Guidance technology on construction equipment offers a number of benefits. It can improve productivity, uptime, and lower daily operating costs.
Today, many of the equipment manufacturers are coming to market with new machines—such as excavators—that have this grade guidance technology built in. As one example, John Deere recently added grade guidance technology to the 210G LC excavator, in cooperation with Topcon Positioning Systems.
This provides operators with information on the bucket’s location with both a 2D reference and a 3D design surface. According to the company, it is designed for digging trenches for pipe, shaping ditches or slopes, or digging structure foundations.
For construction companies, factory integration and calibration ensures machines are ready to work. Also, JDLink integration provides information on system utilization and diagnosis of problems.
Beyond the technology, a few of the other features include John Deere Powerwise Plus technology, which provides improved fuel economy, and the addition of a single pedal propel system, which gives operators the ability to track machines without needing to articulate both hand and foot pedals.
While this is one example, grade guidance technology is growing in popularity in the construction industry, as it offers the opportunity to manage the grade from inside the cab.
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