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roaming | Don, I don't know if it's intentional or not, but your post is quite misleading.
"As AFS PRO has posted above, AFS is not compatible with anything but red paint and they are not even trying to be compatible."
Not true. All AFS file formats can be read by Ag Leader's SMS, which is widely recognized as an industry leader. If you're talking about hardware, you're closer to the mark, but I don't see JD making a system to use on a red machine, either. There's a lot to be said for open architecture, but there's also merit to proprietary design.
"They use some Trimble components, but use their own firmware so that Trimble can not even plug and play with them in every situation."
True, but this is not entirely by choice. There are legal and other issues in both companies that currently prevent this. You could look at it the other way and say that "Trimble uses their own firmware so that CaseIH cannot even plug and play with them in every situation".
"AFS will not cooperate with third party software developers in any fashion."
Again, not completely true. With older file formats (YLD and Voyager), the "reader" component was made available, so if a software company didn't incorporate compatibility, that's by their choice, not by some lack of cooperation from CaseIH (and several have choses to release YLD and Voyager-compatible software - FarmWorks, Red Hen, SMS). With the new Voyager format for the color displays, you're again closer to the mark.
"They will not provide their file specs or reply to any request for technical assistance in reading those files."
Not sure what you're looking for here. The new file spec for the color displays is ISO-compliant, and anyone can view the data structure and even the data files themselves with a hex editor. If you want them to make their display software source code available, I'm not sure that's an entirely reasonable request.
I am a former AFS user and will freely admit that AFS has had some good hardware. But we need open architecture in the precision Ag industry and AFS is making no effort in any way to support open architecture.
"They are dead last in support of open architecture."
I'm not sure how you can support this statement without knowing the exact status of all other iron mfg and 3rd party precision ag manufacturers.
"The only way we are going to influence them to change this attitude is to speak with our pocket book. We need to refuse to buy from companies that do not support open architecture."
IMHO, and you're free to differ, this is like saying "I refuse to vote for a candidate that doesn't support X". The candidate might be perfect in every other way, but if he doesn't support X, you won't vote for him? There's a lot more to farming than precision ag, as I'm sure you know.
"In his post above AFS PRO stated that you "might" be able to log with the 600 pro in your John Deere tractor. That may or may not be true. I can not confirm or deny that. But if you can log with the 600 pro, you will not be able to read that log with anything but the AFS software. You will not be able to use those logs in any of the better third party software that is on the market. I am not sure if outside vendors can write prescription maps for the 600 pro or not. If they can, they have developed this capability without any help from AFS."
You can in fact use the Pro600 in a JD tractor for prescription and as-applied mapping with a 1200 planter, just as you have always been able to do with the Universal Display Plus monitors. Case IH offers a generic tractor harness that can be added to essentially any tractor. Once you've recorded the data, you can read the data in the AFS software or SMS, just as with any other AFS data. You will need the latest software to process as-applied data. The Pro600 currently does not have third-party control; however, it is ISO compatible as indicated in another post, so as more manufacturers incorporate ISO compatibility into their equipment, the Pro600 stands ready to communicate. All that is needed is a generic third-party software app. Can you use the GS2 2600 in a Case IH tractor? (I'm really asking - I don't know.)
"If you want to look at steering systems that are compatible across different vendor's platforms, I would suggest that you give strong consideration to Trimble or AutoFarm. Even John Deere has support for other manufacturers platforms."
Rather than reinventing the wheel and developing guidance systems for lots of third-party platforms, Case IH chose to partner with Trimble. Case IH offers red-branded systems for red equipment, and Trimble-branded systems for other equipment. Deere chose a different path, which is certainly fine. I would guess, but can't prove, that you'll find more CNH-retailed Trimble Autopilot systems on green machines than you'll find Deere Autotrac systems on red machines. This would be an interesting statistic to see.
"If you are wanting to move the terminal between tractors and a combine for yield monitoring, the Trimble autopilot using the AgLeader Insight for control will be your best bet. The Insight is currently the only third party platform that does both yield monitoring and steering control."
I actually can't disagree with much in this section :-)
Don, my point is not to pick you apart; I've read, enjoyed, and learned from your posts for quite a while. But there were a lot of misstatements in this one, and where this poster is looking for accurate information with which to make $$ decisions, I needed to at least provide "the rest of the story".
You're certainly welcome to your opinion that he should run from AFS. I think the support you gave for that argument could have been more carefully thought out. | |
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CASE iH AFS PRO 600 AUTOSTEERING
