Trimble® GradeMax™
What is grade max
Objectives
Objective 1:– To understand how good GradeMax can make
your dozer Objective 2:
– To learn simple, effective tuning methods Objective 3:
– To know of the extra options for difficult situations
What is GradeMax
New software to improve your performance with no extra hardware
How:– Doubled the update rate– Tweaked some settings– Improved some code– Use CAN1 at the nose on Dual GNSS systems
Requires– CB460 or CB450 Control Box– MS992 GNSS Smart Antenna– Latest firmware
What do I get
Smooth surfaces at full speed second gear– Fastest recommended grading speed
Automatic recovery from disturbances– Hit a dip or a rock and the control system will
quickly recover and keep grading smoothly Happy operators
– Less stress and less operator intervention
What do I do to get this?
NOTHING!– If you have the latest GNSS receivers and
control box with the latest firmware Upgrading will turn this feature ON
If you swap to old receivers:– MS990 – get a small part of the improvement
Requires v4.19 MS990 firmware
– MS980 – No improvement Back to MS992 and get the improvements
Dozer Tuning On The Fly
New method of tuning the valve speeds– And more
More user friendly More productive More values to tune Easier to use Dozers only
All other machines & Cat Grade Control dozers get the old Valve Speed dialog
How?
Load you design and offsets as normal
Tune while operating
Best Practice
While tuning: Keep your speed constant Keep your blade load constant Work in the same material
– Same compaction and moisture content Otherwise you don’t know
what caused the change
Inc /Dec Switches
The Increment / Decrement Switch will change the Valve Tuning Parameter
Not the Vertical Offset Unless you highlight that option
And it Auto Repeats
Lift Speed
Same as the old Valve Speed– Nearly
Adjust this first! Controls the speed that the blade reacts to
the correction– Like the accelerator
Lift Speed
Default Values are now 100– Linear scale – changes are all the same size
• Treat as a %
• Adjusts the kPs and kDs equally– Range 0 – 400
Lift SpeedGraphical Picture
Quick Increment
Brief Instructions
Parameter
Quick Decrement
More Instructions
Set Default
Ground Speed
Manual / Auto Status Status Bar
Lift Speed
Change this value first– Often this is enough
For short, choppy waves – decrease the speed
For long rolling waves – increase the speed
Try changing by 5 or 10
You’re Done!
Unless– The surface is still not acceptable– You are confident that you can
You should be able to feel the changes in the seat of your pants
There is always the default button
Tuning While Stopped
Like the old Valve Speed dialog– You can still do this– Place the blade 0.5 m in the air– Create a Level Design– Now you can tune in the air while
stopped
Balance
Adjust Lift Speed first! Controls the balance between raise and
lower– Like adjusting weights either side of a scale
Balance
Tune the Lift Speed first! This is the ratio between raise and lower
commands Only if you
have to
Balance
Increasing Balance makes the blade raise faster– And lower more slowly
Decreasing Balance makes the blade lower faster– And raise more slowly
May need to tweak Lift Speed after Balance– Range 0 – 200
Stability
Adjust Lift Speed first! Stability controls the
speed that the blade stops at when reaching design– Like the brake
Stability
Manager Mode only by default Alters the Derivative Gains (kDs) only
– kDs are the brakes in the control system– Range 0 – 400
Stability
Tune the Lift Speed first! Increase the Stability if the blade
overshoots the design Decrease the Stability if the blade is jerky
when driving to design– Maybe best to tune this in the air, while stopped
Controls tilt speed Usually does not require adjusting
Tilt Speed
Tilt Speed
Increase Tilt Speed to Tilt blade faster– Decrease Tilt Speed to Tilt blade slower
Usually don’t need to alter this…– Range 0 – 400
Vertical Offset
The normal vertical offset The Increment / Decrement switch is used
for adjusting the highlighted value– Not just Vertical Offset– Allows Vertical Offset control without leaving
Valve Tuning dialog
Vertical Offset
So you can change the Vertical Offset without leaving this dialog
To keep your blade load at the optimal level
Tuning Tips
On screen instructions to help operators
Best Practice
Bad practice will cause problems!– Keep your speed constant– Keep your blade load constant– Work in the same material
Same compaction and moisture content
Otherwise you don’t know what caused the change
Tuned Dozers
Some dozers have specifically tuned control values– Selected in the Machine Settings Wizard
Valve Tuning still uses the same defaults
Upgrade Details
On upgrade (or restoring an old MCH file) the Valve Speed will be translated to the corresponding new value
NOTE:Valve Speed used a 0 – 100 logarithmic scale– 50 = default
Valve Tuning uses a 0 – 400 linear scale– 100 = default
Questions
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