Learning Center

Working in Ditch Assist Lite

Every workflow runs in Ditch Assist Lite. Survey and design as usual, tap Start, and keep the blade on grade with the machine's own controls while the Depth Guide and arrows show you where. Every tap with pictures, passes and nudge, what's hidden, and which machines it suits.

  • Ditch Assist Lite

In the app Grade screen › Start / Stop

Ditch Assist® Lite runs every workflow: Ditching, Simple Grading (and Manual Grade), Leveling, Forming, Terracing, Tiling, Levee & Contour, Excavation and LiDAR & Mapping. Surveys, Slope-IQ™ designs, benchmarks, saved jobs, coverage and alerts work exactly as the workflow pages describe.

Only the last part is different: the app never moves the blade. You tap Start, then keep the cutting edge on grade with the machine's own controls while the screen shows you where.

Before you start

Time: under a minute to start guidance once the design or grade is loaded.

Grade with Ditch Assist Lite

The pictures are from Simple Grading with a fixed grade. Every workflow's Grade screen works the same way.

Open the Grade screen

Tap Grade: the third button down the right-hand side, with a mountain icon. Some workflows open the Grade screen for you when the setup is done.

Home screen in Lite mode with Ditching marked ACTIVE. In the right-hand column the third button, Grade, with a mountain icon.
  1. Grade. Third button down the right-hand side, with a mountain icon.

Tap Start

Look at the column of buttons down the right-hand side. Under Home is the big green Start button. Tap it.

Below it are Reset (grey), Change Grade (yellow, when you work to a typed-in grade) and the blue Nudge Up and Nudge Down. There's no Raise, Lower or Hold: nothing on the machine takes commands.

Grade screen in Lite mode, not running. Right-hand column: Home, a big green Start, a grey Reset, a yellow Change Grade, blue Nudge Up and Nudge Down with 0 inches between them. The Depth Guide bar to their left, the map in the middle, the profile chart along the bottom.
  1. Start. The big green button under Home.

Lower the blade to where the grade starts

Some workflows ask first. Simple Grading opens a window called Ready to Start?: Lower the blade to where you want grading to begin.

Lower the cutting edge with the machine's controls to where the run should begin. The grade line starts from there.

Ready to Start? window: 0.50% Downhill. Lower the blade to where you want grading to begin. Tapping START will lock this position as the 0+00 reference and begin grading. Cancel and START buttons. 1
  1. Lower the blade first. The grade line starts where the cutting edge is.

Tap START

Tap the green START button at the bottom right of the window. The spot where the blade is now becomes 0+00, the start of the run, and guidance goes live.

There's no Pre-Start Safety check in Lite mode. It exists to protect a hydraulic start.

The same Ready to Start? window, with the green START button at the bottom right
  1. START. Bottom right of the window.

Check it says Guidance Active

You should see a red banner, Guidance Active, at the top of the tall bar on the right. Guidance is running. Nothing moves the blade by itself.

The green Start button has become a red Stop.

Grade screen while guidance runs: a red Guidance Active banner at the top of the Depth Guide bar, a red Stop button at the top of the right-hand column, ON GRADE on the map, the profile chart along the bottom.
  1. Guidance Active. Top of the Depth Guide bar.

Keep the edge on grade with your controls

Drive the run. Raise and lower the blade with the machine's own controls to keep the reading on grade.

The tall bar on the right is the Depth Guide. The tip of the black triangle is your cutting edge, and the thick yellow line is the final grade. Keep the tip on the line. The box under it reads ON GRADE when the edge is at the target, or shows how much is left to cut or fill.

When you're off, arrows (chevrons) appear: up arrows mean raise, down arrows mean lower, and more arrows means further off.

The Depth Guide on the right with the black triangle's tip on the yellow final-grade line, and the box under it reading Target +0.1 inches, ON GRADE.
  1. ON GRADE. The cutting edge is at the target. Otherwise it shows how far off you are.

Every part of the Depth Guide: Read the Depth Guide.

For a deep cut, tap Nudge Up

Take a deep cut in passes. Nudge Up is the blue button in the right-hand column. Each tap raises the target a little, so the first pass takes less. The number under it shows how far the target is nudged.

Tap Nudge Down to lower the target pass by pass. Bring it back to 0″ for the final pass.

Right-hand column during guidance: Stop, Change Grade, a blue Nudge Up, 0 inches, a blue Nudge Down.
  1. Nudge Up. Blue, in the right-hand column. Nudge Down is under it.

With Auto-Nudge™ on (Ditching, Simple Grading, Terracing, Forming), the app plans the passes from Max Cut Depth and sets each pass's target. The buttons then read Pass + and Pass − and step between passes. You match each target on the controls. Either way it only moves the target you steer to: Nudge and Auto-Nudge.

