GPS systems

[zep]

Am considering buying a GPS system for spraying and seeding. Would appreciate any feedback on which ones are good and which ones to stay away from. Thanx in advance for any feedback.

[shamrock]

Check out the site www.ez-guide.com. In my opinion it is the best bang for your buck. The only unit I would personaly stay away from is the Outback.
Dan

[raymondb]

What are the problems with Outback--I was considering purchasing the Outback but now you have my ears sticking straight up.

[countryguy]

Other than slight innacuracy on sidehills,there's nothing wrong with the outback.I bought one last year and it worked great for me.

[zep]

shamrock, I would be interested to hear what you know about the Outback also. Since posting this question I have talked to a few people that own Outback's along with other systems and have heard nothing but positive comments. Thanx.

[shamrock]

My concern has more to do with whether the company will be around for very long or not. They are essentialy built by CSI out of Calgary, and CSI has been losing money for quite a while. So my concern would be, are you going to be buying a unit that has a dead end future.

[seedsman]

Depends how accurate you want to be. I bought a Trimble light bar a year ago and used it for some spraying, harrowing, rolling, starting fields parallel to the road, etc. I found it tiring watching lights all day, compared to the markers I have on my air drill.
With the light bar, the tractor is already 6-8 inches off the mark before it shows on the lights. By the time I see it, I may be off 8-10 inches. By the time I react, and turn the wheel, I'm 10-12 inches off the mark. Then I correct, probably over correct, and before I know it, I'm 6 inches off on the other side. This is more of a problem if the field is not smooth.

I just took delivery of my Timble EZ-Steer system today. With the EZ-Steer demo we did, I almost never saw 1 of the lights come on to show that I was off the mark.

Adding the EZ-Steer barely doubles the price, but I think you get much more bang for the buck with the steering system than you do with a visual guidance system. It should double your accuracy as well as eliminate the stress of steering.

[shamrock]

As for your lights not telling you soon enough, it is because you do not have the look ahead set high enough. You are are travelling up to 6mph you should have a 1 sec look ahead if you go up to 15mph you should have a 2sec look ahead and if you go any faster you should have a 3 sec look ahead. What this does is tells you where you are going to be, not where you are, which is the important part anyway.

[shamrock]

Another point I missed is that you can also set how sensitive your lights are. You can set the spacing down to 3 inches if you like.

[seedsman]

If I'm traveling 6 mph on a field that is not smooth, and the lights set at 3 inches, and the look ahead set for whatever it should be, the lights just move around too much for my comfort. This is especially true for the tall 2 wheel drive tractor with single tires set at narrow row spacing that I do most of my spraying with.
The Outback display may be easier to follow, since it has the "look ahead" lights as well. However, the last time I checked with the Outback dealer, he said they were not working on anything except units using the WAAS signal. So if WAAS isn't accurate enough, or drifts too much for your liking, you can't upgrade to a better signal like you can with JD or Trimble (and maybe some others)

[shamrock]

You mention you have your lights set at 3 inches, I don't know very many people who run below 6, that will make your lights jump around alot.

[shamrock]

Seedsman, don't get me wrong, I agree that going to the complete steering is the way to go. The two favorites I have are the Accutrak and the EZ-Steer.
I only use the EZ-Steer in my pickup for pulling a Valmar and then I have Accutrak in my Tractor, Sprayer, Swather, and Combines.

[rockhound]

Zep I have both the trimble and the outback. I only use the trimble for pre-seed burn in the sprayer, once I'm done seeding I move the outback to the sprayer. I find the outback easier to operate and the light bar is easier to follow.

[seedsman]

Happy St. Patrick's Day to Shamrock! Just curious about your EZ-Steer, using it in your pickup. How long have you had it? I was told that they were only released from the factory last week.

[shamrock]

The EZ Steer Demo version was released earlier to the dealers and the full version was released just a couple of weeks ago. So, yes I only have limited experience with it.