HeadlandControl for ZA-TS

Optimum lateral distribution on the headland

Thanks to the automatic GPS-Switch control, the fertiliser spreader automatically switches on and off very precisely at the headland or in wedge-shaped fields. In combination with GPS-Switch, the so-called SwitchPoint offers the possibility to ideally adjust the switch-on and switch-off points depending on the fertiliser and the working width. The so-called SwitchOn-Point is the point where the fertiliser spreader comes on. Especially at large working widths, the switch-on point is already far beyond the headland and out into the crop. The SwitchOff-Point is the point where the spreader switches off and describes the point at which the spread fan, which is thrown-back behind the machine, meets the previously spread headland area with corresponding overlap. As soon as the switch-off point is reached, the spreader switches off automatically. The values for the switch-on point and the switch-off point are configured in advance on the terminal depending on the fertiliser and can be optimised independently of each other.

Under certain circumstances, however, the switch-off point may be behind the headland tramline so that it would actually have to be driven beyond the tramline in order for the spreader to switch off in an ideal manner. Since this is often not done in practice, small zones of over-fertilisation and under-fertilisation can arise when turning into the headland. If the driver turns before the actual switch-off point is reached, the spread fan behind the machine is swivelled sideways. In this way, over-fertilised areas appear on one side and under-fertilised areas on the other side.

The solution is as easy as it is ingenious
An additional button in the working menu of the ISOBUS terminal activates the HeadlandControl function. This function is only used where tramlines meet headland. While spreading on the headland, the outside disc performs a border spreading function, while the HeadlandControl function is carried out in parallel using the field-side spreading disc. Here, the delivery point is rotated outwards so that the spread fan of the field-side spreading disc can drawn further into the crop. The spread headland is therefore increased to the field-side whereby the SwitchOff-Point can be placed in front of the corresponding headland tramline. By this measure, the spreader switches off before reaching the headland tramline and the associated steering of the tractor.

Part-width section control perfected
In addition, the part-width section control is further optimised and the spread pattern adapted. This is because the spread pattern does not cut off at the position of the spreading discs in the outer area, but the fertiliser there is also thrown forward. When the spreader arrives at the headland, the outer part-width sections are switched off first followed by the inner ones. When leaving the headland, the outer and then the inner part-width sections are switched on. In the case of ZA-TS, this can be performed in a very tight tolerance with up to 128 automatic part-width sections.

The combination of HeadlandControl and the new part-width section control leads to an optimised distribution on the headland.

Thanks to this visualisation, the user can easily track the switching behaviour of the spreader. This new switching logic in GPS-Switch is visualised to the driver on both AmaTron 4 and AmaTron Twin.