Ditch Assist turns centimeter-level RTK positioning into grade control and guidance for field machines — one kit, one Android tablet, any compatible RTK source. Simple Grading is an included workflow. Buy the kit for this job and every other implement workflow comes with it — surface drainage, terraces, tile, land forming, levees, leveling — at no extra cost, no per-mode activation. Running a dozer or self-propelled scraper? Ditch Assist Lite runs Simple Grading as on-screen guidance with only a GPS on the blade, no wires.
You set one grade, and Ditch Assist works out the blade target at every point along the run. With the Full Automation Kit, Ditch Assist raises and lowers the implement to that target; with guidance, you work the controls to the arrows on the screen. Either way, there are two ways to set the starting reference.
The fast way needs no survey at all: drive to where you want to start, drop the blade to the ground, type a grade percent, and go — it works like a laser, computing the target as rise over run from that point. Five minutes from arriving on-site to grading. The survey way drives a centerline first and fits one grade to the terrain, so you can see the cut and fill before you start, build a plane across a whole area, and run Auto-Nudge™.
This complete app walkthrough shows both Simple Grading workflows: survey a straight run and fit a single-grade design with Slope-IQ™ and Auto-Nudge, or enter a grade directly from a reference point for fast laser-style grading.
Connect to the control module Wi-Fi, confirm live RTK GPS values, then test raise/lower response before automation.
Survey a straight centerline, enter blade height, fit one grade line with Slope-IQ, estimate cut volume, and stage deeper cuts into manageable passes.
Skip the survey when speed matters: type the target grade, set a reference point with the blade, then use automation or guidance to hold that slope.
This walkthrough simulates the full Simple Grading flow in the Ditch Assist app, matching what an operator does when holding a single slope for roads, approaches, shallow drains, pads, or constant-grade planes.
Simple Grading is the fastest Ditch Assist workflow, but the same first-run checks still matter before you start cutting a road, approach, drain, or plane.
Simple Grading runs either way. With the Full Automation Kit, Ditch Assist raises and lowers the implement to the grade on every pass. With guidance, you enter the grade, drive, and raise and lower the blade yourself, following the Grade Guide, chevrons and coverage colors on the screen.
Same result — a single slope held across the run. Choose the no-survey path for speed, or the survey path when you want to see the cut and fill, build a plane, or run Auto-Nudge.
The fastest path: drop a reference where you're standing, type a slope, drive. Works like a laser — your current position is the benchmark and the target is computed as rise over run from there.
Need a set depth? In this mode, use NUDGE to offset the design. Nudge down in small increments, from inches toward feet, and the entire grade line moves down by that amount. Keep advancing pass by pass until you reach the depth you want so the machine is never asked to take too deep a cut in one pass. Without a survey there's no terrain model, so further along the run the cut may end up deeper or shallower than your starting depth — it follows the grade, not the ground.
Want a grade break mid-run? Stop, tap Change Grade, enter the new slope, and keep going — no restart. The grade simply breaks from wherever you are, so you can string several slopes together by hand as you drive.
When you want to see the cut and fill first — or grade a whole plane instead of a single line — survey the route and let Slope-IQ™ fit one grade to the terrain.
Because the survey records the existing ground, you can run Auto-Nudge here: it stages your passes and sets the target for each one. It works for planes too; just keep in mind that as you work out from the surveyed centerline the ground can rise or fall, so cuts may come in a little deeper or shallower than on the line itself.
Simple Grading fits one grade to the survey. For designed grade breaks or a fully custom profile, use Ditching instead. Its Slope-IQ™ designer adds Guided and Freeform options, so you can place breaks deliberately against the surveyed ground rather than by feel as you drive.
When a surveyed grade or plane needs more dirt moved than your scraper can pull in one pass, Auto-Nudge steps the cut down a layer at a time, each pass held to the max cut you set. It needs the survey-based method: the survey records the existing ground, so Ditch Assist knows how much is left to final grade.
Set your max cut per pass; Auto-Nudge™ computes the target for the current pass and you tap to advance when each one is done. The profile chart shows exactly how far you've still got to final grade. Whether you're sinking a ditch on a single grade or stepping a whole plane down, the cut comes off in safe, even layers. On the Full Automation Kit, or a Guidance Only Kit plugged into a compatible factory valve, Ditch Assist works raise/lower to each pass’s target; otherwise, as on Ditch Assist Lite, you work the controls to match it.
Configure the deepest single-pass cut your scraper and ground conditions allow (default 2″). Auto-Nudge™ holds that limit on every pass, and the design dialog shows the estimated pass count before you start.
Auto-Nudge™ computes the cut depth for the current pass — never more than your max. The profile chart shows the active pass as a bold dashed line, with the passes still to come faded behind it.
