Autosteer for older tractors: what fits, what it takes, what you get
Most of the auto steer kits Deep Sand Tech ships go on tractors built before the farmer was. A 4440, a 4640, an 8160 Massey, a 946 Versatile. The kit does not care how old the tractor is. It needs a steering wheel and power steering, 12 volts, and a place on the roof for the receiver. Here is what fits, how the install goes, and what it takes to run it.
Ask if your tractor fits Call or Text (580) 394-0089What an old tractor needs to run autosteer
- Power steering. The motor turns the wheel like your hands do, so the tractor has to help. Manual steering is the one thing we turn down.
- 12 volts at the battery. The display and motor draw off the battery through a fused lead. No alternator upgrade, no tractor wiring touched.
- A steering column we can bracket. The steering wheel comes off and a motorized wheel goes on with a spline adapter and a column bracket. FJD has brackets and spline adapters for the common columns, and we have matched the odd ones in the field.
- A spot on the roof. The GNSS receiver mounts on the cab roof, or on a bracket on an open-station tractor.
- Steering in decent shape. Loose U-bolts, worn tie-rod ends and ball joints show up as a tractor that hunts back and forth. We tighten the iron before we tune the software.
Older tractors we put kits on
A sample, not a limit. If your tractor is not here it probably still fits; call us with the model and a photo of the steering column.
| Brand | Models that fit | What we install |
|---|---|---|
| John Deere Model-by-model page | 4020, 4030, 4230, 4430, 4630, 4040, 4240, 4440, 4640, 4840, 4050 to 4850, 4055 to 4955, 4560 to 4960, 8560 to 8970 | Electric motor kit on the column. These are the tractors we put the most kits on. |
| Massey Ferguson Model-by-model page | 8160 and the rest of the 8100 series | Electric motor kit. An 8160 digging peanuts is in the video below. |
| Versatile | 835 to 1156, 946, 976, 2375 Classic | Electric motor kit, run in articulated mode. Two 946s are in our videos. |
| Case IH, New Holland, Ford, Allis-Chalmers, Steiger and others | Any model with power steering and a battery | Usually the electric motor kit. Send us a photo of the column and we confirm the bracket before anything ships. Brand pages: Case IH, New Holland. |
What goes on the tractor
An 8160 Massey digging peanuts on RTK
Older tractor, sub-inch line, no factory electronics involved.
Why farmers put autosteer on old tractors instead of trading
- The tractor is paid for and it still runs. Autosteer gives it the one thing a new tractor has that it does not: a straight pass with no overlap, every pass, all night if you want.
- Overlap is where the money goes. Five percent overlap on a 40-foot drill is two feet of seed and fertilizer you put down twice. RTK takes that to about an inch.
- The operator is not worn out at dark. Watching the implement instead of the hood is the part most farmers tell us they did not expect.
- The kit moves. Sell the tractor someday and the kit goes to the next one, and you can buy extra parts to make your own swap kit between two tractors.
Which FJD kit for an older tractor
Almost always the electric motor kit. The AT2 Lite is the steering-only version with a 10-inch tablet, made for a simple start. The AT2 adds ISOBUS implement control and automatic U-turns, and the AT2 Max adds a 12-inch display and more sections. All of them use the same motor and hold the same one-inch RTK accuracy. If an old owner left a hydraulic steering valve in the tractor, the AH2 plugs into it instead. The Autosteer for Tractors page compares them side by side.
- Make, model and year
- A photo of the steering wheel and column from the seat
- Whether it ever had a dealer guidance system on it
- Your farm's location, so we can check RTK coverage before we quote
Common questions
Will autosteer work on a tractor with no electronics at all?
Yes. The electric motor kit is self-contained: a motorized steering wheel on the column, a receiver on the roof, a display in the cab, and a 12-volt power lead. It does not talk to the tractor. A 1970s tractor with a battery and power steering is all it needs.
Does my old tractor need power steering?
Yes. The motor turns the wheel the same way your hands do, so it needs the tractor to help. Manual-steering tractors are the one thing we turn down.
How accurate is it on an old tractor?
The same as on a new one. Accuracy comes from the RTK correction and the receiver, not the tractor. With RTK the FJD kits hold pass-to-pass accuracy of about one inch (2.5 cm). Loose tie rods and worn ball joints show up as hunting, so we tighten the iron first.
What about an older tractor that was guidance-ready from the factory?
If the old owner had a dealer system on it, the hydraulic steering valve and the harness near the column usually stayed with the tractor when the display left. That tractor takes our AH2 hydraulic kit, which plugs into the valve you already have.
Can I move the kit between two old tractors?
Yes. You can buy the extra parts to make your own swap kit, so one system moves between a planting tractor and a spraying tractor. Ask us what your two tractors need.
How long does the install take?
Most farmers install the motor kit themselves in an afternoon with our tech on the phone. The steering wheel comes off, the bracket and motor go on, the receiver goes on the roof, the display mounts where you want it, and the power lead goes to the battery.
Who do I call when something acts up?
Deep Sand Tech in Oklahoma, 8 AM to 8 PM every day. We can log into the display remotely and see what you see. The kit carries a two-year warranty.
More on auto steer
Autosteer for Tractors · Autosteer for older tractors · FJD AT2 vs Wheelman · What RTK autosteer costs to run · FJD AT2 · AT2 Max · AS2 steer-ready · AH2 hydraulic · GEODNET RTK · John Deere · Case IH · New Holland · Kubota · Massey Ferguson · Reviews