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4 GFS (GROUND FOLLOWING
SYSTEM) OPERATIONS
DANGER
Never walk or work under
elevated spray boom. If a
component should fail, or co-worker
moves a hydraulic control, severe
injury or death could result.
GFS is a simple system which when properly adjusted
will:
Improve sprayer accuracy, and reduce spray drift.
Enhance performance of chemical by ensuring
uniform application.
Reduce stress on the operator.
The GFS system incorporates a gauge wheel on each
section, to feel the ground level as the sprayer moves
forward with a hydraulic assist that carries more than
80% of the boom weight on the hydraulic cylinder.
When the GFS master switch is in the OFF position,
the boom is a normal manual controlled boom and
must not be operated with the wheel contacting the
ground.
FIGURE 12 IN CAB CONTROL BOX
GFS off mode is selected for:
folding,
transport either driving down the road or on a
trailer,
service work, cleaning and checking nozzles or
greasing the boom,
spraying crop or stubble that is too high to be
sprayed with the boom wheel on the ground,
typically those crops that are more than 8 high, or
those that pull back too hard on the wheel, such
that boom damage may result.
GFS on mode is selected for:
those conditions where the boom wheel may run
on the ground without being pulled too far back by
crop or stubble,
for conditions where only one boom is required to
clear an obstacle while the other boom is normally
following the ground with GFS functioning.
A typical sequence in a field would be as follows:
1. Raise both boom wheels up approximately 6 feet
(2 m) or as high as a man s head.
2. Move the GFS master switch to ON position.
3. Tap the left boom DOWN switch, and observe that
the boom floats to the ground in 2-3 seconds
normal for a GFS equipped boom. If the boom
goes down faster than 2 seconds, consider a
pressure adjustment as per 4.2 GFS Hydraulic
Pressure Adjustments, page 22 and 4.2 GFS
Trouble Shooting later in this section. If the boom
takes more than 3 seconds to reach the ground,
watch the performance of the booms to see that
the booms are not hanging up in the air coming off
of rises in the field. If the boom does not move, the
GFS needs service as per 4.5 GFS Trouble
Shooting. The green light under L on the switch
box light should come on and stay on until the UP
switch is activated. The green light means that that
boom is in GFS mode.
4. Tap the right boom Down switch, and repeat
observations above. The GFS has been checked
and is now ready to proceed across the field.
During normal operation, observe that boom
wheels are frequently just skimming the ground,
when the wheel leaves the top of a sharp rise, the
tire should not follow the ground for a short
distance (10 to 50 feet) depending on forward
ground speed and sharpness of drop
5. When a washout, stone pile, or other obstacle is
encountered, use the UP switch to lift the one
boom that needs to be carried over the obstacle to
raise the boom. Note that the green GFS indicator
light for that boom will go out. When the boom UP
switch is released, the boom will stay up until past
the obstacle.
6. After passing the obstacle, tap (not hold) the
DOWN switch to reactivate the GFS on that side,
the green light should immediately come back on
and the boom should float to the ground.
7. Check that the green light for both booms is on
periodically as the field is sprayed.
8. If a plugged nozzle is noticed, stop forward motion
, move GFS master switch to OFF, press the UP
switch to raise the boom wheels clear of the
ground, follow all other safety procedures, and
service the spray tip. When ready to commence
spraying, move the GFS switch to ON, tap both
boom DOWN switches to reactivate GFS, observe
that booms float down, and that the green lights
under L and R come on, and proceed to spray.
9. When the field is finished, move the GFS master
switch to OFF
21
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