I am sure that plenty of folks on this site currently use some form of GPS on the jobsite. We have recently purchased a earthwork modeling program. The next step for us is to implement GPS on site. I am thinking we start with a base station/ rover combo to set our own grade stakes and gradually move into machine control. We have a consultant that is proficient in the program to import the engineers CAD file and build the model. Any advice from people that use it would be greatly appreciated.:usa
its the key to the future, imo i wish the company that i worked for would considered it. it takes the guess work out of it. i would have to agree and say that the rover would be a wise decision , then after alot of people ive talked to will put it on a blade usually a mid size blade d5 or d6 size. alot of the companies in my area have mutiple uints primarley on blades and trackhoes and rovers. a smart decision.
How much does this generally cost ?
The Agtek software was $17k. But it has already paid for itself on our current job. We raised a portion of the site and saved moving 100k CY. Being able to create a 3D model of the job is awesome. A rover and base station is around $20k - $30k. Machine control is going to run alot more. It is all expensive but with our current workload I think it will more than pay for itself but it may take a year or two before we save enough in surveying bills. It just seems that it can save so much time when you can put a grade stake back in yourself or monitor cut/fill areas as they are worked and not have to wait on or pay surveyors.
Hey guys, Found a good video from McAninch Follow link http://www.mcaninchcorp.com/video.asp Just go down to GPS Stakeless grade control We use the Topcon Rover & find it works really good, especially when the design is lacking. It tends to fill in the gaps if you have a bunch of Spot Elevations. A few engineering firms are designing in 3D now to "assist" us with our 3D machine control and GPS survey needs.
Cool - thanks for the link and the info.:drinkup
We used to use the good ol' chain & level. In the past few years we've graduated to Laser Machine control & GPS. It is worth every penny spent.