Review of Autofarm Ontrac system
AUTOFARM ONTRAC
Build quality
A pre-production unit was supplied by the manufacturer for test. Quality ATC screen and beige plastics look more at home in an office than a tractor. Steering unit’s brackets seem flimsy but work fine. Steering engagement lever feels cheap and its guide has finger-nibbling edges.
Installation/transfer
Three units, seven wiring connections, one 12V continuous and one 12V switched supply. Weighty screen’s twin suction pads awkward to fix. Machine’s steering wheel must be taken off and mounted in the OnTrac’s drive, so changeover takes time and patience. Gyro calibration on the Autofarm unit is fast and simple.
Cab impact
Big screen dominates. Makers say noisy motor operation is quietened in production versions. May lose a little view to the instruments, does lose some column telescopic adjustment.
Getting guidance
Painless, thanks to very clear screen info and the ATC display’s big buttons. It was simple to set up a new job.
Finding the next line
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Top-notch, coloured moving map switches automatically from bird’s eye view in headland to 3D view when coming into work. Must be close to the next pass centreline before steering-assist can be engaged; maximum lock-on angle is shallow and not adjustable. Mechanical operating lever often puts up a fight during engagement: the least relaxed system to use.
During guidance
Best display. Headland marks and current pass unmissable, on-screen explanations help with adjustments.
Stability settings needed tweaking to match working speed. Performance-tuning options are many, names are alien – fancy fiddling with the Proportional Gain Parameter?
Can reverse in work without losing guidance, can’t change swath width without a fresh A-B line. Simple to mark spot(s) for later return, then compensate for satellite drift error.
Accuracy
Nine out of 10 passes averaged within 50cm of required 24m spacing. A good performer at 5kph, more variable at 12kph. Steering response required the most manual tuning; more might have improved performance. The manufacturer reckons production software will deliver better consistency.
Other tricks
Autopass mode for irregular fields. Curved, headland and circle guidance modes. Stores job info in a supplied keyring drive.
Conclusion-7 out of 10
Slow transfer between machines. Best display and graphics, noisy operation, farmer-unfriendly names for deeper adjustment items.
For details about how this table is measured and to return to the performance reviews: