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SE South Dakota | If time allows on a new field I like to go out ahead of time and mark the A-B line before planting. On very straight field edges I take the tractor out and measure 1/2 the width of the planter from field edge, park tractor right over this spot and mark A then proceed to other end and repeat marking B. Then on planting day I just I just park the tractor so the planter is the correct distance from the field edge, recenter the a-b line ( it will drift) and proceed to plant.
You need to and should save all the A-B lines you can, you will like to use them again. I use the original greenstar and just keep a notebook of what A-B line field # 1 or field # 2 refers to.
On field edges that are not so straight it depends on which way the bow is. First pass is steered manually, marking the a-b line. If it bows in to the field you could use the above process, just will have some double planted rows. If it bows away from the field then, depending on how bad it is I sometimes use the markers to help me merge the crooked and very straight rows on the second pass. It is a pain to have those gaps in the field(weeds), much rather have double planted. You could also on your second pass on a field, shift your tract over toward the field edge to avoid having a gap in the part of the field that is wider. Then you would have your double planted rows near then ends, but no gap in the widest part of the field.
You will probably have curved trac as part of your steering package. I started to use this a bit late in the planting season 2006, found it quite accutate. Will use it on the end rows of fields, rather then messing with gaps and double planted areas on the ends. Just steer normally first pass then let curve trac make the rest of the end rows. A new update this year will allow saving the curve tracts to the memory card, would seem like this would be usefull planting end rows in the future. I'll probably need a bigger/better notebook though.
A note on the crooked field edges, I am working to straighten out the ones that I can. You think they are straight, but probably not "auto-trac" staight!
Also I would check all the calibration on your own, do not assume the dealer did it and did it correctly. The tilt calibration is what I would be concerned with most. The first year we had wide then narrow gaps between planter passes, then fiquired out to calibrate the tilt.
Jim
Edited by farmboy99 3/22/2007 09:02
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Starting out with autotrac
