Automation 4.0 Activation

Producers ready to take a step toward automation in their precision ag journey are ready for the CommandCenter Automation Activation. The bundle includes all of John Deere’s precision ag applications so that they can spend more time focusing on job quality and less time operating the machine itself.

The CommandCenter Automation activation gathers all available precision ag applications into a single orderable product for the 4600 CommandCenter Display with options to upgrade from other activation levels. This approach delivers more total customer value in a way that allows producers to use the applications they want throughout the crop production cycle without the worry and expense of licensing individual precision ag applications. 

With CommandCenter Automation Activation 4.0, operators have access to the following applications:

• AutoTrac™ assisted steering system
• AutoTrac RowSense™ system
• Section Control
• In-Field Data Sharing
• AutoPath™ system
• AutoTrac Implement Guidance (passive implement guidance)
• AutoTrac Turn Automation
• Gen 4 Machine Sync

CommandCenter Automation Activation 4.0 is a non-transferrable display activation compatible with any John Deere machine equipped with a 4600 CommandCenter Display and v2 server. Functionality is dependent on machine configuration and may require additional hardware. Data created with a Gen 4 display is only compatible with John Deere Operations Center and can be transferred either wirelessly or via a USB drive with 4- to 32-GB capacity

For large row-crop producers, setting up guidance lines in standing crops is a challenge. The process is slow, and there is no guarantee that the machine will run accurately between crop rows.

 

The AutoPath system automates data from the first documented pass to address these challenges. During the first pass, a map of all rows is created. AutoPath uses this data to automatically create accurate, full-field guidance lines for secondary passes such as planting, side dress, spraying, and harvest. Setup time and crop damage is reduced, and operators know which rows to start on, regardless of equipment width.

“It used to take us 4 weeks to drill, and now we are getting it done in about 3 weeks. The only change that we’ve made is adding Turn Automation. That’s been a huge factor for us, and a huge time savings.” – Western Oregon Grass Seed Grower

 

You are human. Accurate and consistent turns are difficult to manually repeat throughout a long workday, especially when the dust kicks up and the sun goes down.

 

You are also a farmer. We understand that you are always striving to do your job better.

 

Whether you are planting, seeding, or harvesting, as the operator, you must be on top of your game all day, every day; performing various tasks at the right time and in the right place to maximize your inputs. As the hours pass and fatigue sets in, machine maneuvers and performance can become inconsistent and lead to rework or mistakes you must live with the rest of the season.

 

AutoTrac™ Turn Automation (ATTA) addresses these challenges head-on, by planning and automating precise, repeatable, and efficient turns at the end of each pass. Set up the display to fit your operation, and let ATTA go to work for you.

 

ATTA offers numerous benefits to the operator:

• The power to focus on the job at hand, making necessary adjustments and better agronomic decisions on the go
• The ability to watch the tractor/implement or combine/header more closely, allowing for proactive adjustments instead of reactive fixes
• The capacity to more diligently watch for damaging obstacles such as rocks, washouts, or holes throughout the field
• The potential to increase productivity through faster, more efficient, and smoother turns in the field’s headland, no matter who is in the operator’s seat
• BONUS: ATTA for tractors incorporates end-of-row functionality, like speed and implement control, that takes this already beneficial feature to the next level
• Operators can enjoy more hands-free time through automating a high repetition task, resulting in reduced stress levels

Every farmer wants seed and fertilizer placed as accurately as possible. With rising input costs and more practices—like strip till or inter-row seeding—requiring precision, accuracy at the implement has never been more important.

 

AutoTrac Implement Guidance helps you make the most of every input by keeping the implement exactly where it needs to be. A second StarFire™ receiver mounted on the implement allows the tractor to guide the tool with greater accuracy, even on curves or rolling ground. AutoTrac Implement Guidance (passive) steers the tractor to keep the implement locked onto the guidance line.

 

This accuracy at the implement pays off in several ways:

• It reduces skips, which protects yield, limits weed pressure and makes post emerge spraying and harvesting of “guess rows” easier. Reducing skips makes you money.
• It reduces overlaps, which prevents wasted inputs, reduces plant competition, and avoids doubled up rows that slow down spraying and harvest. Reducing overlaps saves you money.
• It delivers consistent performance on straight lines, curves, and sidehills, keeping the implement centered even when terrain would normally push it off track.

With more consistent seed placement and better alignment to pre applied nutrients, you get more value from every pass — and can reduce overall input costs through improved precision.

