Learning Center

Quick start

Ditching chapter of the Ditch Assist app manual. The same text is in the app under Manual.

In the app Manual › Ditching › Quick start

Five steps from app launch to a moving blade:

  1. On the Home screen, tap the Ditching card. The Ditching wizard opens with three options: New Survey, Load Survey, Load Design.

Ditching wizard action choice — pick whether to record a new survey, load one from disk, or jump straight to grading a saved design.
Ditching wizard action choice — pick whether to record a new survey, load one from disk, or jump straight to grading a saved design.

  1. If this is a new ditch, tap New Survey. The Survey screen opens. Drive to the start of the ditch line, tap Start in the sidebar, then drive to the far end. Tap Stop, name the survey, and Save.

  2. The Slope-IQ design dialog opens automatically. The default mode is Best-Fit, which usually gives a good design with no tweaking. Review the green target line on the chart. Adjust Depth Offset or Min Grade if you want a deeper or shallower ditch. Tap Implement Slope at the bottom.

  3. If the app prompts for benchmark calibration, follow it (see Calibration & benchmarks in this section). If it prompts about Auto-Nudge for multi-pass grading, accept or skip based on how deep your cut is.

Save Design dialog — name the design before it goes to disk. Defaults to the survey name with a version suffix.
Save Design dialog — name the design before it goes to disk. Defaults to the survey name with a version suffix.

Calibrate GPS prompt — fires when you implement a design loaded from disk, in case the RTK base has moved since the survey was recorded.
Calibrate GPS prompt — fires when you implement a design loaded from disk, in case the RTK base has moved since the survey was recorded.

Auto-Nudge Mode prompt — pick multi-pass cutting depth. The default 2″ (5 cm) per pass works for most soils.
Auto-Nudge Mode prompt — pick multi-pass cutting depth. The default 2″ (5 cm) per pass works for most soils.

  1. The Grade screen opens with the map, stats bar, and profile chart visible. The Start button is in the sidebar on the left or right depending on handedness. Drive to your starting point, lower the blade onto the ground, and tap Start — the blade is now under automatic control. Watch the chevrons in the center of the screen — they tell you whether the blade is above or below grade. The job auto-saves whenever you Stop, switch tabs, or background the app.

Idle grading screen — design loaded, sidebar shows the Start button waiting for you.
Idle grading screen — design loaded, sidebar shows the Start button waiting for you.

Once grading is active, the sidebar takes over for the rest of the run — Stop, Hold/Release, Nudge Up/Down, and Resume all live there. When you finish a pass or the day, tap Stop in the sidebar. The hydraulics halt immediately.

Tap Hold to pause auto-grading without stopping. The orange "HOLD — Manual Control" banner shows the blade is now under manual control until you Resume.
Tap Hold to pause auto-grading without stopping. The orange "HOLD — Manual Control" banner shows the blade is now under manual control until you Resume.

Profile chart — resize to see more detail

The bottom strip of the grading screen is the elevation profile chart. Drag the divider up to expand it for fine-grain reading of cut depth, current pass progress, and the previous pass dashed lines. In Bluetooth GNSS mode the live position cursor is hidden — the chart still updates from the Bluetooth feed but the on-chart marker is suppressed.

Note on the graded line. The graded-terrain line on the profile chart is pulled toward the design line within about an inch of target — this is a chart-only visual aid that makes "on grade" easier to read at a glance. The real GPS-measured graded surface is unchanged; only the display is smoothed.

Profile chart expanded — the cursor on the chart matches your live position on the design.
Profile chart expanded — the cursor on the chart matches your live position on the design.

Step-by-step guides for this

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