Winter is Coming! Don't Forget to Properly Store Your GPS and Guidance Products!

November is here and for most of the country that means seasons are changing and the time for field work to wind down and machinery to be stored for winter has come.  If you are like me and in a part of the world where it feels like summer is never ending, GPS storage may be the last thing on your mind.  For those of you who actually get to experience seasonal changes there is a proper way to store GPS equipment during the winter.  I am here to take some time to remind all of our dealers and customers of that process.

It is true GPS equipment, especially receivers, are designed to be weather resistant.   However, if your equipment will be stored for an extended period of time, it is recommended that you remove the hardware and take it to a more protected environment.

When the receivers and other equipment are removed, it is also advised to dock the cabling so it is not exposed to the elements.  In the case of the ParaDyme roof module, use the provided dummy connectors on the roof rail.  If you have one of our other receivers it is best to remove the cable from the roof and store it in the cab. This will help prevent water and dust from entering the cable ends possibly damaging or allowing corrosion to take effect.  Removing the cable can sometimes be difficult.  If this is your case wrapping the end in electrical tape will also do the trick.

We also recommend removing displays and the combine grain flow sensor from the combine in the fall.  This helps preserve the integrity of displays as well as prevents rodents from snacking on the potting material in the flow sensor.  Kati Nolting’s blog from our Harvest and Hardware department will detail how to store displays, flow sensors and harvest modules.

If you have any questions about this or any other subject please do not hesitate to call our tech support line at 515-232-5363. We are happy to help you in any way we can.