AutoTrac Vision

Sidedress Simpler with AutoTrac Vision for your John Deere Tractor

AutoTrac Vision Guidance for Tractors

by Jared Wheeler, Assumption, IL

AutoTrac Vision for tractors is a great new product for customers that sidedress and/or row crop cultivate.  John Deere previously released this for sprayers,  but it is now available for 7 and 8 family tractors, 30 series and newer.  The system works in row spacings from 20 up to 40-inch row crops in the early stages between 6 inches tall and 90% canopy.  The camera detects the color difference between the crop and soil and guides the tractor between the rows.

AutoTrac Vision Camera Mounted in front of the SF6000 Receiver

This new technology is ideal for customers that are in fields where they don’t have the original planting guidance lines.  It also works great for customers experiencing GPS drift or customers whose implement width doesn’t match the planter width.  We demoed this unit to a customer who planted with a 24 row planter using RTK signal and then came back and sidedressed with a 15 knife bar.  Even though the customer planted with RTK, the planter would sometimes pull to one side.  Also, the “guess” rows were occasionally off a couple inches and he would have to side shift his guidance line in the sidedress tractor to make up for it.  These additional steps are eliminated with the AutoTrac Vision system because the tractor is now automatically side-shifting for you by using the crop row as the reference point for guidance.

Gen 4 Monitor AutoTrac Vision Run Screen

I think this product would be especially beneficial for ag retailers that are custom applying because they usually don’t have the customers planting guidance lines to go off of when they are applying fertilizer.    The camera will guide them through the field with ease.  Contact us today for more info or to schedule a demo.

 

Sloan Support is written by the product support team at Sloan Implement, a 20 location John Deere dealer in Illinois and Wisconsin.  Learn more at www.sloans.com

 

 

 

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John Deere 4640 Gen 4 Display vs JD 2630 GS3

 

This month, John Deere introduced the new 4640 universal display. The 4640 display incorporates the easy-to-use layout of the 4600 Command Center and the portability of the GreenStar 2630.  With the release of the new 4640 display,  John Deere has moved to a subscription based activation system which is different from the previous approach of a one-time activation purchase.  Now activations for the 4640 are offered in four different configurations shown below:

1-year Autotrac Subscription $850

5-year Autotrac Subscription $4000

1-year Premium Subscription $1700 (Autotrac, Swath Control, Documentation)

5-year Premium Subscription $8000 (Autotrac, Swath Control, Documentation)

The 5-year subscription option is only available at the point of purchase of the new 4640 display. If you choose to go with a one-year subscription, you will not have the option to purchase the five-year subscription down the road.

This price comparison graphic illustrates a customer’s cost of entry for a 4640 Universal Display and a 1-year subscription compared to a similarly activated GS3 2630 display.

The entry price for the 4640 is approximately 1/2 of the GS3 2630.  Over the course of 5 years, a customer who purchased a 4640 display and a 5-year subscription will spend less money than the customer who purchased a GS3 2630 with activations.   Also, in 5 years, there’s certain to be updated technology that will be better suited for the 4640 than the legacy 2630 display.

 

Why the change to subscription-based activations?  Subscription-based precision ag offerings provide the following benefits:

  • Lower cost of entry to get started with display and subscriptions
  • Ability to try new applications for a year without having to commit to a permanent software license
  • Ability to match the cost of use with the revenue generated in the same fiscal year
  • Flexibility in selecting the level and duration of subscription that best fits the needs of the business without the expense of a one-time software license purchase

As previously mentioned, the 4640 display is portable, much like the GreenStar 3 2630 display. One of the things that the 4640 display is capable of over the 2630 display is that the 4640 can be used in conjunction with a Gen 4 extend monitor. This allows you to run the 4640 display with double the screen space.

Gen 4 extend monitor

The 4640 display also has enhanced data capturing abilities making section control and coverage maps more accurate. Setting on/off times is made much easier with the 4640 display. Simply select skip or overlap and enter the distance and speed.  The new operating system on the 4640 functions like a smart phone with swipe and touch integration.

At this time the 4640 display has a few limitations, but John Deere will correct these with upcoming software updates that wwill make the 4640 display even more versatile. Some of the current limitations of the 4640 display are: RowSense in combines, Vision and RowSense in sprayers, Coverage map and A/B line sharing, and Machine sync.  Also, the 4640 display is also not fully compatible with the John Deere Rate Controller 2000 at this time.

Here’s a video from Deere on the features of the new 4640 display.

by Conrad Meyer, Cuba City, WI

Sloan Support is written by the product support team at Sloan Implement, a 20 location John Deere dealer in Illinois and Wisconsin.   Learn more at www.sloans.com

 

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AutoTrac Vision & RowSense for Sprayers

by Jared Wheeler, Assumption, IL

AutoTrac Vision and RowSense systems are similar to the RowSense system that has been available for corn heads since 2008.  These systems compliment the traditional AutoTrac and shifts the line over where the planter may have drifted going through the field.  The Vision system is used for emerged corn at least 6 inches tall and uses a camera to differentiate the crop from the soil.  The RowSense system is used for canopied corn and uses feelers mounted on the inside of the front two wheels.  These systems use one common harness and controller but the camera and feelers can both be ordered or you have the option of ordering just one system.  For example, you could install the Vision system and then order the RowSense feelers at a later time.  The Vision and RowSense systems are only available for the 4 Series sprayers.  These systems are currently only approved for use in straight track corn on 30 in spacing with a 2 degree slope or less, but more testing is being done.  The base hardware kit that includes the controller and wiring harness is $1270 and then the Vision camera is $4730.  The optional RowSense feelers are an additional $1530.  A RowSense activation is also required if you don’t already have one.

AutoTrac Vision Camera

AutoTrac Vision Camera

Sloan Support is written by the product support team at Sloan Implement, a 20 location John Deere dealer in Illinois and Wisconsin.  Learn more at www.sloans.com

 

 

 

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