Settings: Grading and Lookahead

The GRADING card sets how the guidance reads (chevron step), how far one nudge tap moves the target, how Auto-Nudge™ plans passes, and two workflow-specific helpers. LOOKAHEAD is a single timing switch for the control loop and contour steering. Changes save straight away; there is no Save button.

Before you start

• The Ditch Assist® app is open. Change these while you are stopped, not while the blade is moving.
• Each change takes under a minute.
• The number rows here have a small box and a slider. Slide the dot, or tap the box and type. A typed number is only saved when you tap the tick key on the keyboard (or tap into another box).
• Never changed a setting before? How to change a setting shows each kind of button up close.

Find these cards

1. Tap Settings

   In the column of big buttons down the right-hand edge of the screen, tap Settings: the fourth button from the top, with a gear icon. (On the Survey or Grade screen, tap the wrench at the right end of the top bar instead.)

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2. Scroll down to GRADING

   Slide a finger up the cards (how to scroll). GRADING is the long card after SURVEY, about a third of the way down. LOOKAHEAD comes two cards later, after Fields.

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Grading

The GRADING card has seven rows. Four are numbers with a box and a slider (drag the slider for the common range, or type in the box to go further, up to the top of the ranges below). Three are switches.

Inches Per Chevron

How much grade error each chevron arrow on the map stands for (Error per chevron arrow (4 arrows × this = max)). The map shows one arrow per step of error, up to four. At the default 3 in: 1–3 in off shows one arrow, 3–6 in two, 6–9 in three, over 9 in four. Within the on-grade window there are no arrows, just the green ON GRADE bar.

To change it: in the first row of GRADING, slide the orange dot (right for more inches per arrow), or tap the orange number box, type the number and tap the tick key.

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• Default: 3.0 in.
• Range: slider 0.5 to 6 in in 0.5 in steps; type up to 12 in.
• Label by units: Inches Per Chevron, CM Per Chevron in Metric, Feet Per Chevron in Decimal Feet.
• Shown: every kit and mode.
• When to change: smaller (1–2 in) for fine finishing, where you want the arrows to react to small errors; larger for rough cuts so four arrows mean "a long way off".

The arrows and the depth guide are explained in Grade / Depth Guide and chevrons.

Nudge Sensitivity

How far one tap of Nudge Up or Nudge Down moves the target (Nudge increment per button press).

To change it: in the second row of GRADING, slide the blue dot, or tap the blue number box, type the number and tap the tick key.

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• Default: 2.0 in (5 cm in Metric).
• Range: slider 0.5 to 6 in; type up to 12 in.
• Label by units: Nudge Sensitivity (in), (cm) or (ft).
• Shown: every kit and mode, including Ditch Assist Lite.

Max Cut Depth

The deepest cut you want per pass (Max cut per pass). It is the starting value of Max Cut Per Pass in the Auto-Nudge Mode prompt, and the coverage colours on the map count the passes still to go in steps of this depth.

To change it: in the third row of GRADING, slide the green dot, or tap the green number box, type the number and tap the tick key.

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• Default: 2.0 in (5 cm in Metric).
• Range: slider 0.5 to 6 in; type up to 12 in.
• Label by units: Max Cut Depth (in), (cm) or (ft).
• Shown: every kit and mode, including Ditch Assist Lite.
• When to change: lower for hard or dry ground, higher for loose or pre-ripped soil.

The value you pick in the Auto-Nudge prompt applies to that design only and does not change this setting.

Auto Nudge

Whether the app offers Auto-Nudge (Location-aware auto-nudge). When it is on, implementing a design in Ditching, Simple Grading, Terracing or Land Forming opens the Auto-Nudge Mode prompt, where you choose Enable Auto-Nudge or Use Manual Nudge. When it is off, that prompt is skipped and you grade with Nudge Up / Nudge Down.

To change it: tap the switch at the right-hand end of the fourth row of GRADING. Green with the knob on the right is on; white with the knob on the left is off.

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• Default: on.
• Shown: every kit and mode, including Ditch Assist Lite, where it only sets the target you steer to.
• During a job: the Auto Nudge switch in the grade screen's stats bar turns it on or off for that job, without changing this setting.

How passes are planned: Nudge and Auto-Nudge.

Rock Hit Detection

Tiling only — auto-nudge up when blade is deflected upward by an obstruction. On the Tiling grade screen, if the plow rides more than 2 in above the target for about 2 seconds, the app raises the target by that amount (at most once every 5 seconds) and shows Rock Hit — Design Adjusted, so the valve doesn't fight the rock.

To change it: tap the switch at the right-hand end of the fifth row of GRADING. Green is on, white is off.

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• Default: on.
• Shown: Ditch Assist mode only. Hidden in Ditch Assist Lite, where it is always off.
• Watch out: a deliberate lift (a road crossing) can look like a rock. Check Nudge after any lift. With a Guidance Only Kit you steer the plow yourself; consider turning it off so the target doesn't move under you.

Full behaviour: Rock Hit Detection.

Auto Balance Max Offset

The most depth offset the Terracing Auto-Balance button may add while it looks for a channel cut that matches the berm fill (Maximum depth offset Auto Balance will add searching for cut/fill balance). If balance needs more than this, Auto-Balance stops and says it can't balance.

To change it: in the sixth row of GRADING, slide the purple dot, or tap the purple number box, type the number and tap the tick key.

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• Default: 36 in (about 91 cm).
• Range: 12 to 120 in, in 3 in steps.
• Shown: every kit and mode. Only used by Terracing (Standard).

Draw on Map

Turns the coverage colours on the map on or off (Show coverage on map). Coverage shows where the blade has been, coloured by how close to final grade each stretch ended up. The same switch is Coverage Grid in Map Layers.

To change it: tap the switch at the right-hand end of the last row of GRADING. Green is on, white is off.

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• Default: on.
• Shown: every kit and mode.
• Off only hides the colours; coverage is still recorded and saved with the job.

Set somewhere else

• Min Berm Height (Terracing): a box in the terrace design window (default 18 in); the value you use is remembered for the next design.
• Tile target, minimum and maximum depth, minimum grade: in the Tile Design window; remembered for the next design (36 in, 24 in, 72 in and 0.10 % to start).
• Compaction allowance (Terracing volume balance): fixed at 15 %, no control.

Lookahead

The card headed LOOKAHEAD, two cards below GRADING (after Fields). With Lookahead on, the target sent to the valve is taken from where the machine will be a moment from now instead of where it is (Pre-calculate target based on predicted position). That makes up for the time the hydraulics take to move the blade, which shows on fast passes over changing grade. It only works while you are moving faster than about 0.5 mph; the numbers on the screen stay on your current position. The same time is also used to look ahead on the Levee and contour steering guidance.

Lookahead

To change it: tap the switch at the right-hand end of the Lookahead row. Off (the default) is white with the knob on the left. When you switch it on, a second row, Lookahead Time, appears under it.

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• Default: off.
• Shown: every kit and mode.

Lookahead Time

How far ahead, in seconds. Only there while Lookahead is on. The grey line under the row name says the time, for example 2.0s ahead.

To change it: slide the green dot at the right-hand end of the Lookahead Time row. Right is longer, left is shorter. The time under the row name changes as you slide and is saved.

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• Default: 2.0 s.
• Range: 0.5 to 5.0 s in 0.5 s steps.
• When to change: most operators leave Lookahead off. Try it only if the blade is consistently late on grade changes after the valve is tuned (blade slow or chasing), start short (1 s) and test. Too long over-corrects when you change speed.