Retrofitting Autosteer.

It was a week ago as of yesterday, I was on my way to Builth Wells from Northampton, I think I followed you on the A422 after Arrow going towards Worcester, went over the staggered crossroads and you turned right about a mile after that. Seriously, it is impressive when you see it up close.

Ragley Home Farms, going down to Cold Comfort Farm. You should have pulled in for a chinwag, we were waiting for the manager for a while.
 

Robt

Member
Location
Suffolk
If it has you could fit a Auto track controller from John Deere & run green star on it we did this on a 3220 fastrac & it worked well but is not cheap , it plugs in to the steering hoses works off your oil on demand
I thats a hydraulic steer valve which the jcb already has. Often called a PVED valve. The merc Pete has doesn’t have that
 

Robt

Member
Location
Suffolk
it will have power assisted steering like fastrac, , or is it a bog standard old type steering box with no hyd help to steer it
It will have power assistance but with mechanical link. Your JCN has a pved valve. It’s very different. They didn’t connect electric wires to hydraulic pipes. Hence it has a steer valve
 

Robt

Member
Location
Suffolk
Auto track controller had no wires going in the steering system on the fastrac just 2 hyd hose's
So they fitted a steer valve then . In order to steer left and right proportionally they will need a valve. There can’t just have been two pipes coming out of gps screen…..
 

Speedstar

Member
Location
Scottish Borders
So they fitted a steer valve then . In order to steer left and right proportionally they will need a valve. There can’t just have been two pipes coming out of gps screen…..
had a auto track controller , wheel sensors on the track rods, & a full green star set up , pipe went in to T & when the steering was on the load sensing steered the tractor by the 2 hyd hoses
 

Woosh

Member
We have a JD Autotrac Universal Kit coming and are proposing to fit it to one of our Unimogs, I imagine the Zetros will have a similar steering set up with fixed link. We are going to mount the electric motor which drives the steering close enough to the steering column to allow the chain drive to reach. Time will tell !!
 

mf7480

Member
Mixed Farmer
I would suspect you’re going to struggle to get autotrac not to weave. Our JD’s will weave if you’re going across ploughing, the trouble being the ploughing pulls the tractor one way or the other, and in the same way a driver is, the GPS is always on the back foot of having to correct it once it’s already started shifting. The problem will probably be worsened with smaller front wheels. Don’t get me wrong, it’ll be much better than steering manually, but don’t expect arrow straight lines if you’re working on cultivated ground.
 

Clive

Staff Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lichfield
Pete - I would speak with Richard Reid at LH. - Have use them for many years now and have rarely had issues, when we have their service is good, some if our kit is over 10years old and still as good as new

this is a job where you really do get what you pay for imo
 

snipe

Member
Location
west yorkshire
I would suspect you’re going to struggle to get autotrac not to weave. Our JD’s will weave if you’re going across ploughing, the trouble being the ploughing pulls the tractor one way or the other, and in the same way a driver is, the GPS is always on the back foot of having to correct it once it’s already started shifting. The problem will probably be worsened with smaller front wheels. Don’t get me wrong, it’ll be much better than steering manually, but don’t expect arrow straight lines if you’re working on cultivated ground.
Higher speed will also make the problem worse. You won’t have noticed it on the big A as the tyres were so wide they would have spanned any troughs or cultivation lines.
 

Deerefarmer

Member
Location
USA
Guys here use agleader to steer lime trucks

I would share your concerns on the heavy steering with your agleader agent
Your power assist box that helps with the steering already should have a pressure adjustment where you can increase the amount of assistance?
 

Andrew

Never Forgotten
Honorary Member
Location
Huntingdon, UK
Anything can be autosteered if you throw enough money at it. Problem is finding someone to donit as they all want to do plug and play on new tractors.

To start with I would find try and make the steering lighter, it’s power assisted I’m guessing. Was it @Mr Happy who helped you with the spreader hydraulics, could he help.

Then you may be happy without the GPS? If you still need it, I’d ask Agleader first, for the simple reason you’re already used to it.
 

jondear

Member
Location
Devon
Aye up,

I can hardly believe I’m asking this, but what would be a rough cost to retrofit an autosteer system to my Zetros?

I really like the machine, it does and has everything I need and nothing I don’t need, it’s just the job. But I’m buggered if I can keep it straight on soft ground.

I am still driving parallel, although wiggling a bit maybe 1/2 a metre each way, which before anybody gets their knickers in a knot is fine for the products I spread, but as someone who has taken pride in the fact he can drive straight and parallel unaided for over 30 years it niggles me to see those wiggles.

The steering is quite heavy and there’s lots of feedback from tyre to steering wheel so it can be quite a handful. It’s like nothing else I’ve ever driven and I’m disappointed I’m admitting defeat, but I think customers expect top notch service and I always aim to give that.

Any ideas?

Cheers, Pete.
Lol I thought why you asking to fit it to Zetors!
 

Robt

Member
Location
Suffolk
What is this machine?
How about photo?
Never heard of Zetro tried looking up on google and had very strange reply
Similar Ish to this mr handle
B3B18D43-7817-43A0-84FF-32EC7F2D1BB7.jpeg
 

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quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

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