Greater operating efficiency and higher productivity

Learn more about HxGN AgrOn Auto Steering

01 October 2019

In the field, auto steering is already part of the routine of practically all large and medium-sized agricultural enterprises. They drive machines and implements with precision that would be impossible to a human driver, assisting with the increased competitiveness of Brazilian agribusiness in the international market. The product is used from end to end in agricultural processes, but it is in planting that the automatic steering has its greatest function, ensuring maximum efficiency in all operations.

Guided by satellite by means of an antenna installed on the tractor, HxGN AgrOn Auto Steering supports the navigation of tractors, machines and agricultural and forestry implements, and ensures the alignment of routes with an accuracy of up to 2 centimetres. The brand is a global benchmark in sensors, software and autonomous solutions. The route can be planned directly from the office. Therefore, it is possible to maximise field resources, significantly decrease soil compaction and increase production times.

The auto steering used in Brazilian agriculture do not differ from the technology applied in other countries. The level of innovation is the same. This is guaranteed by Adriano Naspolini, CTO of Hexagon's Agriculture division. The company, which is headquartered in Florianópolis (SC), is one of the few that produces the solution totally in Brazil, exporting to 38 countries. "The AgrOn Auto Steering, as well as all the solutions that we sell in the Brazilian market, is the same product that we sell abroad," says the executive.

AgrOn Auto Steering consists of a display (Ti5 or Ti7) compatible with different brands, an actuator, a drive and an antenna. The product has three drive models: electric, hydraulic and steer ready. In the electric model, it is possible to change the tractor's steering wheel for another one that directs the machine. In this case, it is possible to change the equipment between machines and tractors. The hydraulic model that works with the Ti7 display allows you to include all Hexagon precision farming products in a single piece of equipment. The steer ready, which is also hydraulic, is a Hexagon differential, tailor-made for machines that come ready from the factory for installation of the auto steering system.

Another major differential of AgrOn Auto Steering is the possibility of having an add-on module, Remote Access. This allows the technical team to visualise the display screen remotely and solve problems in real time, simply by connecting to the Internet. With remote maintenance, it is possible to reduce machine downtime while maintaining the pace of processes, as well as saving on travel by technicians.

Naspolini sums up the main advantages of the use of auto steering in agricultural processes in three ways: it optimises the planted area by ensuring a smaller spacing between the lines; it considerably reduces the loss of plants caused by the irregular passage of the tractor; and it makes better use of the inputs used, from the application of seeds and inputs to the fuel consumption of the machines. "The return is everything the producer seeks for their business: better performance and higher productivity and profitability," Naspolini states.