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Ditch Assist® DIG™ Kit · Excavators and backhoes

See grade at the bucket tip. Keep digging.

Sensors on the stick and bucket and an RTK GPS on the stick tell the Ditch Assist app where your bucket tip is. You see cut or fill live in the cab while you run the controls.

Get a DIG™ quote → See how it works ↓

Pull-type scrapers, ditchers or tile plows instead? See the Full Automation Kit and Guidance Only Kit. Grade guidance on a dozer or any other machine? See Ditch Assist Lite.

Field-proven since 2014 · Used in 15+ countries · Engineered in Manitoba, Canada

How DIG works

Two sensors and a GPS tell the app where the bucket tip is.

The RTK GPS rides on a pendulum mount at the top of the stick. Sensors on the stick and bucket read their angles, and the DIG™ module sends it all to the tablet in your cab over Wi-Fi. The app shows the bucket tip against your design, cut or fill, while you run the controls.

Illustration, not to scale.

  1. RTK GPS on the pendulum mount

    Welds to the top of the stick. The pendulum keeps your receiver upright as the stick reaches and curls.

  2. Stick sensor

    Reads the stick angle. IP67, in a protective housing.

  3. Bucket sensor

    Reads the bucket angle, mounted on the dogbone link.

  4. DIG™ module

    Sits by the cab on magnets. The main harness runs over the boom to the sensors, a separate GPS cable goes to the receiver, and Wi-Fi goes to the tablet.

You run the controls. DIG™ shows the grade; it doesn’t move the bucket for you.

In the cab

Excavator mode: the bucket tip, live.

Pick how you want to grade, then dig while the screen shows cut or fill at the bucket tip in big numbers. The grade tone sounds when the bucket tip is on grade, so you can keep your eyes on the bucket.

Excavator mode guidance: cut at the bucket tip, the profile, and the stick and bucket over the target Excavator mode options: new survey, load a design, resume, fixed grade, level area, LandXML Slope-IQ design with grade breaks along the run Excavator mode in centimeters, with the nudge buttons beside the bucket
See Excavator mode → Watch: digging to a Slope-IQ™ design
What goes on the machine

What’s in the kit, and what you add.

Ditch Assist DIG™ IP67 stick and bucket sensors
Stick and bucket sensors
Ditch Assist DIG™ electronics module
DIG™ module
Ditch Assist DIG™ GPS pendulum mount
GPS pendulum mount

In the DIG™ Kit

  • Stick and bucket sensors, IP67, with protective weld-on housings
  • DIG™ module with its Wi-Fi antenna and magnetic mounts
  • Main harness with its power leads, patch cable, and a GPS cable made for your receiver
  • GPS pendulum mount with counterbalance plate

You add

  • An RTK GPS. Yours, or an Emlid bundle on the quote. Check your receiver
  • An Android tablet for the cab: the Samsung Galaxy Tab A11+ is our pick, and we can bundle one with your kit. Tablet recommendations
  • RTK corrections from a base station or a network.

To install

  • Welding. The sensor brackets and the GPS mount weld on, done by a certified welder. Where welding isn’t practical, clamp-on mounts are available through your dealer.
  • 12 V or 24 V machine power. On 24 V, check that your GPS can take it.
  • The manual walks through every step. DIG™ installation manual
Built for excavator work

The GPS mount and the sensor housings.

Assembled Ditch Assist DIG GPS pendulum mount with counterbalance plate
GPS pendulum mount

The GPS rides on the stick.

The mount welds to the top of the stick and keeps the receiver higher than the boom at every angle. The counterbalanced pendulum keeps the receiver upright as the stick reaches, curls and returns.

  • Offset mounts are common. On many machines the mount sits to one side of the line through the boom and bucket pivots, so it and the receiver never hit the machine. That’s fine: during calibration you enter the offset direction (toward or away from the cab) and distance along with the other measurements.
  • Greased pivot, removable pendulum. Felt washers damp the swing while the receiver levels itself. Grease the pivot through its grease nipple regularly. The pendulum unbolts at its flange and moves to the next machine with the sensors and the receiver.
Ditch Assist DIG stick sensor installed in protective mount housing
Stick sensor in protective housing
Ditch Assist DIG bucket sensor installed in protective mount housing
Bucket sensor in protective housing
Protected sensor housings

The housings shield the sensors.

IP67 sensors inside protective housings that weld to the stick and the bucket linkage. Easy to see and easy to check before work.

  • Fixed positions for repeatable setup. Once the sensor brackets are installed on a machine, the system can be calibrated, saved, and recalled later as a machine profile.
  • Easy visual inspection. Before each shift, check that each sensor sits tight and undamaged in its housing and that its cable isn’t rubbed, pinched or near heat. The sensors stay in view inside the housings.
Mounting + calibration

Measure the machine once. Save the profile.

  1. Weld on the brackets and the GPS mount.

    Tack them, fit the sensors and check the full range of motion, then take the sensors and the GPS off before the final weld. Clamp-on mounts are available through your dealer.

  2. Measure and calibrate.

    Enter the link lengths and calibrate the stick and bucket sensors in the DIG™ module’s setup page, which opens in the tablet’s web browser.

  3. Save the profile.

    Up to 10 machines. Moving the kit later means picking the machine’s profile, not measuring again.

  4. Check it on a known point.

    With an RTK fix, a well-calibrated DIG™ reads within 1–2 in. across bucket positions.

  5. Next machine.

    Extra bracket sets are available, so each machine keeps its own brackets and GPS mount tube, set up and saved once. After that, move the sensors, the pendulum and the receiver across, pick that machine’s profile, check it on a known point, and dig.

Ditch Assist DIG™ calibration screen
Calibration, measurements, and saved machine profiles are handled in the DIG™ module’s built-in setup page.
Open installation + operation manual →
Compatible machines

Will it fit your machine and your work?

