A field graded to a single-grade plane with Ditch Assist Simple Grading
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Mode 04 · Simple Grading

One grade. Two ways to set it.

Pick a single gradient — uphill or downhill — and Ditch Assist™'s grade control holds it on every pass. Set it the fast way: type a grade percent and drive from where you're standing, no survey. Or survey a centerline first and fit one grade to the terrain — which also lets you build a whole plane, not just a line. Both replace the laser tripod for most constant-slope work, with RTK GPS that doesn't care about dust, range, or weather.

Required hardware → Get a quote
New to Ditch Assist?

Ditch Assist™ is centimeter-accurate RTK GPS 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 surface workflow comes with it — surface drainage, terraces, tile, land forming, levees, leveling — at no extra cost, no per-mode activation.

What is Ditch Assist? →
What it is

One grade, uphill or downhill. Held automatically.

The principle is simple: you set a single gradient and Ditch Assist™ guides the blade to hold it wherever you are along the run, on whichever implement you've hitched up. That's the whole idea. What changes is how you set the starting reference — and there are two ways to do it.

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.

A V-ditch cut to a single grade with Ditch Assist
Simple Grading menu with Enter Grade Only selected
Is this the right mode?

Best for / not for.

Best for

One constant slope, survey optional

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.

Different job?

Curved routes or a flat target

Curved drainage, multiple grade breaks, or best-fit channel design — use Ditching. One flat target elevation with no slope at all — use Leveling.

Simple Grading mode walkthrough

Two ways to hold one slope: survey first, or enter the grade and go.

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.

Pre-flight and hydraulics

Connect to the control module Wi-Fi, confirm live RTK GPS values, then test raise/lower response before automation.

Survey, design, and Auto-Nudge

Survey a straight centerline, enter blade height, fit one grade line with Slope-IQ, estimate cut volume, and stage deeper cuts into manageable passes.

Direct grade entry

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.

What the Simple Grading walkthrough covers

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.

  • 1. Choose the right workflow Use Simple Grading for one constant slope. For multi-slope profiles, best-fit drainage channels, or more advanced surfaces, use Ditching mode instead.
  • 2. Run pre-flight checks Connect the tablet to the control module Wi-Fi, confirm green module and GPS checks, verify live latitude, longitude, and elevation updates, then test raise/lower hydraulics if using automation.
  • 3. Enter blade height for surveys Measure from the cutting edge to the ground with the implement in transport position so Ditch Assist can subtract blade height from GPS elevation and record true ground elevation.
  • 4. Survey a straight run Drive the center of the channel or plane, save the survey to the tablet, then reopen it later without surveying the same run again.
  • 5. Fit one grade with Slope-IQ Adjust grade percent and depth offset, review estimated cut volume, and see how bottom width, side slope, and cut depth affect the work required.
  • 6. Grade with Auto-Nudge Use Auto-Nudge when the full cut is too deep for one pass. Set a maximum cut per pass, advance through passes, and watch the current target step down toward final grade.
  • 7. Use the Grade Guide and Hold Read the live blade target on the Grade Guide, pause hydraulic output with Hold for manual bulk work, then release Hold to let automation finish accurately.
  • 8. Enter grade directly Skip the survey, type the target grade, lower the blade to the starting reference elevation, and let Ditch Assist calculate the grade line from that point.
  • 9. Add depth offset or manual nudges Direct grade entry supports depth offset and manual nudging. Use it for deeper channels, consistent depth below a starting point, or fast laser-style slope work.
Before Simple Grading

Before you set the slope.

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.

  • Cache satellite imagery and any useful LiDAR layers while internet is available, especially if the job is in a low-coverage field or yard.
  • Connect to module Wi-Fi and confirm RTK GPS before choosing Enter Grade Only or Survey & Grade.
  • For automation, verify hydraulic response; for guidance-only work, confirm the on-screen target feedback is updating correctly.
Setup video
Automation or guidance

A smarter laser replacement, with automation when you want it.

Simple Grading is a strong fit for guidance-only operators because the app gives clear grade feedback without needing a laser tripod. Enter the grade, drive the machine, and watch the Grade Guide, chevrons, and coverage colors while operating hydraulics manually.

Guidance-only slope control

Use the tablet as a high-information grade display: live offset, up/down direction, target nudges, and pass coverage all stay visible from the cab.

Automation finish pass

When the job is close, switch to automation so Ditch Assist controls the final pass to the entered grade or surveyed line.

