Deere has acquired AgriSync, the customer service platform for agriculture business and equipment dealers.

AgriSync will be expanding ExpertConnect, the Deere-branded version of its ticketing and remote support service, moving forward, according to a customer FAQ page on AgriSync’s website. Deere has had a business relationship with AgriSync since 2018, and the two companies partnered to release the Deere-specific version of the platform as ExpertConnect in 2021.

A Deere spokesperson says the majority of AgriSync’s customer base is John Deere and John Deere dealers. All Deere dealers will be able to use the Deere-branded version of AgriSync going forward. The spokesperson did not comment on pricing or pricing structure. The ExpertConnect website lists a standard site license at $100 per month per store.

“The AgriSync team and their Deere digital service solution, ExpertConnect, further enhances John Deere and the John Deere dealer’s ability to deliver a consistent digital customer service experience. As machines get smarter, Expert Connect will continue to improve service responsiveness to help customers maximize uptime during their critical operations throughout the year,”

says Denver Caldwell, director of aftermarket and customer support at John Deere.

As for AgriSync’s current customers who are not Deere dealers, their service with AgriSync is ending as the AgriSync brand and services will eventually sunset. The Deere spokesperson said Deere is working with these customers to transition them from AgriSync, and the transition is expected to take place during the first half of 2022. Timing is contract-dependent.

Non-Deere account administrators will receive an email with specific guidance about the acquisition’s impact on their accounts. A non-Deere dealer told Precision Farming Dealer that their employees will no longer be able to use AgriSync’s services starting in January.

AgriSync users can export customer data and can request a transfer of their public VoiceHub numbers to another provider. Detailed instructions are here. Deere & Company will not access or use any customer data. All customer data will be deleted 30 days after the subscription terminates or expires.

The post Non-Deere Dealers to Lose AgriSync Following Deere’s Acquisition of Company appeared first on North America FarmQuip Magazine.

Currently available on the 700L/750L/850L SmartGrade dozers, the SmartGrade motor graders and the 210G LC and 350G LC SmartGrade excavators, and the compact track loaders, these features enable dealers and customers to work together to remotely transfer project files to machines and troubleshoot any grade control-related issues. This is important for the more efficient management of large GPS equipment fleets. Real-time remote visibility and management of important grade control parameters can save valuable troubleshooting time and keep machines up and running. Dealers can also use the latest technology for operator training and troubleshooting.

“Offering real-time support to our customers is key, especially when it comes to the Precision Construction lineup. By incorporating technology like SmartGrade in our excavator lineup, we are helping to boost job site productivity and efficiency while enhancing the capabilities of our operators. There isn’t always a one-size-fits-all solution, and contractors need options to pair the right technology with their business needs. This is where customers really benefit from the flexibility of our grade management path,”

said Sean Mairet, product manager grade control, John Deere Construction & Forestry.

SmartGrade Remote Support is crucial in providing customers with the most efficient method of troubleshooting and increasing uptime and enables the dealer to remotely monitor and support the machine from miles away. Wireless Data Transfer provides the ability to remotely send updated design files to the machine, saving trips to the job site.

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A farmer from Grande Prairie, Alta., was tired of climbing in and out of his tractor to engage and disengage the power take-off while bagging and extracting grain, so he built a remote-controlled device to make these jobs easier.

“It goes into the cubbyhole and then attaches to the screw points the little padded cushion attaches to. You have two actuators that can pull two different hydraulics, and then there’s the PTO mechanism that controls this switch on and off, and the RPM dial,”

said Vincent Pawluski, owner of RcFarmArm.

He went to great lengths to design the remote-controlled device in a way that wouldn’t threaten his tractor’s warranty.

“This is purposely built to get around the CAN bus systems because when you start tying into CAN bus systems if there is ever a problem on the CAN bus side, or error codes, the last guy that touched it is the guy who gets in trouble. That’s just how it works,”

Pawluski said.

“John Deere will blame me if there is something messed up in the CAN bus, whether it is my fault or not, because I’m the third party guy.”

He said the RcFarmArm engages all the control surfaces just like a human finger does, so the equipment manufacturers can’t argue the tractor isn’t being controlled the way it was intended to be.

“We’re not really hacking into anything, and it installs in like five minutes,”

Pawluski said.

The RcFarmArm draws power from a standard accessory power point in the tractor, and it also has a backup 12-volt battery that can be used to power the arm if it gets disconnected from the tractor’s power.

The system can also be used to control six customizable functions, and to turn the tractor on or off.

“A second module that fits over the top of the key, and it turns the key with two actuators, one to turn it on and a second one to turn the key to start it. There’s an E (emergency) stop on the arm and an Estop on the remotes. It brings all the actuators back to their off positions, which will turn the key on the tractor off,”

Pawluski explained.

