Rowsense

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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Sloan Support Weekly Recap August 8, 2016

by the AMS Product Support Team

Traveled over a large portion of the corn belt the last week of July and the corn and soybean crop overall looks good from Central Illinois all the way to Central Ohio.  Of course, there are a few pockets here and there that have had their share of challenges but overall I think we are going to have a large crop.  Probably not news to anyone but brought a little bit more meaning to the market reports when you see if for yourself.

John Deere has announced their fall software update for all Greenstar equipment.  Make sure that you get this completed before you head to the field.  You can find the update on www.stellarsupport.com or bring your displays and receivers into your local Sloan Implement location and we will do the update for you for free.  You might have to leave them over night, as we are getting several units in and the update can take about 15-45 minutes to complete depending on your model.

Make sure you have your variety locator files setup in Apex and have reloaded your setup data into your display with the correct machine models.  Here’s a blog post with instructions for setting up variety locator in Apex.

If you were one of the unlucky ones that had some wind in your area that pushed the corn down, John Deere Rowsense works really well in these situations.  As long as you can get the snouts under the stalk you should have pretty good success in picking up the corn and staying on the row.  Let us know if we can help set you up with a system of evaluate a field to see if Rowsense would be a good fit.   You can learn more about JD Rowsense Here.

Deere Rowsense Feelers

Deere Rowsense Feelers

Our service departments are still very busy getting customer machines ready to go for fall.  If you have some last minute service items to get repaired, don’t wait as the line is getting long.

Our call center will be back to our seasonal hours on the Tuesday after labor day.  We will again have 3 analysts every day that will be taking your AMS equipment questions from 7-6 Monday – Friday and from 7-3 on Saturday.  This is a free service to our customers.  We will again have our after hours option for the call center.  These hours are 6-9 pm Monday – Friday, 3-6 on Saturday, and Noon to 5 on Sunday.  This service has a $50 fee that is passed directly to the analyst taking your call.

Check out our Sloan 12F folding corn head conversion video at http://www.sloans.com/12f .  We have converted some used 12 row non-chopping heads to a folding corn head that will work on about any late model John Deere combine.  It folds or unfolds in about 35 seconds.

Sloan 12F Folding Cornhead

Sloan 12F Folding Cornhead

 

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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Sloan Support Weekly Recap July 18, 2016

by the AMS Product Support Team

The wheat crop is being harvested in Northern Illinois and Wisconsin.    Wheat yield have been really good.  We have heard this from many areas including the wheat belt out West.  Damp conditions have slowed it a bit, but the rains are certainly welcome with the forecast of extreme heat that is on the way.

Some of the storms have led to some corn crop damage from wind and hail.  This has peaked some interest in drones as customers and insurance agents are interested in surveying the damage in a more efficient manner.   You can learn more about our drone packages here.   It has also spiked some interest in rowsense autotrac steering systems to help harvest the tangled crop.  Soybeans overall appear to be very good.

The Sloan 12F folding corn heads are also generating quite a bit of conversation as customers look for ways to reduce needed manpower by leaving the header on the combine for transport.  We are starting to see some of these heads roll out of manufacturing and hopefully will have some for show and tell at our local combine clinics late this summer.  You can learn more about the Sloan 12F here.

Sloan 12F Folding Cornhead

Sloan 12F Folding Cornhead

Exactemerge planters and retrofits were very hot topics these last few weeks as the planter program deadline was approaching quickly.  We had several customers update their existing planters as well as purchase new.  This technology is really gaining traction.  Not just for the increased acres per day, but also for the incredible spacing.  You can learn more about these retrofit kits here.

Jared and Austin have been pumping out the data folders for customers this past week.  If anyone has not brought in their data for processing, please do so soon so we will have you set up and ready to roll for fall harvest.

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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RTK Stations & Rowsense Tips

by Joe Brunker, Monroe, WI

Blue Mounds, WI

Platteville Mound

Phil Loduha

We installed a new RTK base station in Wiota, WI this past week. The 24 hours survey is complete and it’s ready to use. Contact us if you are interested in using this base’s frequency.

Wheat Drilled with AT and 15' drill

Things have been going pretty smoothly with many guys wrapping up soybeans. We’ve been getting some calls on rowsense as people are switching over to corn. First of all, check your rowsense feelers and make sure the slop is adjusted out of them. Next, if you have a lot of hills and contours try turning up your steering sensitivity (140 has been working well for a lot of guys). If you are still having issues, give us a call and we can take a look at it.

I installed Active Implement guidance on a Steiger 600 with an external SCV and Protrakker drawbar hitch for pulling a 2510H this week. It was working very well.

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AMS Expo, S Series Combine Updates, and Rowsense for Forage Harvesters

by Joe Brunker, Monroe, WI

Last week, we spent a couple days in Atwood, IL helping with technician training and the customer AMS Expo. This week we will be in Litchfield for the customer expo on Thursday Aug 7th. Northern customers should mark their calendars for Thursday, August 28th in Belmont, WI. We are combining our fall AMS classes and our combine clinic together with some new items to change it up a bit this year. We hope to see you there!

