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Precision Ag Insight: ActiveYield for John Deere Combines

Jul. 30 2020 Agriculture By Holland and Sons

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Deere has a variety of precision ag technology products to assist you all year-round, from tillage work to planting to spraying to harvesting. Today, we are going to take a look at ActiveYield, a harvest precision ag technology available for your combine. 

ActiveYield is a precision ag system that delivers automatic yield calibrations to the combine operator without spending time manually preforming yield calibrations for corn, soybeans and wheat.  

How does it works? 

ActiveYield eliminates time-consuming manual yield calibrations and replaces them with automated sensors that calibrate the machine by measuring grain as the tank fills. ActiveYield provides continuous automated calibration of the mass flow sensor through load cells installed in the grain tank. The load cells estimate the change in weight of grain as it fills the tank. The AYM controller software in the moisture sensor compares the grain tank load cell data to the clean grain elevator mass flow sensor data and adjusts the mass flow sensor calibration curve to minimize error. 

When the ActiveYield option is enabled and the Terrain Compensation Module (TCM) in the StarFire™ 3000 or StarFire 6000 Receiver has been calibrated, ActiveYield is ready to go to work. As grain is harvested and enters the tank, the three sensors within the grain tank collectively measure the grain as it piles over the cross auger covers. The system starts taking data when the load cells indicate that grain is accumulating in the grain tank at 2000 lb. ActiveYield stops accepting measurements when the load cells indicate the grain weight has reached 6600 lb. The load will be saved as long as the header and separator are on, grain is flowing and loading evenly, and machine pitch is within 4 degrees. This process results in more precise measurements and data instead of random calibrations.

Any pitch and roll of more than 4 degrees from the center during load collection will cause the system to reject that load due to the grain pile shifting in the tank. A new calibration load starts once grain is below the sensors on the cross auger covers. 

Stored calibration loads are replaced by new ones as the system continues to collect data. You can view the current status, quality of the calibration, and number of accepted loads on your John Deere monitor. With a JDLink™ Connect subscription, your ActiveYield maps can be automatically sent to the Operations Center in MyJohnDeere.com, where you can access your accurate yield data. The system may be turned off at any time by accessing the moisture setup page and unchecking the ActiveYield box, if manual yield calibration is desired. 


Benefits

  • More accurate yield and field mapping data 
  • Simplified data collection for use during and after harvest 
  • Simplified yield calibrations for improved uptime in the field 
  • Less time spent collecting multiple calibration loads, weighing them and then inputting the data back into the display 
  • Improved efficiency  

Compatibility

John Deere ActiveYield Retrofit Kits are now available for 2012 and newer S-Series Combines, S670, S770, S680, S780, S690, and S790, and as a factory-installed option for S700 Combines. Kits are not compatible with S550, S650, S660, and S760s with manual grain tank extensions. 

It also requires a 4600 CommandCenter™ Display, GreenStar™ 3 2630 Display, or GreenStar 3 CommandCenter. Additionally, a StarFire 3000 or 6000 Receiver must be installed on the combine with the TCM calibrated for ActiveYield to detect machine pitch correctly. Manual yield calibration is not required as each crop has a built-in default value. 

Limited Time Offer

ActiveYield Retrofit Kits are on sale now in the 2020 John Deere Harvest Parts Catalog! Get the BXE10503 Retrofit Kit for MY12-MY15 S-Series Combines for the sale price of $3,264.71 (List $3,548.60). Or get the BXE10797 Retrofit Kit for MY16-current Series Combines for the sale price of $2,429.81 (List $2,641.10). Click here to view this special parts catalog offer and other ways to save.

Visit with a Holland and Sons Sales or Integrated Solutions team member to learn more and get ActiveYield on your combine for #Harvest2020.