A soil cultivating apparatus including a tractor towing a row cultivator
by means of a three-point linkage. The row cultivator includes a fixed
portion and a moveable portion having soil scarifying tools. The movable
portion is laterally moveable relative to the fixed portion by means of
linkages and is effected by a hydraulic actuator under control of tool
bar control systems which is able to determine the position of the
moveable portion relative to the fixed portion by means of a sensor.
Mounted upon the moveable potion is a DGPS antenna GPS receiver that
forms part of the control system. The control system has a microprocessor
which operatively executes a stored program. The microprocessor receives
data from an intra-rig sensor and from the GPS receiver specifying the
absolute coordinate of the movable portion relative to the earth. On the
basis of the data received and in accordance with the instructions in the
program, the microprocessor generates a series of lateral motion commands
which controls the hydraulic actuator. An operator of the system may
enter coordinates defining a desired line of the movable portion by means
of a data entry device. Command prompts and other feedback to the
operator are displayed by means of a screen.