Reichhardt Ultra Guidance PSR system relies upon various sensor inputs to keep the farm equipment on track and eliminate the operator fatigue associated with trying to keep on the GPS signal and follow the varying rows. The Ultra Guidance PSR system offers five different sensor solutions to match different field requirements and crop conditions.
“The Ultra Guidance PSR system is the whole-year solution for any crop rotation,” Longlet said. “In the fall and spring the PSR SKY component, which is just using a WAAS GPS signal, can be used for field cultivation, fertilizing, seeding and broadcast spraying.
“Later in the season, when precise placement for repeatability is required for such operations as row cultivation or band spraying, the PSR SONIC application is accurate every time,” he continued. “Finally, either the PSR TAC or MEC components can be installed on harvesting equipment to keep machines on the row-crop row and get maximum yields.”
In describing how the various sensor options work, Longlet said the SONIC system recognizes shapes and structures by taking sonic readings at the rate of 400 per second. The control module then uses 100 of these signals every second to steer the vehicle with an accuracy of less than one inch. This component works best for seeding strip till field, spraying, in season fertilizing, hay baling and harvesting.
The TAC option actually “feels” its way along a row by employing wear-resistant synthetic tactile sensors and is ideally suited for tall row crops such as corn.
Sugarbeet farmers use the MEC mechanical row finder component to follow the beet row before or after defoliation.
This auto steer system was first introduced in the United States in 2002, however the German company Reichhardt GmbH has a long history of installing auto steer equipment on European farm equipment, with some of their first products going back as early as 1990. They introduced the sonic sensor system in 1995 and the TAC sensors for corn heads in 2004. Over the years they have installed thousands of auto steer systems in European farm equipment.
Longlet has been marketing the system in the United States for just over three years now and has eight systems in operation in the Red River Valley and 12 in southeastern Minnesota. Those who have installed the systems feel is it one of the best investments they have every made, Longlet said.
Tim Aaseby and Greg Yourczek are both employed by Dan Zimmerman, a farmer from Amenia, N.D. They have had the opportunity to use the Ultra Guidance system in various farming operations and are big supporters of the system.
“The stress level is way down when you use this system,” Aaseby said regarding the use of the MEC mechanical row finder when topping and lifting beets. “You don't have to worry about being on the row all the time, since the system does that for you. Instead, you can concentrate on topping or the lifting operation.”
Yourczek appreciates the simplicity and compactness of the system. “You don't have to go back to school to learn how to run the system,” he said, “and the console isn't so big and clumsy like many of the other auto steer systems.”
Both are also impressed with the software in the Ultra Guidance system, noting that the original equipment auto steer systems sometimes offered a jerky ride when they were steering with the GPS signal. That “jerkiness” disappeared once the GPS signal was sent to the Ultra Guidance control module, which they say is an indication of a better software package.
The two employees also like the ease in which the Ultra Guidance can be switched from one machine to another. They started out using the system for lifting beets three years ago, but now use it for such things as spraying, topping beets and combining. During the course of a year the system is moved several times, with hardly any effort, between two tractors and the combine.
According to Longlet, this versatility between vehicles and the wide adaptability among different crops and field applications, makes this a logical choice for farmers across the nation. But he admits some farmers are rather skeptical or hesitant, especially since they have heard how some of their neighbors have been disappointed with results obtained with expensive GPS systems.
The basic Ultra Guidance PSR system, including one type of sensor, will cost in the range of $10-$11,000, which is roughly a quarter of the cost of a high-end GPS system. That cost would be reduced if a farmer already has some auto steer components on his tractor, combine or sprayer.
“The system has enough data capacity that it can be used in up to eight vehicles,” he said. “It's accurate on speeds ranging from 0.5 to 25 miles per hour or faster and it has the ability to be changed quickly from one vehicle to another. If a farmer is smart in business matters, this is the logical route for him to go.”
Longlet will be making the farm show circuit this winter showing farmers his golf cart equipped with the Ultra Guidance system plus a corn head that demonstrates the TAC sensor system for corn harvesting.
For more information contact Longlet at 701-967-8369.
--DALE HILDEBRANT--
