Auto-Guide steers Challenger MT600B tractors through 21st century

The Auto-Guide satellite-based steering system, which has already proven invaluable to countless MT700B and MT800B Series track tractor owners, can now be ordered as a dealer installed option on Challenger MT600B wheel tractors. Developed by AGCO Global Technologies (GTA), the Auto-Guide system adds greater value to the many features that are already standard on the MT600B models, including the Power Performance III system, TechStar CVT (continuously variable transmission) and Endurance engine with Electronic Engine Management.

"Like the TechStar CVT, Auto-Guide is one of those features that provides an immediate return on the investment," says Adrian Crisp, general marketing manager for Challenger high-horsepower wheel tractors. "First of all, Auto-Guide enables the operator to virtually eliminate skips and overlaps, thus eliminating guess rows and reducing input costs for labor, chemicals and seed.

"In many cases, the tractor can also be operated more accurately at higher speeds, even at night or in poor visibility conditions," Crisp adds. "That translates into more acres per day at less cost per acre. Field trials involving discing and ripping have shown as much as a 53% increase in acres per hour and up to a 32% reduction in fuel cost per acre."

Finally, Auto-Guide has proven to reduce operator fatigue and increase job quality, because the operator doesn't have to concentrate on steering, mechanical markers, lightbars or foam markers, but, rather, can focus on the equipment and the operation. Most importantly, Auto-Guide has recently been redesigned to not only follow parallel waylines, but to follow contours and negotiate concentric circles under center-pivot irrigation. Thanks to a 3-Axis Dynamic Measuring Unit (DMU), Auto-Guide compensates for complex slopes in the field.

According to Barry O'Shea, sales engineer for Challenger wheel tractors, the complete Auto-Guide system consists of an Auto-Guide Ready kit, a cab-roof mounted TopDock unit and an in-cab Auto-Guide terminal. The TopDock houses the DMU, the global positioning system (GPS) antenna and steering controller/receiver. Once the system is installed, only the Auto-Guide Ready kit becomes a permanent fixture, since it contains the vehicle interface unit, sensors and hydraulics, cabling and brackets. The Auto-Guide terminal and TopDock can be moved between other Auto-Guide Ready products from Challenger and AGCO Corporation.

"Unlike most satellite-based steering systems, the versatility of Auto-Guide also lets customers adopt a stepped approach and upgrade to a higher level of accuracy without having to replace existing hardware," O'Shea relates. "The standard system offers sub-meter accuracy to within 10 inches (25 cm) using the free Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) or the fee-based OmniSTAR VBS correction signal. If the goal is to reduce skips and overlaps in an effort to save input and reduce costs, these options may be sufficient.

"However, if your operation incorporates banded applications, zone tillage or other operations that require better pass-to-pass accuracy, then centimeter or decimeter accuracy may be more appropriate," he adds.

Changing from sub-meter accuracy to decimeter systems, which provides accuracy to within two inches (5 cm), requires only an upgrade in software and subscription to OmniSTAR HP (High Performance) service. A second option is the installation of an FM data radio receiver and a tripod-mounted, portable local base station. Centimeter accuracy, which limits variance to less than an inch, requires an additional software upgrade, installation of an FM data radio receiver and the addition of a portable, local base station.