So far, he has built an arm that fits the 8000 and 9000 John Deere tractors, as well as the 7000 series if they have the full armrest with fingertip hydraulic controls.

He also is developing a model for the John Deere R series.

For the Case tractors, he has a model that fits the 2011 to 2020 tractors, in the Maximums, Quadtrac, and Pumas series.

For the applications for which Pawluski built the RcFarmArm, bagging and extracting grain, the tractor is not put in gear because the pressure of the auger pushes the tractor when bagging, and the plastic pulls the tractor when extracting.

However, he is building a steering module that will be able to move the steering wheel to help keep everything straight.

On the remote, there are six indicator lights that visually alert the operator as to which functions are on.

“We have it set up that you need to press two buttons on the remote to start the PTO, and the two buttons are as far apart as possible on the remote. So you pretty much need two hands to start the PTO and to engage the starter of the tractor. So hopefully, there would be very little chance of accidental engagement of the PTO or the starter.”

Operators can still drive the tractor when the arm is installed.

“The gear shift is left accessible, and in the final design we have one remote that is attached to the armrest, so that should stay in the tractor at all times because otherwise, you would have to remove the key-switch module to start the tractor,”

Pawluski said.

The third hydraulic control on the tractor is also accessible because it is not connected to the RcFarmArm, and the tractor’s RPM can be controlled with the foot control.

“The starter system and the arm we’re going to be selling for right around $5,000, and then the price on the optional steering control motor is yet to be determined,”

Pawluski said.

Source: RC Farm Arm

The post RcFarmArm Owner Presents His New Wireless Tractor Controller appeared first on North America FarmQuip Magazine.

Andy Carritt, vice president and general manager of global irrigation technology for Valley Irrigation, says:

“We are proud to welcome PivoTrac customers to the Valley family. This acquisition advances our technology strategy and increases our number of connected agricultural devices to more than 123,000.”

In addition, Valley gains additional talented team members as all PivoTrac employees will be staying on.

Karlyle Haaland, president, and owner of PivoTrac says he would never make a move that would not be a benefit to their customers.

“PivoTrac customers will gain the resources of the most trusted irrigation brand and leading dealer network. Valley shares our goal of helping growers do more while expending less water, energy, and effort,”

he says.

Carritt says that each connected device adds to the cumulative, positive effect that Valley solutions are having on the company mission of conserving resources and improving life. He explains that an average farmer drives 20 miles round trip for a single pivot check, so through the Valley user base of 123,000 connected devices, about 890 MT of CO2 has been saved due to the ability to manage pivots from anywhere at any time.

Source: Valley Irrigation

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Choosing the right controller and management platform for a particular project can be a confusing process. One of the first things to ask yourself as a contractor is, “do I care enough about my customer’s water usage to spend time managing from a computer or tablet”. For years water management has been handled at an emission device level, pressure regulated pop-ups, rotors or compensated manifolds and point source emitters among others. While these are effective conservation devices there is an important next step to using these devices properly. The future of the irrigation contractor, like it or not, is heavily influenced by technology and the efficiency of managing multiple sites remotely and accurately.

As contractors, we spend a lot of time making decisions about the hardware aspect of a controller and not the software that makes the controller work to the best of its ability. This makes sense because for the last 50 years we’ve been installing controllers, setting the time and walking away. Fortunately, a contractor no longer has to stand in front of a controller and set up a schedule. Cloud-based software like the new Unity platform is going to set up a schedule that adjusts every hour to ensure maximum system efficiency. How does the controller know when and how much to water? This is where a true water manager comes into his or her element.

Unity offers a new way to manage water. A central interface allowing users easy setup of all their stations at once, 17 data point scheduling and the easiest to use reporting features available. While these data points have been used for years with legacy ETwater Manager software I thought it would be nice to review a few important ones.

• Temperature
• Dew Point
• ET (Evapotranspiration)
• Forecasted Rain
• Cloud Cover
• Wind
• Pressure
• Humidity
• GHI (Global Horizontal Irradiance)
• Soil Heat Influx
• Slope Vapor

17 data points may just sound like a healthy number to escape the competition but these variables are crucial when managing a water user that consumes millions of gallons a year.

Additional features of new Unity software include; data push notifications and predictive analytics that allow users to review scheduling two weeks in the future or two weeks in the past.

With the merger between JAIN and ETwater completed, ETwater is now picking up where they left off with industry-leading software innovation. It’s no surprise that a technology giant like JAIN was able to see the direction Unity needed to go and provide the resources to get them there. JAIN is currently leading the way in satellite imagery technology, remote monitoring, smart filtration and of course software development.

Unity works with all existing ETwater controllers and finally answers the question “How much water does a landscape need?”.

Source: JAIN

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