Trimble has introduced its Trimble GCS900 Grade Control System version 10.8, which provides automatic blade control, configurable earthworks progress monitoring and blade guidance software on the machine to enable operators to be more efficient and productive.
The Trimble GCS900 Grade Control System version 10.8 allows earthworks operators to visualise, construct and balance road surfaces more accurately and faster, in higher gears.
GCS900 is a modular grade control system for applications ranging from mass excavation to finished grade earthworks and compaction.
The Trimble GCS900 Grade Control System version 10.8 can improve contractor productivity by providing operators with better information faster, and by offering more control to machine operators on site.
Automatic blade control performance enhancements for dozers
With version 10.8, the Trimble GCS900 has optimised automatic blade control settings for dozers. Working closely with multiple equipment manufacturers, Trimble has developed specialised interface settings that optimise hydraulic performance on the dozer when the Trimble GCS900 Grade Control System is automatically controlling the dozer blade.
No additional sensors or expensive hardware add-on kits are required to achieve this level of automatic performance. This performance allows the operator to grade, not just simple pads and slopes, but complex design surfaces and alignments at faster speeds, without sacrificing grade control accuracy or quality of the final graded surface.
New on-machine software enhancements
The Trimble GCS900 Grade Control System version 10.8 is an on-machine software, which offers enhancements to the operator configurable software, including improved earthworks progress information and configurable blade guidance options.
Operators can grade to cut / fill maps representing the total earthworks progress on the job site, generated from the Trimble SiteVision Office Productivity Module. These cut / fill maps are generated from productivity data collected from each machine equipped with Trimble GCS900 Grade Control System version 10.8 and represent the total earthworks progress on the job site.
As machines work, the cut / fill maps are updated. The data can be transferred back to the office at the end of a shift, reprocessed and transferred back to the machines at the start of the next shift. Operators of all abilities can benefit from this new capability by immediately visualising target areas that require further excavation to get to design grade, anywhere on the jobsite.
New blade tip guidance options display enhanced real-time guidance information to the operator. The operator can configure custom guidance to multiple road elements from each blade tip, as the machine travels across the design.
These new custom guidance blade tip guidance options allow the operator to configure the system to suit the needs of any fine grade application and provide even more in-cab real-time guidance information for high accuracy grade control capability.
The Trimble GCS900 Grade Control System version 10.8 is expected to be available in April 2008 through the Trimble worldwide construction distributor network.
