Don Wurdinger of Waverly, Iowa, is known to many FARM SHOW readers as manufacturer of tractor-mounted do-it-yourself farm tiling machines. Now he's come up with a simple new grade control device that he says does the job of laser guidance systems when plumbed directly into tractor hydraulic systems.

What he needed was a way to let farmers maintain an even grade when laying tile so it would drain properly. Some of his customers mounted laser systems on his farm drainage plow but he wanted to find something less expensive that would help him sell more tile plows.

What he came up with is a grade system that uses the remote control transmitter box from a toy remote controlled car. "It does the job of an expensive laser system but costs much less and would work great for any type of plowing, ditching, terracing, grading or other land leveling type work," says Wurdinger, adding that the system could also be used by combine operators to send signals to truck drivers as they load on-the-go in the field. The system could also be used by regular surveying crews when hand signals or radio communications are not possible due to obstructions or noise.

The system consists of the transmitter and a set of control lights that either mount in the cab or directly on the tile plow. One person sets up a transit or level in the field and zeros in on a target somewhere on the tile plow, setting the transit for the proper amount of grade. Then all he has to do is make sure the target stays on dead center all the way down the line of tile being laid. He holds the transmitter in his hand and uses it to let the operator know if he has to go up or down to stay on grade or from one side to the other to stay on line.

The indicator light box is fitted with red and green directional lights that tell the operator whether to raise or lower the 3-pt. When he's dead on target the center green light ignites.

"We've used it over distances of 1,500 ft. or more. Under the right conditons, the transmitter will send a signal as far as a half mile," says Wurdinger.