Topcon System 150 and AES steering: Soon after investing in a simple auto guidance package, many users often wish their initial plans had also included provision to upgrade. Here we look at how one entry-level terminal now builds into a highly sophisticated system. Mick Roberts reports
Guidance is usually the first toe-dip most farms make into the pool of precision farming. But, quite quickly, owners and operators often wish they had been a little bolder with their initial purchase and opted for assisted- or even full autosteer in the first place.
After realising gains from matching up mower bouts, improving their spraying accuracy outside tramlines and reducing cultivation overlaps, the trend is for operators and owners to soon start seeking more functions. Ask any users that have upgraded to assisted- or full auto-steering whether they would ever return to manual guidance, and the expression on their face will leave you in absolutely no doubt as to their answer. ‘Incredulity’ probably best sums it up.
The difficulty for buyers, however, is the first kit purchase is always going to be the hardest, because it’s a decision made without any experience of the technology
