Precision Landforming & Laser Levelling For Farm & Land Development
Based in Gatton, Queensland and servicing Toowoomba and the Lockyer Valley, Ryan Johnson of RJ’s Earthworks has been specialising in agricultural landforming for land and farm development for 15 years.
Starting in 2007 with one Bobcat, RJ’s Earthworks now boasts an impressive fleet and utilises a range of equipment to ensure clients get the most precise landforming solution for their requirements.
Ryan achieved greater achieve accuracy and parallel fields with correct widths when he began using Trimble’s Autopilot Automated Steering system in his scrapers.
After seeing these benefits, Ryan adopted Trimble’s FieldLevel™ II System with Auto Steering and Guidance, and BMS Cross Slope System to accurately remodel field topography on all his earthworks machinery.
“From flat and dual grade lasers, FieldLevel™ II systems, two autosteering systems for our control laser buckets, we partner with Vantage BMS for pretty much everything,” says.
RJ’s Earthworks works with Vantage BMS for their landforming designs, laser levels and Trimble systems for their earthworks equipment.
“For us,” continues Ryan, “using these systems takes out room for user error and makes the job a lot faster - which, in the end, saves us money.”
When RJ’s Earthworks quote an earthworks job, they survey the intended field and submit their surveys to their local, experienced Vantage BMS rep, Gerard Hoffman. Using OptiSurface software, Gerard creates optimised landforming designs that minimise the amount of earthworks while still ensuring consistent surface drainage.
“We use the OptiSurface designs to efficiently move the correct amount of dirt per job with fewer puddles and zero standing water,” explains Gerard. “The precise measurements from the Optisurface landforming designs help RJ’s Earthworks present more accurate quotes for their clients.”
The landforming designs provide optimal drainage and erosion control to minimise the amount of earthmoving required, saving RJ’s Earthworks up to 80% on earthworks, improving their efficiency and bottom line.
“Once we’ve consulted with the RJ’s team, we convert the design into a field control file that their machines work from,” says Gerard. “The file is loaded into the FieldLevel™ II system, which automatically controls the height of the laser bucket.”
The FieldLevel™ II system installed on RJ’s Earthworks grading equipment provides more accurate earthmoving by automatically controlling the hydraulic valves on their laser buckets when moving across fields.
Paired with the FieldLevel™ II system, RJ’s Earthworks also use the BMS Cross Slope System. The FieldLevel™ II system controls the height of the laser bucket while the angle of the laser bucket is controlled by the Cross Slope System. These independent systems work in tandem to automatically keep the bucket level to accurately create drains with a level floor.
For further earthworks precision, RJ’s Earthworks utilise Trimble’s Autopilot Automated Steering System for all their laser buckets. The system automatically steers the machine with maximum precision, allowing RJ’s Earthworks to create parallel passes with correct bed widths for their clients.
The Autopilot Automated Steering System keeps the earthworks blocks parallel while reducing overlap, enabling the RJ’s Earthworks team to get the job done quicker and more precisely.
“For anyone working in the earthworks moving industry, I would recommend working with Vantage BMS for all their Trimble precision equipment and OptiSurface design software." Says Ryan,
"The products are unbelievable and the customer support we receive from Vantage BMS with installations and software updates is fantastic.”
“We’ve been working closely with RJ’s team for 10 years now,” says Vantage rep, Gerard. “They’re a great crew and very easy to work with. We deal with them regularly and support them with the latest precision technology in any way we can.”
For the last four decades, Vantage has been providing Australian farmers with Trimble’s precision agriculture equipment and GPS-based technologies to boost yield and maximise productivity.
“There is no real competition for farm development and GPS levelling equipment, Trimble is the best there is. Their GPS Guidance equipment helps us monitor and map our information in real-time - saving us time and money,” Ryan claims.
“From day one, Vantage BMS have been very accommodating and quick to respond to us. They’ve always looked after us and we couldn’t do our job without them.”
Vantage BMS’ end-to-end landforming solutions have helped farmers and earthmoving contractors effectively manage ponding, inconsistent drainage and erosion using industry-leading solutions.
Call 1300 TRIMBLE and chat with the experienced Vantage BMS team to find the right precision earthworks solutions for you.