Use DIG™ on full-size excavators, mini excavators, wheeled excavators, long-reach machines, and backhoes. Long-reach excavators are usually a fit but may require CAN sensor cable extensions. If the machine has a stick and bucket, ask us how DIG™ mounts on it.

Drainage outlets and ditch cleanup

Outlets, ditch cleanup and culverts on the farm, dug to the fall the water needs.

Utility & service trenches

Hold depth to grade for water, sewer and utility runs, with cut or fill at the bucket tip on the screen.

Footings & basements

Dig to the spec elevation and see grade before you overdig — save the re-fill, re-compaction, and extra concrete.

Culverts & road crossings

Set invert elevations on both ends and cut the fall between them, with cut or fill at the bucket tip as you dig.

Pipeline & cable

Survey the route, design the fall with Slope-IQ™, and dig long runs — curves included.

Pads & level cuts

Level areas to one target elevation with the same app — pads, ponds, and flat cuts.

Not for you if you want the machine to hold grade on its own. DIG™ guides; you run the controls.

Multi-brand RTK

Use the RTK you own.

DIG™ works with most RTK receivers that can send their position over a serial cable. Tell us the make and model and we will confirm it before you buy. No RTK yet? Add one of our RTK bundles to the quote.

Check your receiver

  • RS-232 serial output
  • NMEA GGA and VTG at 5 or 10 Hz
  • 38,400 baud
  • An RTK fix, from a base station or a network
Emlid RTK options →

Survey the route and dig it with the same receiver.

  1. 01 Survey

    Survey the route.

    Record the route with the excavator itself, or take an Emlid rover off the machine, mount it on an ATV or UTV and drive the route while the Ditch Assist app records the survey over Bluetooth.

  2. 02 Design

    Build the profile in Slope-IQ™.

    Use the survey in the Ditch Assist app to design the ditch or trench with Best-Fit, Guided, or Freeform tools.

  3. 03 Dig

    Put the rover back on the excavator.

    Return the rover to the machine, open the saved design, and dig with live bucket guidance in the app.

Running tractor implements or a dozer too?

The Full Automation Kit and Guidance Only Kit put scrapers, ditchers, tile plows and blades on grade, and Ditch Assist Lite gives grade guidance on any machine, from dozers to tractor implements, with only a GPS on the blade, all in the same app. They run alongside DIG™ on other machines and can share one RTK base station.

See the three setups →
FAQ

Ditch Assist DIG™ questions.

Receivers, welding, accuracy, power, and what DIG™ doesn’t do.

Receivers

Does DIG™ work with my RTK receiver?

Most likely. The receiver needs to send NMEA GGA and VTG at 5 or 10 Hz over an RS-232 serial port at 38,400 baud, with an RTK fix. Tell us the make and model and we will confirm it. No RTK yet? An Emlid bundle can be added to the quote.

Guidance, not automation

Does DIG™ automate the excavator hydraulics, or only guide the operator?

It only guides. DIG does not automate the excavator hydraulics. The operator stays in full control of the machine while the app shows the cutting edge against grade in real time.

Welding

Do I have to weld on my machine?

The sensor brackets and the GPS pendulum mount weld on, and the welding should be done by a certified welder. Where welding isn’t practical, clamp-on mounts are available through your dealer.

Accuracy

How accurate is DIG™?

With an RTK fix and a good calibration, DIG™ reads within 1–2 in. across bucket positions when you check it on a known point. It is only as good as your RTK, so keep a fix and check a known point after moving the kit.

Machine profiles

Can I save more than one machine profile?

Yes. DIG can save up to 10 calibrated machine profiles. Extra bracket sets are available, so each excavator or backhoe keeps its own brackets and the kit moves between them without re-entering measurements.

Machine size

Will DIG™ work on my machine size?

DIG is used on full-size excavators, mini excavators, wheeled excavators, long-reach excavators, and backhoes. Long-reach machines are usually a fit but may need CAN sensor cable extensions.

Power

Does it run on 12 V or 24 V?

Both. The DIG™ module and sensors run on 12 V or 24 V machine power. On a 24 V machine, check that your GPS receiver can take 24 V.

Subscription

Do I need a subscription to run DIG™?

No. DIG is a one-time hardware purchase with no app subscription and no per-mode activation.

Running both

Can I run DIG™ alongside my other Ditch Assist setups?

Yes. They are separate hardware, run on different machines at the same time, and can share one RTK base station.

Ditch Assist Lite

Can I use Ditch Assist Lite on an excavator instead?

You can. Ditch Assist Lite runs Excavator mode with an Emlid Reach on the stick; our DIG™ GPS pendulum mount fits it. But it isn’t the DIG™ system: it has no angle sensors, so it only knows where the bucket tip is when you bring the stick and bucket back to the same position each time. That gives you a grade check between cuts, not live grade while you dig. The DIG™ Kit reads the stick and bucket angles, so the screen shows the bucket tip’s elevation the whole time you are digging.

Warranty

What warranty comes with DIG™?

A one-year limited warranty on the DIG™ parts we supply. If a part fails from a defect in materials or workmanship, we repair or replace it. Damage in the field and third-party items such as GPS receivers and tablets aren’t covered. After the warranty, our off-warranty replacement program sells parts at a reduced price. Full terms are in the DIG™ manual.

Tell us the machine, the bucket and your RTK receiver.

We will match the DIG™ Kit, weld-on or clamp-on mounts, an RTK receiver if you need one, and a Samsung Galaxy Tab A11+ tablet to the excavator or backhoe you want to put on grade.

Or try the app in your browser first →

Request a quote → Excavator mode Call 1-833-DITCH-AS