I put together my first AgOpen autosteer system over the winter and used it this spring on a JD 7400 that we use to plant 175 acres of corn and soybeans with, and pull a sprayer behind. I’m really happy with the way the system turned out and the performance was better than I expected. the only couple issues i had was one morning i couldn’t get a consistent GPS signal, which ended up being my antenna cable was coming loose from the F9P, and one morning the tractor just started weaving unexplainably. I eventually just reset all the steer settings and then entered them again (all the same values) and it worked fine again. I’m not sure what that was all about. After seeing it in action, my dad wants me to put together a system for his JD 7830 that he uses for tillage and spreading fertilizer, so I guess I better get started on that.
I used the version 4.5 micro PCB, a Phidgets motor, and the Land Rover WAS. The steering motor was mounted using the quick attach motor bracket mounted to a plate and some aluminum bars that clamp around the steering column. I wasn’t thrilled about clamping it to the plastic shroud on the steering column, but it has held up fine so far. The WAS I mounted to a bolt on the front axle housing using a bent metal bracket, and attached the other end to the tie rod using a clamp i machined from aluminum. I had originally had a 3D printed clamp which was working ok but I was concerned how it would hold up with use. All the files I have for the mounts and clamp are here:
Onshape
I used the universal gear set and ended up going to a 13 tooth motor gear to get some tension on the gears. The clearance between the motor and the dash prevented me from just moving the motor closer. The file for the 13 tooth gear, along with a configurable gear model, can be found here:
For the electrical, I 3D printed an enclosure to house a fuse panel, a relay for the steer motor, a 12v outlet for the tablet charger, and a switch to turn the system on and off. The 12v to 24v convertor is mounted to the front of the enclosure.
Mounting of Phidgets steering motor
Mounting of wheel angle sensor
Mounting of electrical components
This was planted with a 6 row planter using a boundary curve
