Cambridge-based tractor GPS specialist LH Agro has made a selection of Topcon kit available to hire – a move it hopes will cut the capital cost of investing in a guidance system or crop canopy sensor for its customers.

The company reckons many farmers could be overlapping or missing applications of seed, fertiliser and chemicals on more than 2% of their cropped land because of inaccurately measured tramlines.

“Our figures show  a typical 200ha arable farm could be losing as much as £5,700/year as a result of inaccurate input applications and a 600ha operation could be losing as much as £11,500,” says LH Agro’s managing director, Richard Reed.

“Additional inefficiencies, such as inhibited crop performance and the additional man hours, diesel usage and wear and tear incurred by overlapping during the cultivation phase, will further erode profit margins.”

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LH Agro’s hire scheme is available on the Topcon X25 guidance and autosteer system, which includes an Isobus and RTK-ready console, receiver, tractor-specific harness kit and optional electric steering wheel for non-autosteer tractors.

Prices for a three-year contract hire term, which includes warranty and service support, start at £115 per week.

Topcon’s all-in-one AGI-4 system works with most Isobus compatible displays to provide accurate RTK-enabled positioning for autosteer-ready tractors.

It includes an antenna, receiver and steering controller and prices start from £90/week.

The new hire scheme is also available on Topcon’s CropSpec canopy sensor, which is mounted on the cab to monitor in-field crop variations.

It is available on a four-year contract hire term with full warranty and service support and starts at £99/week.