Row Guidance Solution for InCommand?
A row feeler solution that works with the Ag Leader display in your combine? No, you’re not dreaming. It’s all possible with Headsight’s row guidance products. The system has actually been on the market since 2008 and it is a great pairing with Ag Leader products.
Headsight has developed and marketed a line of row guidance sensors and controllers that interface with ISOBUS Universal Terminal displays, including Ag Leader.
We talked with Ag Leader and Headsight dealer, SDG Precision Ag, Ed Pollock (EP) and Headsight representative, Rob Schlipf (RS).
How have the row feeler solutions been working out for your customers? What benefits have they seen?
EP: Good. The customers have been able to put operators in the machines with out as much experience. Enabling them to get more acres covered with fewer people and less fatigue. It also saves on crop damage, and operators can watch and perform other operations more effectively.
RS: Truesight for combines has been very well accepted by many customers and dealers – and now there are many looking for the same benefits on sprayers. There are many advantages to row guidance from ease of use to productivity. We introduced the product with the idea of making harvesting easier on the operator – and allowing them to focus their attention on other aspects of the harvest. Operators quickly appreciated not only the reduced stress, but interestingly, improved feeding in down corn. In addition, our tests show that effective row guidance can cut harvest header loss by half.
On sprayers, the primary motivators are reducing fatigue and damage to crop – allowing the operator to take full advantage of the capability of the sprayer. We have seen a noticeable increase in demand for sprayer row guidance with the increase in mid to late-season sprayer passes.
Headsight has gone on to publish their findings on the yield gains that row guidance can provide. Comparing a skilled, attentive combine operator to the performance of their Truesight system, the results can be found here: Head Loss Report.
What do your customers seem to like best about the system?
EP: The ability to watch other functions of the operation they are preforming and less fatigue. It also allows more acres to be covered in a day.
RS: At first customers are surprised with how well it works, then they realize they didn’t know the need that they had for it. Now they say they can’t harvest without it.
Which components do you need to install the complete system?
RS: It depends on the customer’s needs and how the machine is currently equipped. We offer two solutions:
Truesense is our row guidance offering which interfaces with OEM row guidance equipped combines. This kit includes the crop sensor, wiring, and interface module for each specific combine.
Truesight is a complete kit including the row guidance controller, wiring, crop sensor, and mounting brackets. The system has an ISOBUS interface to work with most Universal Terminal displays on the market.
