Is my tractor steer-ready? How to tell, and what it means for autosteer
Steer-ready means your tractor left the factory with a hydraulic steering valve, and on newer tractors a CAN connection, so an autosteer system can turn the wheels without a motor on the steering wheel. There are three possible answers for any tractor, and each one points to a different FJD kit. None of them is a dead end. Here is how to check yours.
Ask us to check your tractor Call or Text (580) 394-0089How to check your tractor in ten minutes
- Look for the empty connector. Steer-ready tractors have a harness connector near the steering column or under the right-hand console with nothing plugged into it. On Case IH and New Holland it is often a round connector or a Deutsch plug. On Deere the harness runs to the valve over the rear axle.
- Find the valve. Look over the rear axle, under the cab or beside the steering orbital for a valve block with two or three electrical plugs on it. A round shiny part with a plug is the flow meter, not the valve. The valve is the black block.
- Read the build sheet. The guidance option shows up as a code on the build sheet or the dealer invoice. If you bought the tractor used, the serial number lets the dealer pull it.
- Send us photos. Steering column from the seat, the connector, the valve block and the serial-number plate. We tell you which of the three answers you have, and which kit, before anything ships.
Which answer your tractor probably has
A guide by brand, built from the factory option lists and from what we have put kits on. A series showing up here means the option existed for that family, not that every unit has it. Your serial number settles it. For the full list of 793 tractors, combines, sprayers and swathers, use our free steer-ready lookup.
| Brand | CAN steer-ready: AS2 plugs in | Hydraulic valve, no CAN: AH2 plugs into the valve | Not steer-ready: AT2 motor kit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case IH | AFS Connect Magnum 180 to 400, Puma T4B and T5, Optum 270 and 300, Maxxum Tier 4B, Vestrum CVX | Older Magnum and Steiger with the factory guidance option; MX series | Everything with no guidance option, and anything older than about 2005 |
| New Holland | PLM Intelligence T8, T7 and T6 with the factory option, T5 Stage V AutoCommand | Older T8 and T9 with the factory guidance option | TM, TS, TV, Genesis, Ford and anything without the option |
| John Deere | None. Deere keeps its steering bus locked, so no Deere runs the AS2 plug-in kit. | 8010 series from about 2005 on, 8R, 7R, 9R and 9RX with the factory guidance valve over the rear axle | 4020 through 4960, 8560 to 8970, 7000 and 8000 series without the valve, and most 4WDs before 2005 |
| Massey Ferguson, Fendt, Challenger | MF 6S, 7S, 6700S, 7700S, 8700S, 7600, 8600; Fendt 300, 500, 700, 800, 900 Vario and 1000; Valtra S, T and N with the option | Challenger MT with the legacy factory guidance valve; some MF 7400 and 8400 | MF 8100 series, older Challengers, anything without the option |
| Kubota | M7-4 (M7-134, M7-154, M7-174) | Some M7 and M8 units ordered with the hydraulic option | M5, M6, M8 base models, L series, B series, and every Kubota before the M7 |
| Versatile, Steiger, Deutz-Fahr, Landini, Claas | Deutz-Fahr 5, 6 and 7 Series TTV; Landini 7 Series; some Versatile with a factory CAN valve | Versatile 4WDs and Steigers with the factory guidance valve | Versatile 835 to 1156, 946, 976 and older Steigers |
Why it matters which answer you get
- CAN steer-ready (AS2). Cleanest install. The controller plugs into the factory connector, the steering wheel stays stock, and the tractor steers with its own valve. Install is the receiver, display and one harness.
- Hydraulic valve, no CAN (AH2). Same result in the field. The AH2 controller drives the valve directly through a harness matched to the valve brand. A wheel angle sensor goes on the front axle. The valve gets calibrated the first time, which is the step most used steer-ready tractors never had done.
- Not steer-ready (AT2). The electric motor kit. It is on the majority of the tractors we sell, it installs in an afternoon, and when the system is off the tractor is exactly what it was. Read more at autosteer for older tractors.
What the three kits share
Steer-ready is not only tractors
Combines, self-propelled sprayers and swathers came with the same factory options. Newer MacDon swathers (2024 and later) are CAN steer-ready. Most self-propelled sprayers were never built with autosteer and take a motor kit or the AH2. Combines are usually motor kits. See combines, sprayers and swathers.
- Make, model and year, plus the serial number
- A photo of the steering wheel and column from the seat
- A photo of any empty connector near the column or under the right console
- A photo of the valve block over the rear axle, if there is one
- Your farm location so we check RTK coverage before we quote
Common questions
What does steer-ready actually mean?
The tractor has a factory steering valve that a guidance controller can drive, and on newer tractors a CAN bus connection for it. The display and receiver were sold separately, so a lot of steer-ready tractors never had autosteer on them. The valve is still there.
My dealer said it is guidance-ready. Is that the same thing?
Usually. Guidance-ready, steer-ready and autosteer-ready are all dealer words for the same factory option. One caution from our installs: on Case IH and New Holland, steer-ready means the tractor has a valve, not necessarily a CAN valve. We check which one before we quote.
How do I check without a dealer?
Look for a round or Deutsch harness connector near the steering column or under the right-hand console with nothing plugged into it, a valve block over the rear axle with two or three plugs on it, and the guidance option on the build sheet or the sticker inside the cab. Send us photos of those spots and the serial number and we will tell you in a day.
What if my tractor is not steer-ready at all?
Then it takes the electric motor kit. The AT2 motor goes on the steering column, the receiver goes on the roof, and nothing in the hydraulics is touched. Most of the tractors we sell into are not steer-ready and never will be, and they hold the same one-inch line.
Can a tractor be made steer-ready?
Yes. The AH2 kit adds a hydraulic steering valve to a tractor that has power steering but no factory valve. That is the route for farmers who want the steering wheel left alone, usually on a sprayer or a tractor where the wheel cannot come off.
Does FJD steer John Deere tractors over CAN?
No. Deere keeps its steering bus locked. A Deere that was guidance-ready from the factory has the hydraulic valve over the rear axle, and our AH2 kit plugs into that valve with a Deere-specific harness. A Deere with no valve takes the AT2 motor kit. Both are everyday installs for us.
Will the kit move to my next tractor?
Yes. The display, receiver and controller are the same across the three kits. If you trade a motor-kit tractor for a steer-ready one, you change the steering end of the kit, not the whole system.
More on auto steer
Autosteer for Tractors · Is my tractor steer-ready? · Older tractors · Articulated 4WDs · Combines · Sprayers · Swathers · RTK vs WAAS · What RTK costs to run · FJD AT2 vs Wheelman · FJD AT2 · AT2 Max · AS2 steer-ready · AH2 hydraulic · GEODNET RTK · John Deere · Case IH · New Holland · Kubota · Massey Ferguson · Reviews
Published 10/13/2026 by Deep Sand Tech, Lone Wolf, Oklahoma. Written from our own installs and support calls, not from a brochure.