ISOBUS TEST ▶▶▶
A single Claas display can show UT, TC-GEO, TC-SC and GPS. The down- side is that there are currently no UT buttons visible. To operate the sprayer, you therefore always need to zoom in to the mini-UT box, and then hide it again. It works but, when it comes to ergonomics, an AUX input is ideal.
regards Isobus as an optional extra, as it sup- plies a large touchscreen for settings such as transmission and hydraulics, but (still) without Isobus. To include this, you need an additional display mounted on the C-pillar, and the GPS has to run there too. The UT screen opens as a pop-up window in the display above the GPS data. If you use both at the same time, you will need to minimise the Isobus screen to one corner of the map view. Valtra and Massey Ferguson have tried to achieve the same integration as John Deere, but were not quite as successful. Switching be- tween the Isobus UT and the tractor control unit is more difficult. John Deere makes a joy- stick use of tabs (like on a smartphone). You can swipe them, but there are also physical buttons. In the Valtra, you have to press ‘back’ first and select the right screen again, or divide
The MF featured two Isobus displays. The new model is shown on the left, and on the right is the model that has been built into tractors for ten years now. It turned out that the former was still too new: it did not yet feature all functions, and we also found a few bugs. Sometimes the background colour turned out to be the same as the text colour.
the display into four (small) quadrants. In the MF you do this by swiping across, as with a smartphone, but there are no buttons. The dis- plays in the New Holland and Case IH are rela- tively cumbersome. You can only find the Iso- bus screen by searching for the right run screen. However, you can rename this tab to make it easier to find again. After our test, both tractors were updated with a shortcut menu. The manufacturers claim that this will improve accessibility. Ask your dealer about upgrading your Quick Access Menu.
Control using physical buttons Imagine that you’re using an Isobus-compati- ble implement and GPS, for a task such as spreading artificial fertiliser. The Isobus screen needs to be active and displayed in order to operate the sprayer. But you also want a map
Don’t be blinded by certificates
If a function has been tested by a testing lab- oratory and it passes, the machine in ques- tion is awarded a certificate. These certifi- cates are supervised by the Agricultural Industry Electronics Foundation (AEF). If a tractor passes, it should feature a blue and white sticker designed by the AEF. The Deutz- Fahr was the only model with one of these stickers, on the rear window. You can use these certificates on the online database (
www.aef-online.org) to compare two ma- chines on the basis of which functions work
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and which do not. Or download the free smartphone app (search in the Play Store or the App Store for AEF Isobus DB). It’s free of charge and just requires quick registration. All the tractors we tested are included on the database. But be careful: a tractor does not always have exactly the same software ver- sion installed as that listed in the database. While functions sometimes work, they may not be certified. New terminals, such as the Datatronic 5, Fieldstar 5 and SmartTouch, are not yet included.
▶ FUTURE FARMING | 22 May 2020
view, and that’s where the Isobus AUX is useful. It means you can operate the machine using buttons in the tractor or using an extra univer- sal joystick, and you still have the GPS map in front of you. The tractor needs two functions: firstly, the Isobus display must include an AUX configuration screen. Secondly, those physical buttons (e.g., as on the drive joystick) must be freely programmable and assignable to AUX. All test tractors were capable of doing either one or both of these operations. Unfortunate- ly, there are two versions: AUX-N (new) and AUX-O (old), and the tractor and implement both need to have the same version. Deutz- Fahr only offers AUX-N. The buttons on the drive joystick work with the Isobus, and there is a configuration screen to allow them to be assigned. Claas only had AUX-O at the time of testing; the Axion now features both AUX-N and AUX-O. The numerous buttons on the drive joystick are freely programmable and there is a configuration screen. Valtra and MF now also feature both AUX-O and AUX-N as a result of a recent update. When testing, Valtra was unable to link any Isobus functions to the drive joystick; this has since been fixed. The display features a configuration menu, so it is possible to link to an extra universal joystick. Massey Ferguson allows some buttons on the drive joystick to be linked, but we failed to make it work, despite several attempts. New Holland and Case IH have AUX-N, and it is possible to assign physical buttons to an im- plement. This is, incidentally, by far the most difficult thing to do in these tractors, because
PHOTO: TIMO OKSANEN
PHOTO: TIMO OKSANEN
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