USE CASES
FLEET MAINTENANCE SCHEDULES (AGRICULTURE)
From tractors and harvesters to sprayers and mowers, there is a wide array of equipment used in farming. Agricultural machinery is complex by itself bringing a number of matters to consider for its managers – productivity levels, safety of operation, and fuel expenditure, to name just a few. Timely vehicle maintenance is one of them too and, luckily, GPS devices come to assistance to facilitate this task
INTRO
From tractors and harvesters to sprayers and mowers, there is a wide array of equipment used in farming. Agricultural machinery is complex by itself bringing a number of matters to consider for its managers – productivity levels, safety of operation, and fuel expenditure, to name just a few. Timely vehicle maintenance is one of them too and, luckily, GPS devices come to assistance to facilitate this task.
CHALLENGE
Keeping agricultural equipment in good condition is vital. Losing several machines or even one of them due to unexpected breakdowns can cause considerable losses and complications in scheduled operations. Moreover, using paper to keep the record of the fleet’s scheduled maintenance is cumbersome and time-consuming. The chance of making mistakes cannot be ruled out either what can lead to overdue maintenance, disruptions in business and unforeseen expenses. In the worst-case scenarios, the safety of drivers can also be put at risk.
SOLUTION
To avoid maintenance-related headache and make customers’ life easier, integrators can offer a solution to the above-mentioned problems. The process of fleet maintenance can be automated with the help of GPS tracking devices. The larger the fleet the more attractive this solution is for the owner. Tracking maintenance schedules becomes trouble-free by setting reminders when the vehicles need service based on mileage, harvesting time or other parameters.
The best choice for the implementation of this solution is installing advanced tracker FMB130 plus CAN data reader ALL-CAN300. This accessory can monitor CAN data from any kind of transport including agricultural machinery. For their convenience, the clients can check in advance if their equipment is among the more than 450 supported models of harvesters, tractors and other kinds of farming-related vehicles.
Whenever dashboard warning lights are on, information about unexpected faults will be sent to the owner, so they could be solved fast – for example, problems related to engine, brakes, or tire pressure. In addition to data used for managing fleet maintenance, ALL-CAN300 can provide other useful information, such as harvested area, mowing efficiency, grain moisture, threshing status, etc. The number of parameters depends on the vehicle’s model, year of manufacturing and its equipment.
Tracker FMB130 itself has a number of functionalities that owners will find useful in fleet maintenance – negative input for an easy connection of such accessories as vehicle door sensor and configurable digital/analogue inputs for ignition detection and counting working hours. Bluetooth beacons will help to track what equipment is connected to the machinery, while sensors will measure humidity and temperature or detect motion. Additional features include impulse input for fuel flow meters data reading and digital outputs for a variety of remote control scenarios.
TOPOLOGY
BENEFITS
Timely maintenance and service – fleet owners can be sure that vehicles are being kept in a good shape
Efficient management of fleet – tracking vehicle maintenance becomes an automated process with irregularities reduced to a minimum
Avoiding unnecessary costs – be it unexpected repair expenses, time-consuming schedules on paper or productivity levels beyond expectations
Keeping drivers safe – protecting staff from accidents caused by poor and belated maintenance
Additional valuable information – an extensive range of CAN bus data parameters will help to make the most of your agricultural machinery
