John Deere's AutoTrac Turn Automation system guides combines through field turns automatically. The video walks through hardware setup, boundary configuration, and turn type options to cut operator workload during harvest.
What if we told you that your combine can make an accurate and repeatable turn on its own at the end of each pass through the field during harvest without operator input? With AutoTrac Turn Automation, you can do just that. In this video we will demonstrate how to set up and use AutoTrac turn automation, otherwise known as ATTA, on your combine for the first time. Or if you simply need a refresher at the start of the harvest season, this is the resource for you. ATTA makes operating a combine simpler and more enjoyable for operators of any skill level by automating a tedious task, eliminating round the clock decision making as you harvest. No longer are the days of counting rows and hoping you've accounted for every one of them, especially in low visibility conditions. To get started with atta, there are seven key hardware and software components required and two that are highly recommended. Required are a John Deere combine model year 12 or newer. Contact your dealer for more detailed information in combine compatibility, a G5 or Gen4 display with a version 2 processor, a Starfire receiver with SF3RTK or SF RTK, a G5 advanced license or automation 4.0 subscription, a driven field boundary, a headland boundary, and finally a Autopath or Autotrack straight tracks. Highly recommended are an R or M modem with JDLink and an operation center account. To get started, ensure all appropriate automation components are turned on. This includes Auto Track and Turn Automation Pro tip. If it's not already, move the ATTA app to your shortcut bar at the bottom of the display for quick and easy access to turn automation settings. As you utilize this technology. When you turn on atta, you may notice an orange indicator light that says Not Ready. If you click on this indicator, it will display a window shade that shows what steps still need to be completed before you can utilize atta, two of those being a field and headland boundary. The field boundary and customer defined headland boundary are the products reference points and what triggers the automated turn. So it's extremely important that these two requirements are set up correctly. Lets quickly walk through how to do this on the display. As previously mentioned, you will need to use autotrac or autopath guidance lines to take advantage of ATTA during your harvest operation. You will also need an accurate driven boundary loaded. You can do this by navigating within the menu to applications to field and boundaries and a boundary for that client farm and field should appear on the display that can be used for this harvesting operation. For more details on how to create a driven boundary to use advanced guidance in automation products, visit the link in the video description below. Once you've identified and selected your active boundary, you will need to input dimensions to indicate where the headland is. The headland is the area where turns occur at the end of each pass. You will do this by clicking on the field boundary and selecting the yellow pencil icon. From there you will choose how you would like to define your headland from the menu of two options. First is a constant offset which creates a headland boundary the same distance away from and all the way around the entire field boundary. Or you can use a top and bottom offset which creates a headland on two ends of the field the same distance away from the field boundary. Ensure your headland is large enough to complete a turn. The headland size is your track spacing times number of passes. 40 foot track spacing times two passes equals an 80 foot headland. Once you've input your headland dimensions, make sure to save your headland boundary and click ok. Headland boundaries are displayed with dashed yellow lines on the field map. Once you've successfully turned all automation components on and accurately defined your field and headland boundaries, you're ready to plan your automated turns. As a combine operator you must indicate the turn type that you would like to execute. To do this you'll have to navigate to the Turn automation application where you will be presented with a menu of three options to choose from, the first being a U turn which is simply a 180 degree turn into the next pass. Operators have the option to choose their turn direction right or left and add a skip pass if they would like to work within a smaller headland area. Next, spiral out where the combine cuts through the middle of a defined area of land, making left hand turns in a spiral out pattern until all identified rows have been harvested. This is a common pattern for a high yielding crop harvest as it enables unloading on the go by ensuring the auger is always over harvested land. The last option is spiral in, which is similar to spiral out in the sense that a combine will harvest a defined area of the field, but this time starting the pattern on the outermost rows on the left hand side of the defined land, making right hand turns inward until all identified rows have been harvested. Once the turn type is selected, the ATTA indicator light should turn green which indicates you are ready to begin utilizing turn automation. If you navigate back to your map run page, you can check your work and alter as needed. Within this screen you can preview your plan. You can also change your turn type from this run page by clicking the Turn type icon toward the right hand side of the display screen. Again, you can choose between a U turn or spiral out or spiral in turn pattern. If you need to change the turn direction, you have the option to switch between a right or left turn if you double click the arrow in the desired turn direction. This will allow you to add a Skip pass. Here you can input the number of guidance lines you would like to skip with each pass. Once you're happy with your guidance plan and corresponding automated turns, simply select your desired gear on the combine, hit the autotrac resume button, and you're off to the races. Autotrac turn automation improves harvesting accuracy Pass after pass allows you to work at a more consistent pace over a longer period of time, which reduces hands on requirements and stress on the operator. We know Harvest can be demanding. Make it more enjoyable with Atta. Thanks for watching.
