Kubota steering kit suits all budgets and machines
Kubota are well-known for serving both the agricultural and estate maintenance market with a wide range of professional mowers and tractors.
The smaller machines are not often thought of as requiring automated guidance, but the company has introduced an entry-level auto-steer package to its range of products for agricultural and ground care machinery.
Priced from £5,520 (€6,000), and sourced through Topcon, the kit is called Value Line Steering and is available through the Kubota dealer network.
There is a wide choice of accuracy options to suit various operational needs and budgets, which extend from 15cm pass-to-pass accuracy down to 1cm – the latter requiring a Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) signal.
The Value Line Steering kit includes the XR-1 GNSS receiver with built-in gyroscope and accelerometer, XW-1 electric steering wheel, and 10in, XC1 in-cab touchscreen terminal.
Integral software has eliminated the need for a mechanical wheel angle sensor, simplifying installation and set-up and thereby reducing the associated cost.
The company believes the new kit offers customers a price-sensitive package that delivers auto-steering functions to improve operational efficiency and reduce operator fatigue,.
The kit is universal in its fitting bringing precision steering to any Kubota machine equipped with a steering wheel.
Through Value Line Steering, operators can access any steering pattern required, including straight, centre pivot, curved, and custom guidance lines.
In addition, more advanced features such as Steer-to-Boundary, Guidelock, and Headland Turns are also available, along with basic ISOBUS implement control.
Those seeking higher accuracy can opt for an RTK Value Line Steering kit, costing £7,545 (€8,200). The latter requires an additional 12-month RTK signal subscription costing £650 (€700).
While the Value Line Steering kit can be self-installed, an optional installation service is available, costing £695 (€815). The Topcon Value Line Steering kits come with two years' warranty and two years' customer support.
