System Offers Precision Control Land Shaping
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Whether leveling fields or improving drainage, Northern Plains Drainage Systems (NPDS) has the technology needed. The company made its name with RTK GPS field surveying and drainage before moving into supplying tile plows. From there, it was a simple step to address land shaping for drainage.
“Farmers have always been our main focus,” says Joel Classen, NPDS. “We started off as a family farm operation with lots of drainage challenges. My brother-in-law went to school for GIS (geographic information systems), and we teamed up doing drainage design for contractors.”
In 2016, they introduced Ditch Assist, an automated RTK machine control system designed for use with scrapers, ditchers and land levelers. Ditch Assist can also be used to control grade on many pitch and cantilever tile plows.
They later introduced Ditch Assist X for use with excavator and backhoe on-grade guidance. It’s an add-on to a Ditch Assist system. Utilizing RTK GPS and machine-mounted sensors, it provides operators with precise information on bucket elevation, enabling accurate digging without the need for manual grade checks or laser setups.
The company later developed Ditch Assist DIG as a less expensive, stand-alone system for excavator grade control in simple, straight-line work. Unlike Ditch Assist X, it doesn’t offer mapping capabilities, survey data exports or 3D design imports.
“We have large and small farms using our systems, with larger farms often using multiple systems,” says Classen. “The systems offer machine control beyond drainage. A lot of what we sell internationally is for earthmoving for irrigation. Quite a bit goes to South America for rice production.”
Classen notes that the farmer/customer can do the installation of the wireless systems.
“It’s color blind and can be moved from brand to brand and between different types of equipment,” he says. “It’s designed to be easy to install and one size fits all.”
The entry point for a complete Ditch Assist kit with hydraulic automation is around $7,500.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Northern Plains Drainage Systems, Box 9, Elm Creek, Manitoba, Canada R0G 0N0 (ph 877-354-2899; www.drainage.farm; www.ditchassist.com).
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System Offers Precision Control Land Shaping
Whether leveling fields or improving drainage, Northern Plains Drainage Systems (NPDS) has the technology needed. The company made its name with RTK GPS field surveying and drainage before moving into supplying tile plows. From there, it was a simple step to address land shaping for drainage.
“Farmers have always been our main focus,” says Joel Classen, NPDS. “We started off as a family farm operation with lots of drainage challenges. My brother-in-law went to school for GIS (geographic information systems), and we teamed up doing drainage design for contractors.”
In 2016, they introduced Ditch Assist, an automated RTK machine control system designed for use with scrapers, ditchers and land levelers. Ditch Assist can also be used to control grade on many pitch and cantilever tile plows.
They later introduced Ditch Assist X for use with excavator and backhoe on-grade guidance. It’s an add-on to a Ditch Assist system. Utilizing RTK GPS and machine-mounted sensors, it provides operators with precise information on bucket elevation, enabling accurate digging without the need for manual grade checks or laser setups.
The company later developed Ditch Assist DIG as a less expensive, stand-alone system for excavator grade control in simple, straight-line work. Unlike Ditch Assist X, it doesn’t offer mapping capabilities, survey data exports or 3D design imports.
“We have large and small farms using our systems, with larger farms often using multiple systems,” says Classen. “The systems offer machine control beyond drainage. A lot of what we sell internationally is for earthmoving for irrigation. Quite a bit goes to South America for rice production.”
Classen notes that the farmer/customer can do the installation of the wireless systems.
“It’s color blind and can be moved from brand to brand and between different types of equipment,” he says. “It’s designed to be easy to install and one size fits all.”
The entry point for a complete Ditch Assist kit with hydraulic automation is around $7,500.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Northern Plains Drainage Systems, Box 9, Elm Creek, Manitoba, Canada R0G 0N0 (ph 877-354-2899; www.drainage.farm; www.ditchassist.com).
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