LACOS ISOBUS-LenksystemeLenken, steuern und dokumentieren über ein Terminal

At LEDAB we advise farmers and contractors nationwide on which LACOS configuration suits their machines and farm structure. We check free of charge whether your existing ISOBUS infrastructure allows direct integration or whether additional modules are needed.

Section Control: automatic section switching

The main reason farms choose LACOS over CHCNAV is Section Control. The system switches individual nozzles or spreader sections automatically – wherever work has already been done. A detailed system comparison is provided on the parallel guidance systems page.

How Section Control works

The terminal stores which areas have been worked. When you reach a headland or an overlap occurs, the system switches the affected sections. Automatically. The driver sees it on the display but does not have to intervene.

Example of a field sprayer with a 27-metre working width and 9 sections: at headlands the passes overlap. Without Section Control you spray twice there. With Section Control the system switches off the outer sections as soon as you drive into the already-worked area. In field trials the saving on crop protection products is 8–12% with unchanged effect. The actual saving depends on farm size, working width, field shape and individual overlap.

With a fertiliser spreader with a 36-metre working width and 12 sections, Section Control reduces the overlap at headlands to under 1%. The savings potential varies depending on farm size, working width and input costs – every farm can work out its own figure.

LACOS terminal: one display for steering and machine

Many ISOBUS machine manufacturers offer their own terminals – Amazone AMAPAD, Horsch ISOBUS Touch, Lemken ISOBUS Pro. These control the machine, but they do not steer. The result: one terminal per machine plus a second for guidance. Two displays, two operating logics, two sources of error.

With LACOS: one terminal for machine and guidance. One interface, one logic.

LACOS LC ONE – ISOBUS Universal Terminal

The LC ONE is the entry-level terminal in the LACOS world: 10-inch display, ISOBUS UT capable, 3D field view. It combines guidance and ISOBUS machine control in one interface. Anyone who needs Section Control or Variable Rate Control adds the relevant modules – the system grows with the farm.

LACOS LC TWO – 12-inch display for demanding field work

The LC TWO brings 12 inches of display area – noticeably more overview with simultaneous guidance, ISOBUS machine view and field map. Especially for contractors and farms with several changing implements, the larger working area makes a real difference in daily use. The terminal supports Section Control, Variable Rate Control and all common LACOS modules.

Variable Rate Application: site-specific application

VRA automatically adjusts the application rate to the yield potential of the sub-area. You create application maps – manually based on soil analyses or automatically from yield maps – and load the map onto the terminal. While driving, the system reads the GPS position, compares it with the map and regulates the application rate automatically.

Nitrogen fertilisation example: a field with three sub-areas – light sandy soils, medium loam soils, heavy clay soils. The terminal reads the GPS position and regulates the spreader rate per sub-area automatically: less on low-yield sandy soils, more on productive loam soils. On the display the driver sees position, current application rate and deviation from the target rate in real time – without manual adjustment in the field.

VRA requires preparatory work – soil samples, yield mapping – and mainly pays off on large, heterogeneous areas. For farms under 100 hectares or homogeneous soils, VRA is oversized. Section Control is sufficient in these cases.

ISOBUS compatibility: which machines work with LACOS?

LACOS communicates via the ISOBUS standard with all compatible machines – fertiliser spreaders, field sprayers, seed drills. The implement data is stored in the system; after initial setup the terminal recognises the connected machine automatically. Whether your machine is fully supported is checked in advance by LEDAB – make, model and year of construction are enough.

The following manufacturers and machine types have been operated with LACOS in practice – the ISOBUS communication has been verified. For machines outside this list, LEDAB advises individually on compatibility:

• Amazone: ZA-M fertiliser spreaders, UX field sprayers, Cirrus seed drills
• Horsch: Pronto seed drills, Leeb fertiliser spreaders, Sprinter field sprayers
• Lemken: Solitair seed drills, Venta fertiliser spreaders, Azurit hoes
• Kverneland: Optima seed drills, Geospread fertiliser spreaders, iXtra field sprayers
• Väderstad: Tempo seed drills, Spirit field sprayers
• Kuhn: Axis fertiliser spreaders, Metris field sprayers

This list is not exhaustive. ISOBUS is standardised under ISO 11783 – if the machine is ISOBUS compliant, it works with LACOS. Contractors with changing machines benefit particularly here: one LACOS terminal runs with different ISOBUS implements, regardless of the tractor.

Retrofitting LACOS: which variant suits your tractor?

