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Trivoli, IL | old folks and there levers, and young wipper snappers and there gadgets....
how do you get someone, that has been trained, on machines for a life time. were there is no suspension on tractor itself, and a simple cushion on the seat. were these folks can "feel" through there skin and bones. the vibrations, the tires sliding, the tires spinning, the engine RPM's, can hear the clicks and pops and the rattles. they feel that heat wave coming back off the engine, and almost tell without looking at some gauge, something might be wrong due 1st degree burn to 2nd degree burn almost heat. these folks are using all there senses to maintain control of everything and in idea keep an eye on things through there body. these folks are living it. not vs some bystander watching things.
as soon as you start putting in suspension in the tractor, getting a spring seat, getting into a cab, more so a sound proof cab, start going with electrical connections that stop vibrations getting feed back into levers, and steering wheel, etc... you are like chopping off an extension of some of these folks bodies.
also when ya start getting into larger tractors, the extra weight, different speeds, different implements, starts to also cut this "feed back" per say getting back to these folks. and it is not just the tractor, but the implement sticking all the way back there. the jerkyness of each individual tine, plow, chisel, opener, what ever, is lost. and only the overall vibrations are felt. and there is more clicks, and pops, and rattles, making it harder to distinguish this from that specific thing.
even in current gaming systems, "force feed back" is no were near what it could be in coming years. example getting shot on right side in a game, and causes the controller on right side to vibrate. perhaps if you have surround sound speakers, hearing someone on the left side creep up on you. it will most likely take the "matrix" the movie. were ya plug a wire into some port on your body, to be able to fully control and feel per say, all the feedback information. and until then. everyone is left between "old iron" and a very distinctive split of current technology. were only way to get the information, is to displaying numbers and/or graphs. to visually obtain the information. besides relying on "old iron" and a person's body to feel everything through mechanical linkages.
to above, in today age of current technology. and having a few hundred different things going on in the field on single tractor and single implement combo, with variable speeds, and different selections of this or that that almost become automatic. one has to rely on sensors. and each implement type. has its own set doings. both sensors and settings. having a physical button or a physical lever, ends up giving, a hundred different buttons, that i doubt most folks can fully remember.
yes a lever gives you that (ability to feather) or barely micro adjust things and at your own speeds and wants. but is it the lever that is wanted or the "micro ability" to adjust things quickly and to wanting easily? a touch screen, can give you that "ability to feather", touch the screen to select what you want, then use your thumb and pointer finger, as if you were going to pinch someone. to get your feathering. a touch screen display a person could put a 2D drawing up. to show location of say this motor, or this seeder, or this closing wheel, or this chisel. were you can actually see what and were this or that is. vs 100's of physical levers and buttons. that ya honestly have no clue what does what. example a bunch of last year stems/leaves/roots are begining to wrap up and clog up on some chisels. look at 2D image on touch screen, touch the chisel or chisels, and "feather" just those chisels so to perhaps raise just that chisel, to let the trash wiggle off, and then set it back down.
perhaps, it is simply trying to find the "home keys" for english/US keyboards it is the F and J key, different keys for different languages. and not able to find the "home position" on a touch screen. and having levers and switches and buttons, allows one to find that "home position" to rest there hand and fingers, on certain keys ((err buttons/switches/levers), without looking at were ya placing ya fingers. and simple need to look at a hydraulic cylinder or what not. while using a double way rocker switch, to either raise or lower and in that feathering how fast and how much the hydraulic cylinder moves. though not sure how in the world any company could size all the buttons/switches/levers to fit different folks hands. some large, some small, and everything else in between. and trying to stretch fingers with smaller hands. to all thumbs folks with bigger fingers, trying to rtyupore (type) and pressing extra buttons/switches/levers. i guess i never really understood all the 100's of buttons and layout options, and only able to offer a handful of layouts to keep costs down, when using physical buttons/switches/levers. makes a tad more frustrating jumping from one tractor to another tractor. and layout patterns are different and what might have been 1/2" over 1/2" up is now 3/4" over and 1" up. for the same function.
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What to Say to Deere's Tractor Engineers - Thank you!
