GPS for tractor

[kthompson]

I am considering a GPS for spraying hay. I am not interesting in a steering system but would like a GPS that works well and simple. Want it to show where I have been (think that is called painting) and would like to be able to set it to spray in straight lines or follow the shape of the field. It would be nice if it calculated the size of the field but not required.

Open for recommendations. Thanks in advance.

 

[oosik]

The Trimble system can be set up to do this but its a quite expensive system. I would suggest that you contact Garmin, Magellan or possibly Loran.

 

[M5farms]

There are systems out there that are display only last time I priced them they started at about 500 and up to 1500 or so. there are a few droid or IPAD apps that do a decent job and I use one called agribus-navi and spraying simple . There are some paid apps but I have not tried them

 

[kthompson]

I did some checking a few weeks back and again yesterday. Would have thought some where there was a comparison between options only found one and it cost you. Had to buy annual subscription to their paper I think it was. But if Garmin has unit did not find on their web site. I did not look at any other auto gps company site but will. The brands I have come across are Teejet and Outback. Some others that were $2,000 and up I think mainly due to being design also to handle auto steer. Not been impressed with apps for smart phone or tablets of that have seen. You still need extra antenna to get the accuracy you want. At same time do not want a system that you down load and they stop support or you buy and they stop with support for some are an annual subscription.

I do not see my need being for anything other than spraying or spreading. Happened onto another forum with comments on gps but can not find them again. The discussion there was gps versus foam marking. It was easy 3 or 4 to 1 for the gps over the foam. Maybe even higher ratio. I sprayed my field yesterday and even with grass and weeds about a foot tall I had hard time seeing my last path to keep spacing anything like reasonable.

 

[M5farms]

If your doing the same fields all the time and they are flat enough you could do like the old timers and flag the fences with correct spacing. I have a homemade foam marker that I use and it works very well for my 36' boom sprayer.

 

[oosik]

I have one of Garmins top of the line hand held GPS units. Under the very best of conditions the location is + or - ten feet. Under normal conditions its + or - 15 feet.

 

[RickB]

I have one of Garmins top of the line hand held GPS units. Under the very best of conditions the location is + or - ten feet. Under normal conditions its + or - 15 feet.

That's the rub. For spraying level accuracy any free signal is inadequate.

The second piece of truth is that given an adequate signal, manual steering control becomes the inadequate link. Look into a light bar at an absolute bare bones minimum. Auto steer is universally used with good reason.

 

[Rustyiron]

I get a farming paper and Messicks will have a multi page flyer in it. They offer some gps units that seem not to expensive although I know nothing about them or the details of subscriptions or other parts. precision-farming
You might check out a local larger ag equipment dealer to see what they offer, but it's hard to imagine that a simple foam marking set up would not be pretty fast, cheap & simple.

 

[kthompson]

Some times the simple things are the hardest to think of. The idea of the flagging is a possibility. Think a guidance system will be better for will have spraying and spreading.

oosik, I like what you have in your posting on this country. So true.

M5farms, what do you think of those apps?

 

[M5farms]

Some times the simple things are the hardest to think of. The idea of the flagging is a possibility. Think a guidance system will be better for will have spraying and spreading.

oosik, I like what you have in your posting on this country. So true.

M5farms, what do you think of those apps?

If you ever notice beer or soda cans on fence post on old farms ? The first GPS our granpas used. Im pretty good with a fertilizer buggy getting my 45' spacing and I just site a tree or post. The app works good for me with my utv and my boomless sprayr , I use it in the wooded areas and it does a 12' swath. Never had an issue with the signal

 

[kthompson]

M5farms, on the fence post and cans sure that would be a big help, only thing my fields have no fencing. You don't see many fields in my part of the world fenced. We have hedges of woods or ditches around most fields here and need to cut them back yearly so anything erected like that would to be set up yearly. Still not talking that many post.
If you don't mind on the "agribus-navi" system I assume you use a tablet with it but what kind of antenna and how accurate it that set up? If you don't know that is fine. The package units I have seen for $1,000 or so are only light bar with about 10 to 12 inches accuracy which is much better than the 10 foot I missed spraying last Thursday, yep might pretty green weeds. I would like to have a system that does paint the area you have covered or otherwise it seems you need to skip an area for any reason you are lost on what you skipped. Those look to be say $1,600 to $2,000. That is with helix antenna.


I really do not see the use of auto steer for my fields and have figured might could do some testing with just making "U" turns at the end of field for spacing but that still would not keep me straight. Have issue with depth perception where I think objects are closer than they are. Keeps me from hitting anything with my bumper!

 

[M5farms]

Actually my Droid phone works better Than the pad does IMO I just use a universal mount and sick it to the windshield. as far as accuracy I've not actually pulled a tape on it but I have checked by stepping it a few times its within a few feet and once you know what the error is you can adjust it with overlap. I have not tried an external antenna but like I said I only use the app when boomless spraying with my RTV. I tried it when using the spreader buggy but I typically spread at about 8 to 10 mph and I must not be doing it right because I always sight my drive too object and between trying to follow the bar and my where im going and looking back its to much for my brain to process.

 

[kthompson]

thanks

 

[TemporaryKubotaOwnerMark]

I have one of Garmins top of the line hand held GPS units. Under the very best of conditions the location is + or - ten feet. Under normal conditions its + or - 15 feet.

There it is. You need differential GPS for this, not consumer grade GPS. I have taken logs from various consumer grade units for hours at a time, and compared them. They vary quite a lot from reading to reading, let alone from minute to minute. On a good day it's swinging +- 10 to 15 feet. Depends on the atmospherics and the position of the satellite constellation at the time.

Dedicated units have better accuracy than what you find in a smartphone, too. It's a better chipset and antenna.

The interesting thing is, because the variations are random, you can get some astonishing accuracy with averaging, for stationary points. Just a few hours of data logging will get you into the +- inches range, IIRC.

Not useful for tractor work, of course.

 

[kthompson]

I thought there would have been some here who use or have used guidance system for tractors but have decided probably not. They are (my opinion) mostly used on large farm tractors used in large fields and doubt there are many who have real need for one.

 

[rustydollar]

I am considering a GPS for spraying hay. I am not interesting in a steering system but would like a GPS that works well and simple. Want it to show where I have been (think that is called painting) and would like to be able to set it to spray in straight lines or follow the shape of the field. It would be nice if it calculated the size of the field but not required.

Open for recommendations. Thanks in advance.

 

[bdog]

I have a Trimble ez guide 250. It works well and paints and has a light bar. I paid $750 for it.

While waas on a Garmin isn't super accurate it is pretty darn consistent over short periods of time. If you mark a point and then come back tomorrow you might be ten feet off but pass to pass as used in spraying it will be close to a foot accuracy. The Trimble ez guide just uses waas and it is darn close over short periods but I have to create new AB lines each day.

 

[kthompson]

rustydollar that is interesting. Had no idea a foam marker was so simple.

bdog, that system is over $1,100 now. The Trimble. Think I am at the point not required now but have done a lot of checking for next year when must do something.

thanks to each of you.

 

[bdog]

You can find them used for much cheaper. Check eBay. I live in a major farming area and bought mine from the local precision ag company used. They had several of them they got as trade ins on the RTK systems.

 

[bdog]

Here is a picture of mine I took today while planting. Pass to pass I would say the accuracy is a foot or better. I was following the drill tire track with the tractor front tire and it was pretty much dead on with the GPS just with WASS. Any time I got off track just the slightest the GPS showed it.