Most of the area was working on 3+ weeks of no rain until Monday night. Widespread rain caught most of the area with anywhere from .3” to over 4” of rain. At the store in Monroe, I dumped out 2.4” Tuesday morning. At our place near Barneveld we had just under 1”. The corn was starting to fire up the stalk when I headed to IL last week and it changed for the worse while I was gone for a couple days. Beans were also showing stress especially on the lighter ground. The Field Connect moisture probes have also being showing the need for rain as the irrigation pivots were getting to the point where they could no longer keep up. There were days where the daily moisture change throughout the probe was negative .30-.40”. Our top end yield got dinged some over the last couple of weeks, but overall the crop still looks pretty good and this rain should really help fill out the corn and beans. There are still a few wheat fields out there to harvest. Some customers working on some 3rd crop hay while others maybe starting their 4th cutting in 10 days or so. The demo W235 will be around Monroe for the next week before moving up to the Mt. Horeb area. Give us a call if you are in either area and want to give it a try!

John Deere just released their 4th quarter programs. The following retail bonuses are in place until the end of October: $250 off GS3 rowsense activation, $500 off machine sync radio, $500 off machine sync activation and $500 a field installed JDLink MTG with Remote Display Access. I know we’ve priced some rowsense and JDLink installs for Wireless Data Transfer, so now would be a good time to buy either if you’ve been on the fence.

We installed a set of rowsense feelers on a Self Propelled Forage Harvester (SPFH) last week. Unlike rowsense for combines, the SPFH’s do not require a rowsense activation to run and they can also run without a display or GPS.

SPFH with Rowsense

SPFH with Rowsense

Rowsense Feeler on rotary head

Rowsense Feeler on rotary head

Model year 2014 combines with Final Tier 4 engines will have a new feature on them called Interactive Combine Adjust (ICA).  This allows the operator to select an area that they would like to improve (Grain Quality, Grain Loss or Straw Quality). The combine will then walk the operator through possible adjustments and make them for the operator when possible (like closing the sieve). At the end, you will be able to see a before and after shot of your grain loss monitor to see if the condition improved. It should be a neat feature to try out this fall. Just like any other combine adjustment, it’s highly recommended that you only make one adjustment at a time, so you can pinpoint whether it ended up helping or hurting the situation.

Interactive Combine Adjust (ICA)

Interactive Combine Adjust (ICA)

Speaking of grain loss monitors, model year 14 combines will also throw a new code at you if you have not calibrated your grain loss monitor yet.

Grain Loss Calibration Code

Grain Loss Calibration Code

After you properly set your combine, you will need to follow the following steps to calibrate your grain loss monitor:

Main Menu (bottom RH corner)

Combine Icon

H- Set-up Icon (dot with an arrow pointing at it)

G- Set-up Crop

Press the triangle calibration button (found beside the vision trak cal value) while harvesting at your normal ground speed and engine load. You should then see that value change.

 

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Lanark RTK Base Station Lightning Strike, Rowsense, and Combine Inspections

by Josh Zuck, Lanark, IL 

We had had a lot of rain the last few days in Northern IL. We also have had a few bad storms with strong winds and a couple of tornados. With the strong winds, comes down corn. There are quite a few fields that got flattened with the winds. Corn has been looking great lately with the rain and warmer weather.

We had the Lanark RTK base station get struck by lightning and have had to replace everything. We are still waiting on a certified climber to replace the antenna. Since it is on an actual structure tower and not a grain leg, we have a climber come and install the antenna and coax. I am just glad it did it in the off season and not in the middle of spring. We do carry enough items on hand to get it back up and going in the matter of hours on an emergency basis. We also have other towers that cover the same areas also. Also don’t forget with the 450 mhz radio’s and the SF3000 receiver you also get 14 days of SF2 fallback which is a Deere exclusive perk.

With the down corn this year, it would be a good time to think Rowsense. Rowsense is for combines that are picking corn. There are feelers that go in the corn head and activation in the GS3 or GS2. Rowsense isn’t only for combines with integrated Autotrac, there are also platform kits for non integrated AutoTrac combines that can run an ATU. If you are interested in Rowsense, contact any of the Sloan’s AMS specialist for pricing and see if you have an approved platform.

Down corn near Montfort, WI

Down corn near Montfort, WI 6/30/14

Now is a good time to be getting your combine in for service inspections. We will check your entire combine over front to rear and give you a detailed quote on the repairs that are needed. That way when you head to the field this year, your combine will be in top notch shape with minimal down time. Contact your local Sloan’s Service Manager for details.

I would also like to take this time to announce a new AMS specialist for the Northern Sloan’s Stores. Austin Shellhause has joined the AMS team. Austin is from Lanark and will be working out of the Lanark store and will also be traveling and helping out the other stores also. He graduated this spring from UW Platteville with an Ag Business degree.

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