All Right, Computers Are Ok

This is a picture of what I was looking at in the tractor cab yesterday afternoon. It is the display screen of the guidance system in my cousin Chad's tractor cab. The white line indicates the path that the tractor is following. The blue area is part of the field that had been disk-ripped and the gray needed to be covered yet. When you get close to the end of the field the computer beeps at you to get your attention. When you turn the steering wheel it beeps at you again indicating you are off the guidance system. When you get turned on the end you just let go of the steering wheel and push the resume button. The tractor lines up on the closest pass you have not covered.

Ok, I admit computers are a good thing as long at they do what you want them to do. It is amazing how the receiver on the top of the cab can communicate with a number of satellites to get a "fix" on where it is on the earth. One of the major benefits of the guidance system is fatigue. After many hours holding a steering wheel your shoulders and arms get tired and sore. In addition each pass is exactly 30 inches from the previous pass. There is no overlap so there is significant time and fuel savings too.