John Deere Section Control switches boom sections on or off, reducing overlap and improving product placement.

Key features of John Deere Section Control include:

• Automatic control of sprayer sections when passing across:
• Previous coverage
• Exterior and interior boundaries
• Established headlands (buffer zones)
• Improve efficiency by reducing overlap, skips, input costs, and operator stress
• Easier setup with distance-based tuning

John Deere Section Control is available as part of the CommandCenter™ Premium application and requires a StarFire™ position receiver.

AutoTrac RowSense system

Post-emergence operations such as spraying fungicide in July or harvesting corn in October can be stressful for operators. On top of steering the machine, an operator is required to monitor several other areas such as spray rates, ground terrain, grain or forage quality, or managing tender trucks and grain carts. Operating at night, in windy conditions, or while harvesting lodged corn can add even more stress for the operator.

Using feelers that engage the crop rows, AutoTrac RowSense has revolutionized the ability to use AutoTrac for post-emergence applications in later-season corn.

A study using advanced, eye-tracking glasses determined where an operator’s attention is focused while operating a sprayer through tall, standing corn. Without AutoTrac RowSense or Vision, the operator spent about 82.5 percent of the time looking forward. When AutoTrac RowSense or Vision was utilized, the same operators only spent 70 percent of the time looking forward and more time watching sprayer booms and monitoring machine performance on the vehicle display. AutoTrac RowSense focuses on steering so the operator can focus on other value-added tasks.

Hagie is a trademark of Hagie Manufacturing Company, LLC and similar to John Deere branded equipment, John Deere will also support Hagie equipment.

Using Gen 4 In-Field Data Sharing, up to six tractors, sprayers, nutrient applicators, or combines can share as applied maps and guidance lines to reduce overlap, improve product placement, and monitor job quality in other machines. Equipment can work together at the same time or use maps created earlier by another machine to increase efficiency.

Using a streamlined setup process, In-Field Data Sharing matches maps and guidance lines together based on the information selected in the Work Setup screen, the same information is needed to document an operation. Setup items can be sent to the display from Operations Center for selection to make setup even easier.

The information needed depends on the operation:

• Planting and seeding: Client, Farm, Field, and Crop
• Product application: Client, Farm, Field, and Product or Tank Mix
• Harvest: Client, Farm, Field, and Crop

Harvest is hectic. Producers are focusing on getting all the crop from the field to the bin within a tight harvest window. Using Machine Sync, those producers can focus more on grain harvest and grain quality and worry less about keeping the grain cart under the spout when unloading on the go. Gen 4 Machine Sync provides a solution to harvest stress by creating a wireless network between the tractor and combine to enable on-the-go unloading by synchronizing tractor speed and direction of travel with the combine.

Machine Sync works with In-Field Data Sharing to show the location of all combines and tractors within the fleet of Gen 4 machines harvesting in the field. Knowing the exact location of multiple combines as well as their grain tank fill level and unloading auger status allows the grain cart operators to be in the right place at the right time. 

Over-the-air activations were enabled with the 18-1 software update to the Gen 4 displays. With that software update or newer, a John Deere dealer can send activations to a Gen 4 display without leaving the office. Over-the-air activations also eliminate the need to manually enter long activation codes like was done previously. This also eliminates multiple trips between the cab and the farm office to enter codes and verify completion.

NOTE: Over-the-air activations requires a current JDLink™ Connect subscription and Mobile Telematics Gateway (MTG). Planter and platform activations and subscriptions cannot be updated over-the-air.

Grain Harvest Weight Sharing enhances In-Field Data Sharing by allowing operators to see the current grain weights of grain cart tractors within their workgroup. This visibility improves communication between cabs and reduces idle time during harvest. Grain weights are accessible on John Deere Operations Center Mobile, helping farm managers optimize operations and manage transport vehicles effectively.

 

This feature uses compatible scales to share grain weight across the fleet. It is visible on John Deere displays and within the mobile app. To enable it, displays must have an activated Gen 4 Premium 3.0, Gen 4 Automation 4.0, or G5 Advanced license and an active MTG/modem.

Compatible Scale Systems Include:

• Agrimatics™ Libra Cart
• Elmer’s HaulMaster Connect
• J&M iFarm by Agrimatics
• Scale-Tec POINT®
• Topcon Digi-Star
• Unverferth UHarvest® Pro Scale System