Timing Is Everything When It Comes to Grain Cart Operation
During the busy harvest season, the last thing you want to see is a combine sitting with a full grain tank because of mistakes made by the grain cart operator.
Unfortunately, all too often, farmers encounter:
- Difficulty finding qualified grain cart operators
- Problems communicating with the grain cart operator
- Grain cart operator not understanding which part of the field to be in or how to get there
- Harvest delays due to inefficient grain cart operation
- And the most obvious—grain unloaded onto the ground instead of into the grain cart
Introducing CartACE™
As farmers know, operating the grain cart is a role that requires experience and the ability to perform under pressure. It’s becoming more and more difficult to find qualified operators to fill critical roles in farming operations, including grain cart driving.
To help alleviate a shortage in experienced grain cart operators, Ag Leader has announced a limited beta release of CartACE, a new grain cart connectivity feature.
“This new feature provides assistance to the grain cart operator to make unloading-on-the-go an easier and less fatiguing process,” says Ag Leader Product Manager Joe Holoubek.
CartACE, which is powered by Ag Leader’s industry-leading InCommand display, simplifies the grain cart operator’s job.
“It takes a certain level of expertise to operate a grain cart,” says Holoubek. “We’re approaching this problem in a practical and economical way that we believe many of our customers could easily adopt and benefit from.”
“We aim to turn what might be an average vehicle driver into a skilled grain cart operator by providing the right tools and assistance during high stress and high error-prone harvest tasks,” Holoubek says.
How CartACE Works
CartACE begins with InCommand displays installed in the combine and grain cart tractor.
“This new feature simplifies the grain cart operator’s job by sharing a live map of the combine’s progress and location on the InCommand display,” says Holoubek.
“This helps the grain cart operator to literally see when and where the combine needs to unload and which part of the field has already been harvested,” he continues.
Then the InCommand display in the grain cart automatically generates a guidance line alongside the combine.
“The operator simply presses a button to engage autosteer,” says Holoubek. “While the operator is still responsible for operating the vehicle safely, they can now focus their attention on unloading the grain.”
The CartACE Connection
Holoubek explains that CartACE is an affordable solution to the grain cart operation challenge farmers face, using technology that’s already in the cab.
“Connecting the operation and automating some critical tasks enables operators and machines to work better together, along with providing a huge boost in productivity,” he says.
“We believe this is an important step toward the future of farming that most operations can take advantage of today—without a large investment or venturing too far outside their comfort zones,” Holoubek says.
Ag Leader will issue a limited beta release of CartACE in the fall of 2019.