Autopilot on the farm: ‘When you don’t have to steer anymore, you can go much longer’
In the Dutch coastal town of Zoutelande, where sea air meets fields, the Wisse family runs a traditional arable farming business with an innovative twist. Jos Wisse, a fourth-generation farmer, utilises the advanced technology of an Ag Leader SteerCommand Z2 steering system with a SteadySteer motor. Future Farming delves into the impact this system has on the daily operations of Jos and his family, as well as on productivity in the fields.
The Wisse family decided ten years ago to purchase its first retrofit steering system. “We were ready to start using an autopilot”, Jos says. “Especially because we had to turn the steering wheel so much to keep going straight. That took a lot of attention. Naturally, you stop when you’re fatigued. But when you don’t have to steer anymore, you can go much longer.”
“You can accomplish more in a day and make the most of favourable conditions. Moreover, you can’t see the marking lines when it’s dark, or when there’s a lot of fog or dust. With an autopilot, you could almost check the news on your phone. Of course, you still keep an eye on your implement, and you have time for that. It’s much more relaxing, and there’s also greater precision with a steering system like this.”
The family waited a while before making the purchase. “It was mainly about money. It’s quite an investment. But we decided to do it because we expected an improvement in productivity. For example, we could hang the beet seeder behind the rotary harrow.”
“The seeding machine has been repositioned to the centre and is now attached behind the rotary harrow. This saves a separate pass for seeding. We also modified the flower seeder so it can go directly behind the rotary harrow. When seeding flowers, we also spray the soil herbicide just before the rotary harrow.”
User-friendly
Jos is very satisfied with the new auto-steering system. “The interface on the screen works very quickly. The InCommand 1200 monitor with a larger screen can operate in split screen. You can display your ISOBUS implement while simultaneously adjusting your lines, for example. The interface is easy to operate for me because I have enough technical knowledge. The interface is important because the autopilot does exactly what we set it to do.”
“This interface requires few actions before you can start driving compared to other systems. You select an implement combination, then choose a field, go to the land, and the system automatically creates a task with a characteristic. When you start the task, the system asks which lines to follow, for example, the pre-made lines you use for field spraying or fertiliser application. With the push of a button, you have your driving pattern, just as you want to work the land.”
“It’s user-friendly if you’re disciplined. If you, as a user, save your work, field boundaries, and lines, you can reuse that information. You’ll be faster the next time. But if you’re working on a new piece of land, it takes more time. You won’t manage it in an hour.”
Jos also sees an advantage in the fact that the SteerCommand works with GPS systems such as GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and BeiDou. “You’re using around 34 satellites. So, we always have plenty of satellites available, making the system more accurate.”
Working with an autopilot is significantly more efficient than manually steering a tractor, Jos emphasises. “You can drive longer, even in the dark, dust, and fog. And you can utilise the full working width of your machine. With application products, like fertiliser, you can clearly see where you’ve left off because you stop recording. You can also measure your land much better and get a clear picture of it.”
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Minimising overlap
“The section width shutoff is also better now because you can specify exactly when sections should be closed. The combination with an implement that also works on GPS is fantastic. The implement can automatically switch on and off, minimising overlap and eliminating underlap. That’s not necessarily the steering system, but the InCommand 1200 monitor from Ag Leader that controls that.”
The productivity of using seeders is also increased, Jos notes. “Our tractors have such steering capacity that we can make sharp turns. With this system, we can create very efficient driving patterns, allowing us to keep driving without having to stop. We don’t need to make any more turns. Overall, you can do more, and you put less strain on your headland.”
“My father is using it more and more. He had the idea of purchasing an autopilot, but he has a bit more difficulty with the controls. He has worked with it less, so he still needs to learn some things.”
We use the autopilot for about 90 percent of the time
In terms of comfort, there are advantages to using the autopilot, Jos observes. “You’re not stuck with your hands, so you can sit turned or look back. You can observe your crops well or focus on other tasks, like monitoring your machine. There’s better control of the implements.”
Jos doesn’t feel he’s utilising all the functions and possibilities of the autopilot. “Not even close. We use the autopilot for about 90 percent of the time. I don’t use auto-turn, but we definitely use the driving system for curves and straight lines. Moreover, the steering system follows the guidance lines very accurately. I was recently spreading fertiliser at 21 kilometres per hour over grassland with the SteadySteer, and I had a maximum deviation of 4 centimetres.”
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Correction always accurate
The Wisse family utilises the features of the interface less. “This screen has the highest processing capacity on the market. You can control three different dosing computers via ISOBUS. You can also use various varieties and control them remotely, or connect a draw sensor – the Ag Leader Optrx sensor – to your implement, for example. We don’t use those functions.”
The farm uses the steering system for spreading fertiliser (including controlling the fertiliser spreader), working the land with the rotary harrow (possibly with a seeder attached for sowing sugar beets or flowers), planting potatoes, spraying the field (with manual control), loading onions, spreading green manure, and spreading solid manure.
The system starts up quickly. After that, you can get to work fast, as long as you’ve done your homework
Crops emerge beautifully and evenly. Next year, the family also wants to mow grass for grass seed using the autopilot. “We’ll start in the dark, and the steering system will know exactly where to go. Whether it’s fog, dust, solar storms, or darkness, the steering system can simply drive.”
“The speed adjustment system is extremely precise, and we can tune things accordingly. Especially when driving over untilled land and plough slices, it’s very important to maintain the right course. The system does this well.”
The autopilot is also reliable and robust. “The correction is always accurate, and the connection to the server is always there. The nice thing about this system is that if the modem fails for any reason, you can create a hotspot with your phone, log the screen onto it, and use your phone as a modem.”
Work more hours
Overall, the family is satisfied with the steering system. “It starts up quickly. After that, you can get to work fast, as long as you’ve done your homework. Plus, you only need to set one parameter, which is very easy to find. It automatically starts recording the area as soon as you activate the autopilot. You can also colour your headland, your land, or both. Overlap and underlap can be defined separately with section control, which makes it user-friendly.”
Jos mentions one point he would improve. “It’s a detail, but it would be nice if you could change the working width and that the colouring would change accordingly. For example, if you use a 21-meter cultivator connected to ISOBUS, you could at some point decide to go to 27 metres on open land.”
“You can set it with your guidance lines, but the system will still register that 21 metres. You might be finished, but according to the system, you still have an eighth to do. And if you then attach a spreader with GPS, the system will still dose based on that 21 meters. You would want this to be adjusted automatically.”
All in all, the steering system has significantly changed the work on the farm. “There are many examples, but to mention one: you can work more hours. After the potato harvest, I usually like to sow grass because the conditions are favourable with the loose soil on top. That yields excellent results. As a result, I sometimes have to work late into the night. I can do that now…”
