Ditch Assist® turns centimeter-level RTK positioning into grade control and guidance for field machines — one kit, one Android tablet, any compatible RTK source. Terracing is an included workflow. Buy the kit for this job and every other implement workflow comes with it — surface drainage, tile drainage, land forming, single-grade work, levees, leveling — at no extra cost, no per-mode activation. Running a dozer or self-propelled scraper? Ditch Assist Lite runs Terracing as on-screen guidance from an Emlid Reach on the blade.
Choose Simple Maintenance for an existing terrace that needs one channel survey, or Standard Terracing when you need channel + berm surveys and full cut/fill analysis.
Both paths design the channel to drain cleanly to the outlet and keep Channel/Berm targets visible. Standard Terracing adds measured berm terrain and compaction-adjusted volume analysis; the operator remains in control of how material is placed.
Choose the method that matches the job before you survey. Simple Maintenance removes the berm-survey step; Standard Terracing keeps the full construction and volume-analysis workflow.
Survey one channel, then copy its design to the berm with an adjustable offset, 18 in by default.
Survey the channel and berm, then design from them when you need existing berm terrain and rebuild-volume analysis.
Edit Design reopens an active survey-built design. Saving changed geometry creates a new revision and keeps the previous files. In Simple Maintenance you can choose Keep My Progress to keep the work you have already done; otherwise grading progress restarts against the revised target.
HOLD/RESUME now matches START/STOP in size. The larger Channel/Berm selector shows the ACTIVE target, and you can also tap near a target line on the profile chart.
During automatic grading, tap HOLD or stop before switching between Channel and Berm. An automatic RTK-loss hold does not permit the switch.
New terrace designs now start at 0.10% minimum grade instead of 0.05%. Re-running an existing survey with untouched settings may produce a slightly deeper upstream cut.
After you confirm Stop, the app shows Stopping… while the controller completes its safety halt instead of appearing idle during that brief delay.
On designs deeper than 10 Auto-Nudge™ passes, the bold current-pass line and PASS label now follow the live pass, with the next passes faded behind it.
This video shows the full Standard Terracing workflow for construction and rebuild analysis: record the channel and berm, design with Slope-IQ, compare cut against berm fill with Auto-Balance, stage deeper cuts with Auto-Nudge, then grade and verify berm height. Simple Maintenance uses one channel survey instead.
Set survey blade height, record the terrace channel, confirm outlet direction, then survey the top of the berm for height feedback.
Compare Best-Fit, Guided, and Freeform channel designs, set minimum grade and berm height, then balance cut volume against fill needs.
Stage the channel cut pass by pass, use Hold for manual guidance when needed, then switch to Berm to place material to target height.
This walkthrough shows Standard Terracing: the complete two-survey workflow for constructing or substantially rebuilding a farmable terrace. It does not show the one-survey Simple Maintenance path.
Use the setup walkthrough to prepare field data and check the machine before choosing Simple Maintenance or Standard Terracing.
Terracing can run with full hydraulic automation or guidance-only feedback. Automation follows the active channel or berm target; guidance keeps the profile, Grade Guide, and coverage visible while the operator controls the hydraulics.
Wide-base, broad-base, and farm-over terraces need a channel that drains and a berm target the operator can see. Choose Simple Maintenance for a one-survey repair, or Standard Terracing when you need measured berm terrain and cut/fill analysis.
Design a clean channel profile from inlet to outlet so water does not sit in pockets along the run.
Simple Maintenance copies the finished channel design to the berm at your selected offset. Standard Terracing uses a separate berm survey for measured height feedback.
In Standard Terracing, Auto-Balance compares channel cut to compaction-adjusted berm fill and either finds a balance or shows that borrow material is still needed.
Guided and Freeform design let you lift the channel through a low area so the plan fills it instead of cutting deeper.
Auto-Nudge steps the channel target down pass by pass, based on the cut depth your scraper or blade can handle.
The Full Automation Kit works raise/lower for you on pull-type scrapers, land-forming blades, land levelers and pull-type dozer blades. The Guidance Only Kit shows the cut while you work the hydraulics, and can take our valve later. On a dozer or self-propelled scraper, Ditch Assist Lite puts only a GPS on the blade, no wires; automating later means buying the Full Automation Kit at full price.
For Standard Terracing, drive the channel and berm, let Slope-IQ™ lay out the channel cut, use Auto-Balance for compaction-adjusted volume analysis, then grade with active Channel/Berm target feedback. Simple Maintenance skips the berm survey and volume analysis.
The screens below show an earlier app layout. The current app keeps this Standard workflow but enlarges the grading controls and marks the active Channel/Berm target more clearly.
Survey the channel and Ditch Assist designs it cleanly to the outlet on your selected minimum grade. In Standard Terracing, Auto-Balance then checks whether that channel design can supply the berm fill. The design engine is called Slope-IQ.
Three ways to design the channel cut: let the app fit it to the ground, pin the elevations that must hold, or draw the profile yourself.
