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We are in the cab as Matt Weiland, one of John Deere's Precision Construction Instructors, walks us through important settings on a 470G SmartGrade Excavator. Learn how to navigate the system, adjust arm speed, check your machine against a rover and change what you see on the screen, among other important settings. Like what you see here? Subscribe to our YouTube channel to stay in the loop on the latest in 3D GPS machine control technology.

We are in the cab as Matt Weiland, one of John Deere's Precision Construction Instructors, teaches us how to initiate automatic control on a 470G SmartGrade excavator. Learn how to easily turn on standard automatics, bucket automatics and grade protect. Like what you see here? Subscribe to our YouTube channel to stay in the loop on the latest in 3D GPS machine control technology.

Quantum Land Design is proud to announce we will have a booth at the World of Concrete 2022. The show runs January 18-20 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. We will be in the North Hall booth N2566 in the Technology for Construction area. Stop by anytime, we would be happy to meet and talk paving technology. Like to save a few bucks on your registration? Use this link to register you and your crew. It's good through December 13th. Shoot us an email if you would like to schedule a meeting while you are in Las Vegas, sales@avqld.com.

It seems simple but, too often, machine control basics like keeping the rover level and stable are overlooked when calibrating GPS to a construction site.

We are in the cab as Matt Weiland, one of John Deere's Precision Construction Instructors, walks us through the basic functionality of the 2D Smart Grade system. Learn how to navigate the system and set up your mainfall and crossfall slope to grade the site exactly how you want. Even learn a quick trick to reverse the slope to allow you to match the same grade will running the opposite direction. Like what you see here? Subscribe to our YouTube channel to stay in the loop on the latest in 3D GPS machine control technology.

John Deere has added a couple more tools to the contractor's machine control toolbox. They now offer the 210G LC and 350G LC excavators with factory installed and calibrated SmartGrade systems. There is a lot of excitement among our friends at Deere Construction dealers to get these machine in the field. We are sure their customers agree. Preliminary feedback from the dealers is that the systems are class leading, but we will leave it up to the contractors for the final review. Click on the photo below for Deere's full press release.

Case Construction is now offering Leica 3D and 2D machine control right from the factory. It's available on the 750M through 2050M dozers, a range of sizes that fit most contractors needs for a versatile machine. You can't beat manufacturer designed, validated and installed construction technology ready to work the day your new bulldozer rolls off the lowboy. Click on the link below for the details --> Case Introduces Factory-Fit Machine Control for Dozers Need 3D machine control models for that new dozer? We are here to help

Quantum Land Design played a hidden, but big part in Caterpillar's Operator Stadium demos at Conexpo/Con-Agg 2020. Quantum's machine control model was hard at work in every demo keeping Cat Grade Control on grade and the "race track" graded to perfection every time. Quantum's team worked closely with Cat to get the design perfect while balancing the dirt as the design evolved into a racetrack for Cat's UTV. Quantum's team can help balance your construction site using the same expertise we applied to Caterpillar's demo. Stop by our machine control modeling page to learn more. Here are a few videos and pictures Cat's Operator Stadium before and during Conexpo 2020. Quantum's GPS machine control model hard at work. Pre-Conexpo set up and live show compilation. Caterpillar's remote controlled wheel loader always peaked the audiences interest. Cat's UTV putting the completed track to use. Here Cat's D6 starts to cut in the banked curve. The operator stadium had almost every piece of equipment on the move all of the time.

This is truly "Machine Control Made Easy"! This Komatsu Construction 490LCi is grinding a wall, underwater, in a barge lock. In years past, this work would have required draining the lock. An expensive and time consuming process. With the latest Komatsu Smart Construction tech, a Quantum model and great dealer support this contractor made it look easy. This video is supposed to be boring. The contractor completed this USACE project at a reduced cost and well ahead of river opening in just a few days.

