navigating the field

[CKain(MI)]

I enjoy the postings of field work. Like crsutton did earlier. I grew up on a small (typical) Michigan farm, in the late 40's & thur the 50's. Spending all day on a Farmal F12, H or M. No cab,maybe a umbrella. Trying to keep lines straight... Soo, I wonder if most of you farmers are using satellite guidence. Is it the greatest ?? ps, I left the farm soon after high school!!

 

[Eric in IL]

I am guessing 90 percent of farmers in my area are using GPS. I held out for a long time, couldn't imagine how it would pencil out.

I do a much better job of spreading fertilizer now. No (or very few) extra passes to get rid of leftovers. I don't think my corn rows are that much straighter now vs. markers, but they are better.

I never would have believed that not steering a tractor would remove so much stress at the end of the day. But it does. Having the freedom to look anywhere for as long as you need to sure takes the wondering if all systems are working out of the equation.

 

[CKain(MI)]

Thanks for the reply. When I lawn mow my vacant acre, I can make a cut thru the middle, very straight,,,, staring at a spot on the far side. As Dad taught me.(am 79 now). no looking around, lol !

 

[caterpillar guy]

I've done it both ways. On Dad's and mine there is a power line that will kill the signal sometimes when using it. sukcs when it does since you have to start your lines over again or retrace the previous pass. Otherwise it works ok. I'm not a big fan of all the nonsense that goes with it.

 

[redforlife]

I don't use it. Simply because I don't have new enough equipment to install it on.
But I have hired out, to operate other people's equipment that had all that GPS stuff on it.

My thoughts. I really like the row shut off feature, when planting (made possible by GPS). A lot of terraced ground around here. A lot of point rows. So the automatic row shut off, is huge in this neck of the woods.

I have never spread fertilizer with GPS. But fertilizer rates being adjusted by GPS according to soil tests, would be just as huge or better, than the row shut off is. There are MANY fields in this area where the lower part of feild is prime bottom ground, further up in elevation is some really thin ground, and up at the top (if levels out again) is some fairly descent ground. This, mind you, all being in one field. Change of fertilizer rates, is a huge thing when it comes to that. Made possible by GPS.

That said, aside from those features, you can take GPS and shove it, in my opinion. I can live without auto steer, and the rest of that non-sense. In certain situations, you (as an operator) got to over ride what the GPS is telling you. Especially if your GPS system is not all that sophisticated, and giving you problems because of that. When you are experiencing that, you are in for a really long day, and might not get a whole lot done.

One time I was planting corn for a guy. His GPS system would not always jump to a different satellite perfectly. Some times it would be off by feet, some times inches, when it transitioned. Basically you would have to over ride the row shut off, make one round around the peremiter of what you had left, to establish a new perimeter for the GPS, before things would work right again. And you had to be smart enough to figure all that out, and how to get things back right again, on top of everything else you have to know about planting corn.

GPS = .... Not a dumb man's tool, if you ask me. Definitely not idiot proof. Not something you want to rely on 100 percent.
Is it worth doing??? Yes. It certainly is. But, like everything else, there is a burden that goes along with using it. It makes fantastic things possible. But, bottom line, owners and operators of GPS, need to have the know how to use it, and apply it to what they are doing. If nothing else, to determine when it is not working (mal-functioning).
To lay that out for ya a little bit, malfunctioning for only 15 minutes while planting corn, is a big malfunction. Especially with a 16 row, or larger, planter. A lot of dollars involved if planter is double (overlap) planting, only half of it is planting, or worse yet, it is NOT planting at all but the GPS and monitor is saying that it is.

GPS is nothing more than a tool, in my opinion. Use it accordingly, as you would a hammer, or screwdriver, or any other tool. Every tool has its own place and use.

 

[ADB-Ia]

I have used it for several years and I like it. I could always plant a straight row but that requires a lot of attention to keeping it straight. One benefit that I never anticipated is that I have developed pretty severe arthritis in my left shoulder and the constant motion of steering causes a lot of pain with a day full of steering such as planting or combining. Left hand on the wheel and right hand on the controls. Without it I would definitely be taking advil by the end of the day.

 

[RGMartin]

I have a GPS that I use on an older tractor for spraying and spreading. No autosteer or anything. It helps immensely when spraying wheat or spreading fertilizer.

 

[rrlund]

This'll take you back. A few of us plowed here in Mid Michigan this morning. Sure, I use GPS. That means Going Past Something doesn't it? 55 years of working the same fields, you kind of recognize the landmarks and can keep things pretty straight.

 

[Dave BN]

I grew up keeping the radiator cap lined up with a fence post. Still do it that way. I have nothing new enough for GPS.
Dave

 

[danofarming]

What brand do you use? I would like one for the same purpose but do not know what to get.

 

[dairyman]

I use a outback s-light light bar; it does pretty good for spraying, only complaint is it doesnt have the ability to show you where youve been so headlands can be challenging.

 

[ss55]

How well do guidance systems work on contoured steep hillside fields?