After a full pass over the run, tap Pass + in the sidebar. The system sets the next target, the profile updates, and you keep cutting until you're on final grade.
On the no-survey method there's no record of the existing ground, so Auto-Nudge™ doesn't apply: you step the grade line down yourself with NUDGE, pass by pass. Want the passes staged for you? Survey the centerline first.
Most constant-slope jobs do not need a full design. They need one grade, one direction, and a machine that holds it while you move dirt. Simple Grading gives you that laser-style workflow from the tablet already in the cab: type the slope, choose uphill or downhill, and start grading.
Drop the blade, enter the grade, pick the direction, and go. Your current position becomes the reference, so quick approaches, drains, pads, and finish runs do not need a survey before the first pass.
The target lives in the machine's RTK position and on the tablet in the cab. Dust, low light, and traffic crossing the jobsite leave the grade reference untouched — it holds anywhere you have an RTK fix.
Need the finished grade lower? Use NUDGE to move the whole design down in small increments, then advance pass by pass so each pass takes only the cut you choose.
If the run needs cut/fill preview, low-area fill planning, or Auto-Nudge, survey the centerline and fit the same single grade to the ground. The quick workflow and the planned workflow stay in one mode.
On pull-type scrapers, hydraulic blades, pull-type dozer blades and land levelers, the Full Automation Kit puts our valve on the implement and Ditch Assist works raise/lower. Rather work the levers yourself? The Guidance Only Kit is the lower-cost start, and you can add our valve later. Pick your implement below for setup details. Ditch Assist Lite needs only a GPS on the blade, no wires, so it runs on any machine you can put a GPS on, dozers and self-propelled scrapers included.
Pull-type scrapers are the most common Simple Grading machine — road approaches, finish runs, pad rough-in. The Full Automation Kit adds RTK GPS grade control to any hydraulically operated pull-type scraper: Ditch Assist works raise/lower through our PWM valve, with hoses, fittings and a manual-bypass circuit included. Rather work the hydraulics yourself? The Guidance Only Kit shows on-grade feedback on the screen while you work the existing hydraulics, and you can add our valve later to make it the Full Automation Kit. Want the lowest-cost way to run Ditch Assist? Ditch Assist Lite puts only a GPS on the implement, no wires: an Emlid Reach RS3 or RS4. It has no upgrade path, so automation later means buying the Full Automation Kit at full price, with no credit for Ditch Assist Lite.
The Min Valve DC and Max Valve DC (duty cycle) settings in the app tune hydraulic responsiveness to your scraper size. Wi-Fi from the control module keeps the cab clean and allows fast machine swaps — drop the kit on a different tractor and be back grading in as little as 20 minutes.
Works with any compatible RTK GPS; ask about our affordable RTK bundles.
Hydraulic blades and pull-type dozer blades suit Simple Grading well — small jobs, precise depth control, low ground pressure. With the Full Automation Kit, Ditch Assist works raise/lower so the blade holds the slope across the whole run. With the Guidance Only Kit, you work the hydraulics to live on-grade feedback on the screen, and you can add our valve later to make it the Full Automation Kit. Want the lowest-cost way to run Ditch Assist? Ditch Assist Lite guides these blades with only a GPS on the implement, no wires, but it has no upgrade path: automation later means buying the Full Automation Kit at full price, with no credit for Ditch Assist Lite.
Ditch Assist works with the raise/lower function only — tilt and side-wing functions stay manual. Keep the tilt angle constant from origin set through to grading; changing it alters the GPS height offset and pulls the blade off the intended slope.
Wi-Fi from the control module to the cab means fast swaps between tractors or implements. Works with any compatible RTK GPS.
Land levelers suit finish-run Simple Grading — their broad cut and even weight smooth a slope in fewer passes than a smaller blade. Both kits add RTK GPS grade control to any hydraulic land leveler. With the Full Automation Kit, Ditch Assist works raise/lower so the leveler tracks the slope automatically. With the Guidance Only Kit, you work the hydraulics to live on-grade feedback on the screen, and you can add our valve later to make it the Full Automation Kit. Want the lowest-cost way to run Ditch Assist? Ditch Assist Lite guides levelers with only a GPS on the implement, no wires, but it has no upgrade path: automation later means buying the Full Automation Kit at full price, with no credit for Ditch Assist Lite.
Same rules as the blade: raise/lower only, keep tilt constant from origin set onward.
Wi-Fi from the control module to the cab, fast machine swaps, any compatible RTK GPS — or one of our affordable RTK bundles.