Tap Stop

At the end of the run, or whenever you leave it, tap Stop: the big red button at the top of the right-hand column. The job saves as usual, and you can carry on later.

Grade screen while guidance runs, with the big red Stop button at the top of the right-hand column, under Home.
  1. Stop. The big red button under Home.

Check it says Start again

You should see the green Start button back at the top of the column, and the red banner gone. Tap Start to carry on.

Grade screen after Stop: the green Start button is back at the top of the right-hand column, and the grade bar is open along the bottom of the map.
  1. Start. Back after Stop.

When guidance pauses

If the GPS drops below RTK Fixed, the banner changes to RTK LOST — GUIDANCE PAUSED. If positions stop arriving from the Reach, it reads GPS STALE — GUIDANCE PAUSED. The target freezes until RTK or the positions come back, then the banner clears by itself.

Keeps happening? Check the Reach's correction link in Emlid Flow and the tablet's Wi-Fi: Fix Ditch Assist Lite problems.

Reading the Grade / Depth Guide The guide column as the app draws it in the light display mode. 1: the tip of the black triangle is the cutting edge of your blade or bucket. 2: the blue CURRENT line is the target for this pass; it only shows when Nudge or Auto-Nudge moves the target off final grade. 3: the black and yellow FINAL TARGET band is the design grade. 4: the readout gives how far the blade is from the target named on top, here Current Tgt plus 2.0 inches, CUT, then the elevations Current 805.50, Current Tgt 805.33 and Final Tgt 805.00. 5: tap the readout and it measures to Final Tgt instead: plus 6.0 inches, CUT. Reading the depth guide CUT CURRENT FINAL TARGET FILL Current Tgt +2.0" CUT Current Current Tgt Final Tgt 805.50 805.33 805.00 1 2 3 4 5 Cutting edge This pass Final grade How far off Tap it Final Tgt +6.0" CUT
Move the blade until the tip of the triangle sits on the blue CURRENT line, or on the yellow FINAL band when there's no CURRENT line.
  1. Cutting edge. The tip of the triangle is your blade's cutting edge.
  2. CURRENT. This pass's target. It only shows when Auto-Nudge or a nudge moves the target off final grade.
  3. FINAL TARGET. The design grade.
  4. How far off. From the blade to the target named on top. + means above it: cut more. − means below it. Green when close, amber to red when far above, blue below.
  5. Tap it. While there's a CURRENT line, a tap switches the readout to Final Tgt, the distance to final grade (red while there's cut left). Tap again to switch back.

Every workflow in Lite mode

WorkflowIn Ditch Assist Lite
DitchingAs described. Auto-Nudge sets each pass's target.
Simple Grading, Manual GradeAs described. Change Grade stays in the right-hand column.
LevelingAs described.
FormingAs described, with your imported design.
TerracingThe Channel / Berm selector stays. Tap Stop before switching target, or the app says Stop guidance before switching the target.
TilingRock Hit Detection is off: it would raise your target by itself. No Tiling operator notice at Start.
Levee & ContourSteering guidance, the same on every kit. Generating and following contours needs an activated Reach.
ExcavationFollows the antenna, not the bucket tip: grade is a check between cuts. Ditch Assist Lite on an excavator.
LiDAR & MappingUnlocked on the tablet once a receiver is activated. Needs internet: do it on shop Wi-Fi, not on the Reach hotspot.

Hidden in Lite mode: Raise / Lower, Hold / Resume, Rock Hit Detection, and the controller, DIG firmware and Pre-Start Safety settings. Full list: What changes in Lite mode.

Which machines it suits

Ditch Assist Lite works on any machine where the receiver can ride up and down with the cutting edge. The blade also has to hold the same angle while you grade.

  • Dozers: the Reach on a pole off the blade.
  • Self-propelled scrapers: the Reach on the bowl, the same as on a pull-type scraper.
  • Tractor with a scraper, ditcher, blade or leveler: the Reach on the bowl, frame or blade. It's the lowest-cost way to run Ditch Assist on a towed implement if you're happy working the controls yourself. For most farms the Full Automation Kit, which holds grade for you, is the one we recommend.
  • Excavators: a grade check between cuts. Details.

Skid steers and motor graders can be challenging; contact us to discuss before you buy.

If it doesn't work

  • Start opens the activation screen: the receiver isn't activated. Activate a receiver.
  • Reading jumps when you raise or lower: the Reach isn't on a part that moves with the edge. More.
  • Grade off by a steady amount: calibrate to your benchmark. Grade is off.
  • Guidance keeps pausing: RTK or Wi-Fi is dropping. More.

Related

Did this answer your question?

Still stuck? Talk to a product specialist. 1-833-DITCH-AS · support@ditchassist.com · Monday to Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Central.

Calling about a problem? Send your app logs first so support can see what happened.