Slope-IQ™ works out the channel profile from your survey, keeping to the minimum grade and depth offset you set. Best-Fit follows the ground, Guided holds your grade-break points, and Freeform lets you place every point yourself.
Best-Fit always grades down from the bottom of any depression along the route. On a long terrace with little fall to the outlet, that can mean a much deeper cut from the low spot to the outlet.
Use Guided or Freeform to place the channel above a low spot — the system then plans to fill that section of the channel instead of cutting deeper. The volume strip updates accordingly: Channel Cut minus Channel Fill minus Berm Fill (compaction adjusted) equals Net Balance. Check the number before you start — a positive balance means the channel cut covers both filling depressions and building up the berm; a negative balance tells you up front you'll need to haul fill in from elsewhere (uphill, a borrow area, or a neighboring field).
Channel Cut − Channel Fill − Berm Fill (compaction adjusted) = Net Balance
Positive: the channel cut covers filling depressions and building the berm. Negative: haul in fill before you start.
A terrace channel is rarely a one-pass cut. Ditch Assist stages it pass by pass, each one held to the max cut you set for your scraper. That engine is Auto-Nudge.
Deep channel cuts are rarely a one-pass job. Auto-Nudge™ stages the channel cut across multiple passes, each one sized to what your scraper can pull. Set the max cut per pass, drive the route, tap Pass + at the end of each pass, and the system steps the target depth down until you're on final grade. With the Full Automation Kit, Ditch Assist works raise/lower to each pass's target. With the Guidance Only Kit (unless it is plugged into a compatible factory valve) or Ditch Assist Lite, Auto-Nudge sets each pass's target the same way, but nothing moves the blade for you: you work the controls to match it.
Set the deepest single-pass cut your scraper and conditions can handle. Default 2″. The design dialog shows the estimated channel-pass count before you start grading.
Each pass steps the channel target deeper toward final grade — never more than your max cut. The profile chart shows the active pass bold, future passes faded — you always see what's left to cut.
End of a pass, tap Pass + in the sidebar. The system sets the next channel target and you keep cutting. In Simple Maintenance, the berm goes directly to the finished channel design plus your Berm Offset, with no staged berm passes. You build the berm at your own pace.
Terracing needs cut-and-place capability — soil from the channel goes onto the berm, not off-site. Pull-type scrapers are the workhorse; land-forming blades and pull-type dozer blades fit too. On a dozer or self-propelled scraper, use Ditch Assist Lite. Pick yours for setup and compatibility details.
Both the Full Automation Kit and the Guidance Only Kit add RTK GPS grade control to virtually any hydraulically operated pull-type scraper for terracing work. The Full Automation Kit drives the raise/lower hydraulics automatically — PWM valve, hoses, fittings, and a manual-bypass circuit all included. The Guidance Only Kit gives live on-screen on-grade feedback so the operator works the hydraulics manually (control module and harness only); add our valve later and it becomes the Full Automation Kit. To run Ditch Assist at the lowest cost, Ditch Assist Lite puts only a GPS on the implement, no wires: an Emlid Reach RS3 or RS4 talks to the tablet over Wi-Fi, and you work the hydraulics to the arrows on the screen. Ditch Assist Lite has no upgrade path: automating later means buying the Full Automation Kit at full price, with no credit for Ditch Assist Lite.
Scrapers are the natural fit for terracing: they cut the channel and dump the fill onto the berm in the same pass. The Min Valve DC and Max Valve DC (duty cycle) settings in the app tune hydraulic responsiveness for typical scrapers used across Western Canada and the Northern U.S. Turn up DC for larger units, down for smaller. Optional high-flow valve spool upgrades are available for extra-large scrapers.
Because the kit is portable and mounted on the implement (or tractor), you can swap between tractors throughout the day. Wi-Fi from the control module to the cab means minimal wiring — change tractors and be back terracing in as little as 20 minutes.
Slope-IQ™ designs the channel cut. Auto-Balance matches cut volume to compaction-adjusted berm fill. Auto-Nudge™ stages the channel cut pass by pass, each pass held to the max cut you set for your scraper.
Both kits work with the compatible RTK GPS you already run. Ask about our RTK bundles if you're starting fresh.
Both the Full Automation Kit and the Guidance Only Kit add RTK GPS grade control to land-forming blades, land levelers, and pull-type dozer blades. The Full Automation Kit drives the raise/lower hydraulics so the blade follows the active Channel or Berm target automatically; the Guidance Only Kit gives live on-grade feedback while the operator works the hydraulics manually, and can take our valve later to become the Full Automation Kit. To run Ditch Assist at the lowest cost, Ditch Assist Lite puts only a GPS on the implement, no wires: an Emlid Reach RS3 or RS4 talks to the tablet over Wi-Fi, and you work the hydraulics to the arrows on the screen. Ditch Assist Lite has no upgrade path: automating later means buying the Full Automation Kit at full price, with no credit for Ditch Assist Lite.
For terracing, Ditch Assist controls the raise/lower function only. Other blade functions — tilt, side-wing — stay manually operated. For tilt-capable blades, keep tilt constant from initial survey through to grading; changing it mid-operation alters the GPS height offset and causes deviation from your intended grade.
