Near Intersection of I-35 & I-90 Southern Mn. | Yes on both questions. I worked as a Tech and also a famer/user with Raven 440,450,460 controllers for several years. When Ag Leader created their Direct Command concept it was quite obvious that they thoroughly investigated these popular controllers and made certain that they included all the features. In many respects these "sometimes used" extras are exactly the same as the Raven implementation and some are actually better or more logical.
The Ag Leader system for a sprayer would consist of the following parts: An Ag Leader Display such as an Insight, Edge, Integra, Versa, InCommand 800 or InCommand 1200. These units can be unlocked for auto swath. Although you could spray without the auto swath unlock, it would defeat the idea of having the system automatically control the boom sections ON/OFF. The auto swath unlock is included with the Integra and InCommand 1200. It is available for the other displays.
A GPS system is needed for speed and location. Several models from various sources are available. If the vehicle already has a GPS, it is generally possible to share it with an Ag Leader display.
The following describes the legacy system with which I am familiar.
A module is needed to convey your intentions concerning a Master switch and section switches to the system. This can be done one of two ways. You must use one of these ways but would not (cannot) use both at the same time. One approach is to use Ag Leader's Auxiliary Input Module with a loose dumb switch box, a toggle switch or an adapter to the OEM switches already on a sprayer. This AIM is a black box with no display or switches.
The other approach is to use Ag Leader's SC 110 CAN switch box. This approach uses a smart switch box with a Master and 10 sub switches as well as the circuitry of the Auxiliary Input Module. An Auxiliary Input Module with a loose switch box or the SC 110 smart switch box are functionally equivalent. Personally I have one of each. The decision to use one or the other depends on the vehicle and other factors. Many situations could use either. Some situations favor one approach over the other.
The other module is the Ag Leader Liquid Product Control module. This is also a black box with no display or switches and can be physically located in a self propelled sprayer or spreader or on a drawn implement itself. One of my Liquid Modules is mounted on the rear of my corn planter since I spray with it. I could move it to the cab of my Hagie Sprayer but for convenience I have a second one that stays in the Hagie at all times.
The Liquid Product Control Module has a flow meter input connection. It works well with Raven flow meters as well as other brands. It has outputs for a control valve and can work with all control valve setups such as inline butterfly, by pass butterfly, hydraulic Servo, PWM hydraulic valves etc. It also has outputs for 10 boom sections.
Various cables are needed to connect the display, modules, flow meter, control valve etc together. This will vary depending on the physical layout of the rig. For example with an implement such as a planter or pull-type sprayer, a disconnect point at the hitch is necessary. With a self-propelled sprayer or spreader this is not a concern so different wiring would be a better fit.
You specifically ask if a minimum flow rate feature available? The answer is yes and works exactly like the Raven. You enter a minimum flow rate/minute that you wish to always maintain. Generally the reason for doing this is to prevent poor patterns or tip check off at lower than normal ground speeds. I use the feature on our planter so that we get good flow (a bit over target rate) when we need to slow way down with the planter to avoid obstacles. Like a Raven this low flow rate is "factored" for the boom percentage that is actually ON. Also like a Raven an audible alarm sounds and a warning message when you have reached this low limit.
You ask about a "self-test" speed. This too is available and is referred to as a "Manual Speed". Unlike a Raven this Manual speed does NOT kick off automatically when you actually starts to move. You must go into the menu system and change the setting back to a normal speed source.
Raven systems use the "valve cal" concept to control the behavior of the control valve. This is the 2123 number that is commonly used with an inline butterfly valve. The idea of such a number is to allow the system to interact with the control valve in a desirable fashion and can be changed to better tailor this behavior.
Ag Leader does this a bit differently. They have separate items that control the behavior of the system with its control valve. Rather than go through them specifically I'll just say that they work well. The overall idea like Raven is to have the system compare the applied rate with the desired target rate. The items in the setup control how much difference is tolerable from the target rate, how to make minor adjustments so as not to overshoot the target rate and when to make major adjustments to get the applied fairly close to the target rate quickly
There are several other features such as Application Reports, mixing charts etc. that are available.
As I mentioned in my first post, I don't know of anything you would be able to do by leaving the 460 in the sprayer that you will not be able to do by removing it and using the Ag Leader system for all aspects of the spraying operation.
The only concern I can think of is if the Ag Leader system is needed in another rig and you wish to spray at the same time. This was my situation and led to more Ag Leader displays.
Edited by tedbear 6/13/2022 06:09
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Raven with Ag Leader??
