Automatic steering for soil compactors

Horizontal steering control is described as the industry’s first automatic steering system for soil compactors and the next step towards Trimble’s autonomous vision.

“It’s difficult to steer a soil compactor with accuracy and consistency, but over- or under-compaction leads to wasted time and materials and less durable surfaces,” said Scott Crozier, general manager of Trimble Civil Construction. “Horizontal steering control allows operators to focus on machine performance and safety and deliver a higher quality, more consistent surface.”

Trimble Earthwork’s horizontal steering control automatically steers a soil compactor using a 3D model or compaction pass line. This helps to improve compaction productivity and quality for operators of all skill levels by precisely controlling overlap between passes, Trimble says.

Trimble Earthworks uses the NavController III steering technology from the Trimble Agriculture division. In 2020, Trimble also introduced horizontal steering control for dozers, which ensures the machine automatically follows any horizontal alignment such as a curb or roadway centreline.

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