Guidance is the lower-cost entry point for budget-conscious operators replacing laser-only workflows. Automation remains the best choice when speed and final-grade repeatability matter.

Live Grade Guide replaces a laser receiver in the cab Chevrons point the blade up or down toward target Nudge target height for staged roughing and finish passes
Compare Automation and Guidance kits →
Ditch Assist Simple Grading guidance screen for enter-grade-only work Ditch Assist Simple Grading guidance screen for survey-and-grade work
The workflow

Two ways to set one grade.

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.

Method 1 — Enter a grade, no survey

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.

STEP 01

Select Enter Grade Only

Open the Simple Grading menu and choose Enter Grade Only. This starts the no-survey workflow from your current machine position.

STEP 02

Enter grade and direction

Type the grade percent and choose the grading direction: Downhill or Uphill. That's the entire design — no survey, no file.

STEP 03

Drive & grade

Lower the blade at your start point and tap Start. Ditch Assist locks that position as the reference and holds the slope as you drive.

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.

Method 2 — Survey a centerline, fit one grade

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.

STEP 01

Survey the centerline

Tap the Simple Grading card and choose New Survey. Drive down the center of the run — a ditch line, or the middle of the area you want to plane — at a steady pace. Stop, name it, save.

STEP 02

Fit one grade in Slope-IQ™

Open the Slope-IQ™ designer and set a single grade for the whole run. You can plan cuts and fill low areas along the run before you hit Implement.

STEP 03

Drive & auto-grade

Grade along the survey, or work out to either side. Ditch Assist targets the nearest point on the surveyed centerline, so one pass sets the grade for the working width.

Because the survey gives Ditch Assist a before and after, you can run Auto-Nudge here — it stages your passes and steps the cut down automatically. It works for planes too; just keep in mind that as you work out from the surveyed centerline the terrain can drift, so cuts may come in a little deeper or shallower than on the line itself.

Design note

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.

Staging the cut

Deep cut? Stage it pass by pass.

When a surveyed grade or plane needs more dirt moved than your scraper can pull in one pass, Ditch Assist steps the cut down a layer at a time so the machine never stalls. That engine is Auto-Nudge — and it runs on the survey-based method, because the survey gives Ditch Assist the before-and-after it needs to know how much is left to final grade.

Auto-Nudge prompt — pick max cut per pass
Exclusive technology

Auto-Nudge™ — when one grade is deeper than one pass.

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.

SET

Set your max cut

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.

STAGE

System sets each pass target

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.

ADVANCE

Tap to advance, pass by pass

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 before-and-after, so Auto-Nudge™ doesn't apply — you simply hold the single grade you entered and take it down by feel. Want staged deep cuts? Survey the centerline first.

Why this mode exists

The laser job, without the laser setup.

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.

Equipment

Grade control for the machines you reach for first.

Simple Grading runs on the same implements as the rest of the workflows — pull-type scrapers, hydraulic blades, the Pulldozer™, and land levelers. Pick yours below for setup and compatibility details.

Pull-type scrapers

Grade Control for Pull-Type Scrapers
Pull-type scraper with Ditch Assist

Pull-type scrapers are the most common Simple Grading machine — road approaches, finish runs, pad rough-in. Both the Automation Kit and the Guidance Kit add full RTK GPS grade control to any hydraulically operated pull-type scraper. The Automation Kit drives the raise/lower hydraulics automatically — PWM valve, hoses, fittings, manual-bypass circuit included. The Guidance Kit gives on-screen on-grade feedback while the operator works the existing hydraulics manually.

Min/max Duty Cycle (DC) settings in the app tune hydraulic responsiveness to your scraper size. Wireless valve communication keeps the cab clean and allows fast machine swaps — drop the kit on a different tractor and be back grading in under an hour.

Compatible with any RTK GPS; ask about the affordable Emlid Reach RS3 or RS4.

Hydraulic blades & Pulldozer™

Grade Control for Blades and the Pulldozer™
Hydraulic blade and Pulldozer with Ditch Assist

Hydraulic blades and the Pulldozer™ suit Simple Grading well — small jobs, precise depth control, low ground pressure. Both the Automation Kit and the Guidance Kit add RTK GPS grade control to the raise/lower hydraulics so the blade holds the slope across the whole run.

Ditch Assist drives only the raise/lower function — 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.

Wireless valve communication means fast swaps between tractors or implements. Works with any RTK GPS.