Whichever kit you buy for Simple Grading — Full Automation or Guidance Only — unlocks every other implement workflow in the Ditch Assist app. No extra cost, no per-mode activation. Ditch Assist Lite, with only a GPS on the implement and no wires, runs every one of these modes too, Tiling and Land Forming included, as guidance: you work the controls.
Surface drainage runs — survey, design with Slope-IQ™, auto-grade. Curved, multi-grade, long-run.
See Ditching → Mode 02Simple Maintenance: one channel survey to maintain existing terraces. Standard Terracing: channel and berm surveys, berm-height checks and staged berm passes to build or rebuild terraces.
See Terracing → Mode 03Variable-slope and all-way designs from Geo-Surface™ and other popular land-forming design software, via AGD, LandXML or XYZP.
See Land Forming → Mode 05Sub-surface tile drainage with depth-constrained design and Automatic Rock Hit Recovery.
See Tiling → Mode 06Flat pads for grain bins, machine sheds, riding arenas, and equipment yards.
See Leveling → Mode 07Drive elevation contours for levees, paddy dikes, and contour berms — lightbar guidance with no automation valve or hydraulic plumbing.
See Levee →
Farm road approaches, culvert approaches, lanes, yard drainage, pads, and feedlot slopes — any run that holds a single grade from one end to the other.
Curved drainage, multiple grade breaks, or best-fit channel design — use Ditching. One flat target elevation with no slope at all — use Leveling.
Answers for operators comparing Simple Grading, laser grading, Ditching mode, Leveling mode, and RTK GPS slope control.
Simple Grading holds one constant slope, uphill or downhill. Enter a grade and start from the machine's current position, or survey a centerline first and fit one grade to the terrain.
No. Enter Grade Only lets you type a grade percent, set the starting reference, and begin grading without a survey. New Survey is available when you want cut/fill preview, a planned plane, or Auto-Nudge pass staging.
For many constant-slope jobs, yes. Simple Grading takes its grade reference from RTK GPS at the machine and shows it on the tablet in the cab, with no tripod to set up or move. The reference holds through dust and low light, anywhere you have an RTK fix.
Simple Grading fits one constant grade. Ditching mode is the better choice for curved drainage routes, multi-slope profiles, best-fit drainage channels, Guided grade breaks, and Freeform design.
Use Leveling when the finished surface is one flat target elevation. Use Simple Grading when the job is one slope, or when you want to survey a 0% plane with design and cut/fill context.
Yes, when you use the survey-based workflow. The survey gives Ditch Assist the ground profile and final grade target, so Auto-Nudge™ can stage deeper cuts into manageable passes. Where nothing works raise/lower for you — a Guidance Only Kit without a compatible factory valve, or Ditch Assist Lite — Auto-Nudge™ sets each pass’s target and you work the controls to match it.
On pull-type scrapers, hydraulic blades, pull-type dozer blades (including the Pulldozer) and land levelers, run the Full Automation Kit, where Ditch Assist works raise/lower, or the Guidance Only Kit, where you work the hydraulics and can add our valve later. Dozers and self-propelled scrapers run Ditch Assist Lite, guidance-only grade control for any machine you can put a GPS on: only an Emlid Reach RS3 or RS4 on the blade, no wires, while you work the controls. Already own a compatible John Deere, Trimble or Outback RTK GPS? The Guidance Only Kit can run it on those machines instead; we review each machine first. Skid steers and motor graders can be challenging; contact us to discuss before you buy. Ditch Assist Lite works on any machine where the receiver moves up and down with the cutting edge and the blade stays at the same angle (one receiver can’t correct for tilt). On the farm, Ditch Assist Lite is the lowest-cost way to run Ditch Assist, but it has no upgrade path: automating later means buying the Full Automation Kit at full price, with no credit for Ditch Assist Lite; for most farms we still recommend the Full Automation Kit.
Add the Ditch Assist DIG™ Kit, a separate kit for excavators and backhoes, for bucket-tip elevation, trench design, and dug-earth mapping. It runs in the same Ditch Assist app, and Excavator mode has the same Enter Grade Only you use here: type a grade, pick uphill or downhill, and dig to the bucket-tip target on the screen.
Simple Grading is fast because Ditch Assist can hold a slope or plane directly from RTK elevation. If you do not already have RTK on the machine, Emlid RS4 / RS3 base-rover bundles are an affordable way to get centimeter GPS. The Ditch Assist-only bundle adds the tripod, extender, mounts, and Ditch Assist-to-Emlid RTK GPS cable. Ditch Assist Lite needs only a GPS on the implement, no wires: an Emlid Reach RS3 or RS4 on the machine. RTK corrections usually come from a second Reach as a base, or from a correction network over the receiver’s SIM.
Try the Simple Grading workflow yourself: direct grade entry or a surveyed single-slope design, all in your browser.