Quantum Land Design was recently featured in Propeller Aero's Thought Leaders Blog series. The blog post expands on Zach's Tech Talk at Conexpo-Conagg 2020. Zach discusses a few things you should think about before you jump into the latest drone tech, how you can use the machine control technology you already own and why you need to examine you current workflow to determine how drone data will work with it. If you would like to dig a little further into drones and drone data, take a look at the Quantum Flight Pack, and feel free to Email or call us at 515-505-3510. For your convenience, we have also placed the text below. Drone Data Never Works Alone: Integrating Drone Surveys into Your Existing Workflow This is an article contribution from Zach Pieper, director of operations at Quantum Land Design. Propeller showcases thought leaders from the construction, aggregates, and mining community through collaborative content creation. We’re asking real people on the worksite to write about real problems they’ve encountered, and to share the practical solutions that have made life easier. Drone data can change your business—or so you’ve been told. In this post, I will share examples of how it did for several contractors, but first, let's take a look at a few questions you should know the answers to before you jump into drone data. What information you expect to derive from your drone flights? Do you just need to measure a few stockpiles? Maybe you need to quantify earth moved for monthly pay applications. What gap in your current processes are you trying to fill? Keep in mind a drone is a versatile tool but may not be the best solution for the problem you are trying to solve. Can you leverage construction technology you already own to get the answers you need? Or can you use it to enhance your drone data? More than likely, if you are looking into drones, GPS machine control is already a big part of your operation. Can you use your base and rover in conjunction with your takeoff software to multiply some of the benefits you expect from drone data? Often, a hybrid technology solution can save you the most time and money. What needs to be done to make sure your new technology will fit into your existing workflow and information streams? Think about how you can get data from your drone to work with your takeoff software, CAD, GIS, and even your project management software. It's usually best to get the most out of the software and hardware you already own, rather than starting over with new tech that comes with its own learning curve. Making sure that your drone data will mesh with your other tools is a very important, and often overlooked, aspect of the technology. Now let's take a look at a few real-world project examples to help you understand how drone data can fill some gaps in your current processes. 1. Documenting the difference before and after earthwork A small family-owned contractor we work with was in the process of starting earthwork on a new subdivision project. The contractor flew the project before and after earthwork was completed. Here is what the contractor learned from just two drone flights on this small project: The total volume of cut and fill earthwork on the site. Excess dirt moved for a change order to upgrade the home lots to allow walkout basements. The volume of excess cut dirt left over on the property for future use or sale. The orthophoto and topo provided much of the information required by the city's as-built requirements. A pre-construction topo for the next phase of the subdivision. Finally, the volume of woodchips generated from site clearing operations. Remember, all of the information above was derived from two drone flights. The drone data was easily loaded into the contractor’s takeoff software and compared to their takeoff and machine control model. 2. Faster, safer stockpile measurements Demolition is an application that is less often mentioned when it comes to drone data. Surprisingly, there can be a lot of benefit derived from a single drone flight. One of our contractors was challenged by a developer to provide an estimate to crush all of the broken concrete on an old industrial site. Normally, the contractor would have used his GPS base and rover to survey the piles. In this case, it was not safe or practical to walk dozens of piles. A drone flight was the only option. Once the site was flown, the photos were processed and a 3D surface of the existing site was generated. The contractor was able to use the 3D surface in his takeoff software to determine the quantity of broken concrete to be recycled. They also presented the developer with a preliminary earthwork estimate for the future development. 3. Hyper-accurate measurement when it matters This road improvement project was almost all fill, requiring a significant amount of earthwork. The original topo was based off of years-old LIDAR data. As the contractor was paid by the cubic yard, it was important to have an accurate topo of both the road and the borrow pit. They used their GPS system to measure ground control before flying the road project and the new borrow pit. Once the drone data was processed into a bare earth surface, they were able to derive several pieces of important information. First, the drone flight was compared to the machine control model to determine how many yards needed to be moved and where material needed to be placed to build the road. Second, the borrow area was evaluated to ensure it could provide enough fill. Third, the contractor used these flights in conjunction with future drone flights to measure production. By accurately measuring production they were able to fine tune their bidding and earthmoving processes. As you can tell from the examples above, the key to getting the most out of your drone data is making sure it will work with other information you use to manage your projects. For civil construction contractors, this probably means that the drone data will need to mesh with your takeoff software and machine control models. (Don’t forget to take a deeper look at the construction technology you already own, too. More than likely, it may be able to supplement or even improve the data derived from your drone flights.) Just remember, before you bring a drone into your operation be sure to understand what information you are trying to obtain and how you will get it to work within your existing workflow. You never work alone your drone data shouldn’t either.

Your Quantum Flight Pack is a great tool, but like any tool, you need to know the right way to use it. Getting the camera settings right in any lighting situation is key to collecting the best data you can. In under a minute, you can learn how to adjust your DJI drone for low light conditions common in the colder months of the year. Have questions? Just email me or call at 515-505-3510 ex 702.

Good ground control is key to getting the best data you can out of your Quantum Flight Pack. Watch and learn the thought process that went into placing this Ground Control Point. Proper ground control placement will ensure that your drone data lines up with your machine control model. Have questions? Just email me or call at 515-505-3510 ex 702.