Land levelers

Grade Control for Land Levelers
Land leveler with Ditch Assist

Land levelers shine on 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. The Automation Kit drives the raise/lower hydraulics so the leveler tracks the slope automatically; the Guidance Kit displays live on-grade feedback while the operator works the hydraulics manually.

Same rules as the blade: raise/lower only, keep tilt constant from origin set onward.

Wireless valve communication, fast machine swaps, any RTK GPS — including the affordable Emlid Reach RS3 or RS4.

More than Simple Grading

Same kit. Every other surface-grading job too.

Whichever kit you buy for Simple Grading — Automation or Guidance — unlocks every other surface workflow in the Ditch Assist app. No extra cost, no per-mode activation.

Mode 01

Ditching

Surface drainage runs — survey, design with Slope-IQ™, auto-grade. Curved, multi-grade, long-run.

See Ditching → Mode 02

Terracing

Cut a channel, build a berm. Wide-base farmable terraces with balanced cut and fill.

See Terracing → Mode 03

Land Forming

Variable-slope and all-way designs from OptiSurface™, Ezigrade™, Topcon™ AGForm-3D™, AGD, and LandXML.

See Land Forming → Mode 05

Tiling

Sub-surface tile drainage with depth-constrained design and Automatic Rock Hit Recovery.

See Tiling → Mode 06

Leveling

Flat pads for grain bins, machine sheds, riding arenas, and equipment yards.

See Leveling → Mode 07

Levee

Drive elevation contours for levees, paddy dikes, and contour berms — lightbar guidance with no automation valve or hydraulic plumbing.

See Levee →
In practice

Where Simple Grading earns its keep.

Use case

"Farm road approach to a culvert. Twenty minutes from pulling in the gate to finishing the cut. No tripod, no rod man, no second person."

Laser replacement

"Used to drag a laser tripod around for every quick grade. RTK works the same in dust, at 2 km, around the back of a shed. The tablet's already in the cab."

In the cab

"Three taps: Set Origin, type 0.5%, point the arrow downhill. The blade tracks the slope every pass — even when the tractor jumps over a rough patch."

FAQ

Single-slope grade control questions.

Answers for operators comparing Simple Grading, laser grading, Ditching mode, Leveling mode, and RTK GPS slope control.

Single grade

What is Ditch Assist Simple Grading mode?

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.

Survey optional

Do I need to survey before using Simple Grading?

No. Enter Grade Only lets you type a grade percent, set the starting reference, and begin grading without a survey. Survey & Grade is available when you want cut/fill preview, a planned plane, or Auto-Nudge pass staging.

Laser alternative

Can Simple Grading replace a laser?

For many constant-slope jobs, yes. Simple Grading uses RTK GPS and the tablet instead of a laser tripod, so dust, range, weather, buildings, and line-of-sight issues do not break the grade reference.

Mode choice

How is Simple Grading different from Ditching mode?

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.

Flat pads

Should I use Simple Grading or Leveling for flat pads?

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.

Auto-Nudge

Does Auto-Nudge work in Simple Grading?

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.

Equipment

What equipment works with Simple Grading?

Simple Grading works with the same raise/lower implements used by the rest of Ditch Assist, including pull-type scrapers, hydraulic blades, Pulldozer™, and land levelers.

Excavator using the Ditch Assist DIG kit for bucket-tip guidance Ditch Assist DIG
Excavator guidance

Have an excavator or backhoe too?

Add Ditch Assist DIG™ as a separate excavator guidance kit for bucket-tip elevation, trench design, and dug-earth mapping. It uses the same familiar Ditch Assist app experience, so operators can expand from implement grade control to excavators without learning a different UI.

See Excavator mode → DIG™ Kit
Emlid Reach RS4 receiver for simple grading RTK GPS
Optional RTK GPS bundles

Need RTK for simple slopes and planes?

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 the usual low-cost path to centimeter GPS. The Ditch Assist-only bundle adds the tripod, extender, mounts, and Ditch Assist-to-Emlid RTK GPS cable.

Emlid RTK options →Get a quote
Compatible equipment

Drives the cylinder on every implement you grade with.

Pull-Type Scrapers (any brand) Hydraulic Blades Pulldozer™ Land Levelers
Try it live

See the real app before you talk hardware.

Try the Simple Grading workflow yourself: direct grade entry or a surveyed single-slope design, all in your browser.

Open the app simulator →
Ditch Assist app home screen in the browser simulator