LACOS systems can be retrofitted in three ways – Steer-Ready CAN, a hydraulic PWM valve or a steering-wheel motor. All three variants deliver the same RTK track accuracy. The full comparison with installation times and costs can be found on the retrofit a steering system page; details on the CHCNAV steering technology used and on the RTK steering system on the respective pages.

• Steer-Ready/CAN bus: tractors with factory steering preparation enable the cleanest LACOS integration – no mechanical intervention at the steering wheel, the cab stays unchanged. Typical for Fendt from approx. 2010, John Deere from approx. 2011–2014, CLAAS from approx. 2013. Details on Steer-Ready compatibility per brand can be found on the retrofit a steering system page, brand-specific information on the RTK steering system, Fendt steering system and John Deere steering system pages.
• Hydraulic/PWM valve: no Steer-Ready available, but no steering-wheel motor wanted either. A proportional valve is integrated into the hydraulic circuit – silent in the cab, no wear on the steering wheel.
• Steering-wheel motor: universal solution for older tractors without CAN bus preparation. Works with practically any vehicle, including self-propelled and special machines.

LACOS sets are available for all three variants – whether Steer-Ready CAN, Steer-Ready PWM or steering-wheel-motor retrofit. Which path makes technical sense for your tractor is clarified by LEDAB before installation. All retrofit variants compared: retrofit a steering system.

LACOS or CHCNAV?

Both systems steer with ±2.5 cm RTK accuracy. The decisive difference: LACOS connects the steering system via ISOBUS directly to your implements – including Section Control for automatic section management. For farms looking for precise guidance without task-controller connection, CHCNAV is the more economical choice.

Choose LACOS if:

• You use ISOBUS machines from Amazone, Horsch, Lemken or Kverneland
• You need Section Control for automatic section switching
• You are planning Variable Rate Application
• You want to combine steering and machine control in one operating interface

Choose CHCNAV if:

• You do not need ISOBUS integration – the system then works with full RTK guidance, without extra cost for functions you do not use.
• Your main goal is eliminating overlaps: with ±2.5 cm RTK accuracy, overlaps stay under 1% – without an ISOBUS surcharge.
• Budget is the main factor: the NX510 is the entry-level system – full RTK track accuracy, without the additional modules you do not need.

Which system suits your machines? We check ISOBUS compatibility and calculate the Section Control savings – honestly and without sales rhetoric.

LACOS funding: what is eligible?

LACOS steering systems with RTK guidance and Section Control can be subsidised under various funding programmes for precision-farming technologies – for example via BULE (the German federal rural development programme) or individual regional programmes. Eligibility depends on the respective programme, the farm structure and the application status.

Whether your LACOS set is eligible in the current programme period and which documents you need, we clarify at LEDAB in advance. Talk to us – before you order, not afterwards.

LACOS sets at a glance

LACOS systems are available in various configurations – depending on the retrofit path, terminal size and desired range of functions. All sets combine CHCNAV steering technology with the LACOS ISOBUS platform. The most important configurations at a glance:

LACOS setup: ISOBUS has to communicate

LEDAB partner workshops handle the complete on-site setup: mounting the display, laying the wiring, the GPS antenna on the roof, installing the control box, connecting the ISOBUS cable. Then switching on the terminal, letting it detect the machine, loading the implement database, configuring the basic settings (working width, sections, application rate), testing Section Control, fine-tuning reaction time and switching accuracy. LEDAB coordinates installation nationwide – with workshops that know LACOS systems.

ISOBUS setup is more complex than pure guidance. At LEDAB the team stays available until the system runs reliably – whether questions about switching accuracy come up on the first day in the field or the Section Control needs readjusting.

LEDAB and LACOS: installation, instruction and support nationwide

LEDAB is active nationwide as a specialist dealer and installation partner for LACOS systems. We check free of charge which set suits your machine, coordinate installation through our dealer network and support the initial setup in the field. Due to the ISOBUS setup, LACOS sets are more complex than pure guidance systems – we do not install anything we have not instructed ourselves.

For contractors: LACOS runs with changing ISOBUS machines on one terminal. We check in advance which of your implements are fully supported – and which modules you really need, not just which are sellable. The total costs of GPS steering systems and their profitability for your farm can be found in the overview all GPS steering systems compared.

Do you have questions about LACOS or want to know whether your tractor is compatible? Send us the make, model and year of construction – LEDAB will get back to you promptly. Technical details on the RTK steering system can be found on the corresponding page.

The information on savings potential on this page is based on example calculations and field trials. The actual saving depends on farm size, crop rotation, inputs, working widths and individual overlap. Further background on profitability can be found on the retrofit a steering system page and on the CHCNAV steering system page.