Stay with me now, I hope you can read thru this whole post before hanging up. 

I believe I'm correct in assuming that some folks had trouble combining their corn w/an autopilot using the files from the corn (or anything in 20-40" rows) planted with an autopilot irregardless of correction signal type, RTK, autopilot brand or otherwise. In our operation, even though corn head may be off the row by only 1-3", that can sometimes cause it to throw ears or break diseased stalks making it harder to feed them into the rows thereby making a return to hands-on driving mandatory.

The problem as I understand it is primarily implement drift (planter first, combine second in this case) caused by draft of some type. Changes in soil types/conditions/topography/previous tillage across a 20-30-40-50' planter/corn head combine can cause drifts of 1-2-4" easily. The planter tractor may be always straight as an arrow. In my opinion this may be compounded by the fact that the seed is entering the ground 30' behind the gps antennae (mounted on tractor if a-p is involved) while in the combine, the corn head may be 10' in front of the antennae. So, you have 20-40' spread front to rear, spring to fall depending on your equipment. Combine autopilot says you're dead on the money, but you might be 2-3" off the actual corn row. Use the "nudge" button & it fixes problem.....for a ways...then back the other way goes the row.

Trimble is addressing this problem, so I'll assume it's more than just our problem here. BUT-I'm wondering if there isn't a more simple solution to the problem that may work especially if you're in relatively flat farming areas. Our rows "looked" poker straight...so no complaint there. Trimble can now "steer" the planter via humongous coulters thru yet another hydraulic outlet on tractors that are getting hyrdaulic'd to death on newer planters/attachments. I believe they also use a 2nd gps receiver & data input. Expense gets pumped right up there. I don't think we need our planter "steered"...it's going straight enough. Why doesn't someone make a way to just datalog the planter track & allow it to drift 1-2-0" or whatever? Then, take that datalog file (which will be separate from the autopilot operation) & tell the combine autopilot to follow the planter datalogged files and forget about where the tractor went? Again, our planter appears to be going straight enough...but that 1-2" can be a problem. I'm not real sure their coulter method will work in all cases (if they even fit!). But anyway, just let the planter go. It's not drifting any more/less than it has been for 75 yrs (probably less drift) and that doesn't hurt anything. But, just tell the combine to follow the planter, wherever it drifted.

I have no idea on how to work the electronics or computer data of my idea...I just visualize the mechanics of it. I would assume there would have to be a gps antennae/receiver on the planter itself....right dead on top of seed placement in center of machine where it belongs anyway. We've talked about this for years now. Monitor/computers such as the AL Insight can handle multiple inputs, I believe, so it can just datalog 2 sets of info...the tractor (needed for tractor autopilot) AND the planter track. The planter track file will be used for the combine guidance later in the year, or perhaps not at all. Actually, I thought this was going to be the implement drift answer from Trimble. I was surprised to hear they are going to steer the planter. I realize that contour farming may require something different. I don't know anything about that method.

So, does my idea have any merit & why wouldn't someone (AL?) utilize their existing receivers & just program their monitor to do an additional task & forget about the immense mechanical task of steering the planter & HOPING the rows are corrected enough for the combine? Maybe I'm all wrong?