Rate Controllers

Do you want to save on input costs? Do you wish your current application equipment was variable rate capable, speed compensated, and section control compatible? Are you looking to add a fertilizer system to your planter? The John Deere GreenStar Rate Controller, available in liquid and dry modules, is a cost effective, adaptable solution for all brands and ages of equipment. Adapter harnesses for most common manual rate controllers on the market make GreenStar Rate Controller installation plug and play on many sprayers.

John Deere GreenStar Rate Controllers have been around, unchanged, a long time for technology. The liquid controller was released in 2007 and the dry in 2012. They haven't changed in over a decade because they had all the features you need in an application controller and they are built to last. Deer Country has the utmost confidence in setting these up. They are one of our favorite products because of how easy they are to install and how little trouble they give us. They are also a farmer favorite with an instant smile on their face the first time they run a sprayer after switching from an analog controller with manual section switches to a fully automatic, digital system. A GreenStar Rate Controller is also a cost effective solution, most sprayers convert from a controller like a Raven 450 or TeeJet 844 to GreenStar for under $2,500.

Every Rate Controller includes the controller, housing, mounting plate, mounting hardware, standard integration harness, and foot switch. All rate controllers require a BPF10403 harness to install the foot switch in the cab (unless using certain Ag Express rate controller harnesses). Stand alone Rate Controller installations require an implement harness or cab harness to put the controller on the CANbus. Installing a Rate Controller on a SeedStar planter for liquid fertilizer control will integrate into the planter CAN with the included standard harness. Adapter harnesses are available for most common analog rate controllers to connect directly to the standard harness, leaving the original wiring intact. Custom wiring harnesses are available to put Rate Controllers on any machine or implement you can dream up. There are quite a few non-Deere self-propelled sprayers running GreenStar around southeastern PA that were custom outfitted by Deer Country with the help of Ag Express Electronics who builds our harnesses. 

At the most basic, the only input a liquid Rate Controller requires is a flowmeter. Liquid manure tanks with large magmeters can be set up this way to monitor and map gallons per acre while broadcasting manure. Controlling manure flow with a hydraulically actuated valve is possible but requires a fixed spread width with something like a toolbar or injector. The control part of a Rate Controller comes from the valve outputs it can manage. The most common would be the control valve (controls rate in GPM) and section valves. Depending on configuration, up to 14 liquid sections can be set up when using 3 wire valves (most common). Up to 7 sections are available with 2 wire valves (Hardi valves). Most pull type sprayers will still run the pump with the PTO or hydraulic SCVs. If a pump has a pulse width modulated (PWM) controller, the Rate Controller can directly control the pump and does not require a control valve. In PWM scenarios, section valves are not even needed if one section is acceptable as the Rate Controller can shut the pump off when entering coverage. Liquid fertilizer towers for planters from our partner AgXcel use PWM controllers to control voltage to electric pumps directly.

Liquid Rate Controllers can also be configured to operate planter half-width or row clutches, up to 16 sections. Harnessing from Ag Express is often required to run from the controller to every row or to a solenoid bank for air clutches. Even automating the half-width clutches found on earlier planters and air seeders provide the enormous benefit of shutting off at the headlands. While in point rows, half-width does not save on much seed, but being able to enter and exit the headlands at planting speed increases the acres you can cover in a day by not having to stop to drop the planter. It also makes planting into cover crop or harvested rye much easier, especially at night, because you don't have to search for your last headland row to know when to stop. The Rate Controller is not capable of seed monitoring but target population can be entered to create as-applied map layers of your seeding. 

Dry Rate Controllers require an encoder (meter shaft speed) input and control or PWM valve to function. Most dry spreaders require adding an encoder to the main web shaft and changing the manual hydraulic valve out for a PWM controlled valve. Spinner speed monitoring and control is optional. Dry Rate Controllers can control up to 4 product bins on a single spreader. Calibrating the cubic feet per revolution (CFR) for each product is very simple and can often be done stationary. We are still often shocked at how accurate the calibration process is even after only one load. 

For more detailed information, GreenStar Rate Controller and Rate Controller Dry operators manuals can be downloaded for free at the following link. Be sure to select Equipment Publications at the top and then search by model "Rate Controller" to view both manuals.  Search for Equipment Publications - Technical Information Store (deere.com)