Modernising agricultural machinery is becoming increasingly important for farmers looking to improve the efficiency and accuracy of fieldwork.

Instead of investing in expensive new equipment, many choose to upgrade existing tractors by installing modern control and navigation systems.

Technologies like automated steering not only reduce costs and minimise human error, but also significantly boost productivity – especially on large areas and during repetitive operations.

How Automatic Steering Works on a Tractor

An automatic steering system allows a tractor to follow a set route without constant input from the operator. Using GPS or RTK signals, the system controls the steering with high precision – keeping the machine on track and ensuring accurate, straight-line movement during field operations.

Why Farmers Use Automatic Steering in the Field

Autosteering system is used throughout the farming season – from soil preparation to harvest. It helps maintain a precise path, even on uneven terrain or in poor visibility conditions like fog or nighttime.

This is especially valuable on large fields, where manual driving can lead to overlaps or gaps. Autosteering reduces these errors, improving both the quality and efficiency of every operation.

Get More Accurate Results with Autosteering

One of the biggest benefits of automatic steering is improved accuracy in the field. With GPS or RTK guidance, the tractor follows a set path with minimal deviation – often just a few centimetres. This level of precision is crucial during sowing, spraying, fertilising and inter-row cultivation.

Accurate movement ensures even seed and fertiliser distribution, avoiding overlaps and missed spots. It also supports uniform plant growth, reduces competition and helps create ideal conditions for higher, more stable yields.

Use Less Fuel, Fertiliser and Seed

Automatic steering helps reduce input costs by cutting down on wasted passes and overlapping applications. By following a precise route, the system avoids double coverage – a common issue during manual driving – and ensures each part of the field is treated just once. This leads to shorter travel distances and lower fuel use.

It also improves how fertilisers and seeds are applied. With no gaps or overlaps, every dose is used where it’s needed. That’s especially valuable in precision farming, where exact seeding rates and nutrient levels matter.

Over time, these savings reduce production costs and support more sustainable, eco-friendly farming practices.

Eliminate Overlaps and Missed Spots

One major advantage of automatic steering is the reduction of overlaps and gaps during fieldwork. Even skilled operators can struggle to keep the implement width perfectly aligned – especially on uneven or large fields. This often leads to double coverage in some areas and missed patches in others.

Autosteering solves this by calculating and following precise movement paths. The result is full, even coverage without wasted inputs or unworked ground. This improves the effectiveness of every pass and contributes to a higher-quality harvest.

Reduce Operator Fatigue in the Field

Automatic steering takes the pressure off the driver – especially during long, repetitive fieldwork. Without the need to constantly steer, track implement width or stay perfectly aligned, operators experience less physical and mental strain throughout the day.

Instead, they can focus on monitoring the machine, checking implement performance and keeping an eye on overall task quality. This leads to fewer mistakes, greater attentiveness and a more comfortable working environment – particularly important during peak seasons when shifts can last 10–12 hours.

Keep Working in the Dark or Low Visibility

Automatic steering makes it possible to work accurately even at night, in fog or during dusty or rainy conditions. Using a GPS app or RTK guidance, the system keeps the tractor on course without relying on the operator’s visibility. This is especially valuable during busy seasons when work needs to continue day and night.

Without autosteering, night work risks overlaps, gaps and route deviations. With the system in place, field operations can be carried out as precisely as in daylight – helping boost productivity and reduce weather-related delays.

Boost Overall Productivity on the Farm

Automatic steering has a direct impact on farm productivity. With precise and consistent movement across the field, fewer corrections and repeated passes are needed – saving both time and fuel. This is crucial for tasks like sowing, spraying and fertilising, where accuracy leads to better results in less time.

The system also extends working hours by allowing safe operation in low light, fog or rain. And because it handles the steering, even less experienced operators can deliver high-precision results. Together, these benefits help speed up fieldwork, improve resource use and increase the overall profitability of farming operations.

Achieve More Uniform Yields with Precise Processing

Automatic steering helps deliver even, consistent results across the entire field. When driving manually, overlaps and missed spots often lead to uneven seed and fertiliser distribution – which affects crop growth and final yield. Some plants receive too much, others too little.

With autosteering, the tractor follows an exact path, ensuring every part of the field gets the same treatment. That means equal spacing, balanced nutrients and consistent crop protection.

The result? More even emergence, healthier development and a more uniform, predictable harvest.

Reduce Wear and Tear on Your Equipment

One of the less visible but highly valuable benefits of automatic steering is reduced equipment wear. Manual driving often leads to slight jerks, sharp turns and uneven loads on the transmission, chassis and mounted tools – all of which speed up wear over time.

Autosteering ensures smooth, steady movement along an optimised route. This reduces stress on the steering system, axles, clutches and tyres, helping extend the lifespan of your machinery.

In high-use conditions, that means fewer breakdowns, lower maintenance costs and more reliable field performance.

Repeat Field Routes with Precision Season After Season

One major advantage of automatic steering is the ability to repeat exact driving lines across multiple seasons. The system records route data, allowing the tractor to follow the same paths for sowing, fertilising or inter-row cultivation year after year – ideal for working with perennial crops or narrow-row systems.

Repeating routes helps prevent soil compaction in the same spots, protects plant root systems and distributes load more evenly across the field. It also makes it easier to plan seasonal work and get the most out of every square metre of land.

Get Consistent Results – No Matter Who’s in the Cab

Automatic steering reduces the need for highly experienced operators behind the wheel. The system handles the key task of staying on course, allowing even less experienced drivers to perform precise, accurate work in the field.

This helps minimise human error – like missed rows, uneven coverage or poor overlap – and reduces the risk of damaging crops or equipment.

It also makes staff training easier and helps farms maintain consistent quality during busy seasons, when every machine and worker counts.