Three tractor drivers on automatic headland turning

08-10 | Autonomous/semi-autosteering systems | Article

The Valtra T214 of Jannick van Benthem in Marknesse (Fl.) turns automatically during drag-hose fertilization. The tractor driver has his hands free to perform other tasks, such as controlling the manure pump. - Photos: Mark Pasveer

Tractor manufacturers are developing features to make working with a tractor easier for the driver. Automatic turning on the headland is one such feature. But do tractor drivers actually use this function in practice? For what purposes? And what does it offer? Future Farming asked three Dutch drivers.

Tractor drivers already make extensive use of features like automatic shifting and automatic straight-line driving. Tractor manufacturers have gone further and developed the possibility of automatic turning on the headland. Is this a useful feature? Future Farming spoke with drivers who use this option for cultivation, potato planting, and drag-hose fertilization.

Binck Smit: Higher accuracy and time and fuel savings

Tractor driver Binck Smit owns an arable and contract farming business. In the fall of 2023, Smit delved into the automatic headland turning feature. This feature is on his Case IH Rowtrac 380 CVX. He had to cultivate a large field with the tractor, and automatic turning on the headland seemed convenient.

“Once you understand how the function works, it’s not that difficult. It just takes time to figure out,” Smit recalls. “When the tractor is almost at the end of a field, the cultivator rises, and the speed decreases. Then the tractor automatically turns on the headland. Afterward, the cultivator goes back down, and the speed increases again. It’s purely user-friendly. Everything happens automatically, and you have your hands free,” Smit explains.

The benefits he experiences are higher accuracy and time and fuel savings. “If you have large blocks of land and need to perform soil work or seeding or hoeing, it’s a useful feature,” Smit thinks. On smaller plots, it doesn’t seem convenient to him due to the long setup time.

Advantages of automatic turning

Efficiency: By automatically turning the tractor and implement on the headland, you can work more precisely and efficiently. The driver no longer needs to touch the steering wheel, brake, accelerate, or make an extra maneuver. This results in fuel and time savings.
Accuracy: The system can precisely calculate the curve and the turning point. In precision farming, this is important because every centimeter counts.
Less tiring: Manually turning on the headland is tiring for the driver due to the many repetitions. Since this action happens automatically, it is less exhausting over a long workday. It improves ease of use, and the driver can focus on other tasks.
No overlap: The automatic system performs the same movement every time. Driving over the same piece of land again is a thing of the past. Overlap is no longer an issue, and the risk of soil compaction decreases.

Kevin Bakker: Straight in line, but setting up takes a lot of time

Tractor driver Kevin Bakker, together with his father, runs an arable farm. Bakker drives four John Deeres. For planting potatoes, he has used the automatic headland turning function on his tractor since the spring of 2023.

He wants to be perfectly aligned when planting the potatoes, and he succeeds. When Bakker exits the headland, his tractor and planter are aligned perfectly. The raising and lowering of the planter happens automatically. The result: very neat work.

The potato planter has section control. So, the planter turns off at the end of the row, goes up, turns with the John Deere on the headland, goes down, and then starts planting again. This all happens automatically.
Bakker wants the work to be done neatly. He absolutely does not want wavy planting lines. High precision and time savings are the big advantages he sees. A little less soil compaction also plays a role. The reason: you only make one turn. With the tractor and implement, you no longer need to make extra moves.

One disadvantage is that setting it up takes quite a bit of time, about 30 minutes. On large fields, it brings labor convenience, time savings, and less soil compaction. On smaller fields, he doubts whether the function is worthwhile.

Disadvantages of automatic turning

Long setup time: Setting up automatic turning takes an average of 30 minutes. You have to enter the field boundaries, the width of the tractor and implement, and the tire size.
Not interesting for small fields: When you need to cultivate, sow, plant, or hoe on a large field, the time investment of setting up offers benefits. On small fields, it takes more time than it delivers.
Obstacles: A field may contain obstacles like trees, power poles, wind turbines, or a water puddle. The driver must then intervene. So the driver’s eye is still needed.

Jannick van Benthem: The driver’s eye is always needed

Tractor driver Jannick van Benthem drives a Valtra T214 and a drag-hose manure injector. Van Benthem has been working with automatic turning since February 2024. Tractor and injector create the same track every time. This prevents overlap. Moreover, Van Benthem has his hands free for functions like controlling the manure pump and monitoring the drag hose.

Time savings and less soil compaction are the advantages for the tractor driver. However, he emphasizes that the driver must remain alert. There could always be a tree, power pole, or wind turbine in the field, or there could be a puddle of water. The driver’s eye is certainly needed to intervene if necessary.

In short, automatic turning on the headland is a handy feature for working on large fields. But don’t forget that the driver’s eye will always be needed to intervene when necessary.