John Deere has developed a new satellite-based mapping system for its motor graders to keep operators safe and prevent property damage when plowing snow-covered roads.
Called John Deere Path, it uses the company’s StarFire receiver, G5 display and Operations Center to keep motor graders on the road and away from obstacles. The system can even be used on plow trucks.
"John Deere Path is designed to give operators the confidence to navigate snow-covered roads, helping them stay on course to complete their work safely and reliably," says Matt Costello, product marketing manager.
How It Works
With Path, operators pre-map routes before snowfall. The guidance routes are automatically sent to the John Deere Operations Center.
When snowplowing, operators get real-time maps so they can stay within a safe distance of road edges. If they get too close to pre-mapped boundaries, an alarm sounds.
Deere says the system is accurate up to 2 centimeters when using its StarFire receiver with its SF-RTK satellite correction. The G5 display shows road edges and a guidance track overlayed on satellite images. A visual “error bar” alerts operators to deviations and excessive drift, the company says. Obstacles like mailboxes and curbs are shown. Operators can add points of interest along the route for any changes or to mark potential road maintenance areas to tackle after the snow is gone.
John Deere Operations Center gathers the work data, showing things like total area plowed, machine location, duration of work and fuel usage. Operators and contractors can use it to track and document completed work for efficiency, the company says.
Also for Plow Trucks
John Deere is offering Path in two forms:
- One is designed specifically for its motor graders. The system, as described above, integrates with grader model years 2016 and newer.
- The second option, John Deere Path Universal, is for mixed fleets and older graders. This includes a modem for creating a fully closed loop system that makes Path compatible for other machines, including plow trucks, Deere says.
