EarthworksGo provides laser based machine control for skid steer and CTL grading attachments and can be set up in just minutes.Grade control for heavy equipment started out years ago as systems for big machines and big contractors. Trimble is now working the other end of the market, with its new system Trimble Earthworks Go, which debuted at the recent Bauma trade show in Germany.
Earthworks Go is a 2D, laser-guided grade control system built for skid steers and compact track loaders running Caterpillar or Bobcat grading attachments. What makes it unique is you can use your smartphone or device in the cab as your primary machine interface—otherwise known as BYOD or bring your own device.
The BYOD—bring your own device— design of Earthworks Go means you can use your own smart phone as the monitor.
The BYOD design makes setup simple, and the system can be pulled off one machine and stored or hooked up to another machine in minutes. Simply attach the laser receivers to masts on the blade, run the cables to the Trimble Go box on the frame of the grading attachment, mount your smartphone or device in the cab, turn on your laser and start working.
The easily portable Trimble Go box is not much bigger than a large lunchbox. Earthworks Go is also 2D automatic ready.
The system works in multiple configurations including dual laser, single laser plus slope, and slope only. “You can buy the device online, we ship it to you, and you install it,” says Scott Crozier, general manager of Trimble’s civil engineering and construction division.
The brain of the system is the EarthworksGo Box, which mounts to the frame of the grading attachment and connects to the laser receivers via cables.Integrated installation and calibration tutorials make setup easy. “It’s simple enough to suit someone who is not well versed in machine control technology,” says Crozier. You can also save machine profiles to the Go box to so that you only have to set up a particular machine once.
The target market for Earthworks Go is the small contractor, owner-operator types who do jobs that are typically completed in two or three days, he says.