Slope-IQ™ Best-Fit, Guided, and Freeform engines design the channel profile. Auto-Balance matches volumes. Auto-Nudge™ stages the channel cut pass by pass, each one held to the max cut you set for your tractor and blade.
Wi-Fi from the control module to the cab means fast swaps between tractors. Both kits work with any compatible RTK GPS; ask about our RTK bundles.
Whichever kit you buy for terracing — Full Automation or Guidance Only — unlocks every other implement workflow in the Ditch Assist app. No extra cost, no per-mode activation. Surface drains in the spring, terraces this summer, a bin pad in the fall — same kit, same tablet, same operator. 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 to the on-screen target.
Surface drainage — survey the route, Slope-IQ designs it, auto-grade pass by pass.
See Ditching → Mode 03Variable-slope and all-way designs from Geo-Surface™, Ezigrade, and other popular land-forming design software, via AGD, LandXML or XYZP.
See Land Forming → Mode 04Single-slope grading or a sloped plane — type a grade percent and start from where you stand, or survey first and fit one grade to the ground.
See Simple Grading → 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 →
Terracing mode covers two different jobs. Simple Maintenance restores an existing terrace from one channel survey. Standard Terracing adds a berm survey, berm-height checks, and cut/fill analysis for construction or a major rebuild.
Operators maintaining or building wide-base, broad-base, or farm-over terraces with a pull-type scraper, land-forming blade, land leveler, or pull-type dozer blade, or with a dozer or self-propelled scraper on Ditch Assist Lite. Choose the one-survey maintenance path or the full channel-and-berm construction path in the app.
A single ditch or drainage run with no berm to build — see Ditching mode — or a job driven by an imported 3D design surface — see Land Forming.
Answers for farmers and contractors building or maintaining terraces with RTK grade control.
Terrace grade control uses RTK GPS elevation and implement control to hold the terrace channel to a designed grade while you cut with a scraper or blade. Simple Maintenance uses one channel survey; Standard Terracing adds the berm survey, berm-height checks, cut/fill balance, and staged berm passes.
Yes. For routine maintenance, Simple Maintenance surveys one channel and copies its finished design to the berm with an adjustable offset. For new construction or major rebuilds, Standard Terracing surveys the channel and berm and adds full volume analysis.
Simple Maintenance uses one channel survey and copies the finished channel design to the berm with an adjustable offset. Standard Terracing uses channel + berm surveys for new construction or rebuild-volume analysis. Simple Maintenance does not calculate berm fill, surplus, soil balance, or Auto-Balance.
With the Full Automation Kit, Ditch Assist raises and lowers the implement to the active Channel or Berm target while you drive. With the Guidance Only Kit or Ditch Assist Lite, you work the hydraulics to the same on-screen target. You cut the channel to the design grade, then build the berm at your own pace as you place material, with the tablet showing the berm target so you know where the terrace still needs fill.
In Standard Terracing, Auto-Balance compares designed channel cut against compaction-adjusted berm fill. If the berm needs more material, it deepens the channel design until the net balance matches, or shows that borrow material is needed. Simple Maintenance has no berm-volume or Auto-Balance analysis.
Yes. Slope-IQ designs the channel grade to the outlet, and Guided design can hold important elevations such as a tile inlet, grassed waterway outlet, crossing, or required grade break. Your conservation or drainage plan still defines the final outlet requirements.
Pull-type scrapers are the natural fit because they cut the channel and place material on the berm. Land-forming blades, land levelers, and pull-type dozer blades such as the Pulldozer also work when the operator can place and shape the fill. Dozers and self-propelled scrapers run Ditch Assist Lite: only a GPS on the blade, no wires, with on-screen cut/fill while you work the controls. Keep the blade at the same angle while you grade; Ditch Assist Lite uses one receiver, so it can't correct for tilt.
Yes. The Full Automation Kit and the Guidance Only Kit work with any compatible RTK GPS (John Deere, Trimble, Outback and others) cabled to the control module, which powers the receiver and passes its position to the tablet over Wi-Fi. On a dozer or self-propelled scraper with a receiver you already own, the Guidance Only Kit gives you guidance while you work the controls. If you are starting fresh, ask about the affordable Emlid Reach RS3 or RS4 bundles. Ditch Assist Lite needs only a GPS on the implement, no wires: an Emlid Reach RS3 or RS4, including one you already own.
Add the Ditch Assist DIG™ Kit as a separate excavator 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.
Terracing uses RTK elevation to survey the channel, verify berm height, and work out the cut/fill balance. If your tractor is not already RTK-ready, an Emlid base-rover bundle gives Ditch Assist the centimeter GPS it needs — base, rover, and radio link, all from one quote. The Ditch Assist-only package adds the tripod, extender, mount hardware, 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.
The browser simulator demonstrates the Standard Terracing channel-and-berm workflow. It runs an earlier build of the app, so Simple Maintenance is not in it yet.
