Daedong Launches Industry’s First Combine Harvester with Yield Monitoring and Autonomous Operation Functions
Daedong Launches Industry’s First Combine Harvester with Yield Monitoring and Autonomous Operation Functions
- Farmers can check yield by field section through a mobile app and use the data to plan future cultivation
- After driving up to three laps around the field boundary, the combine can be set to perform autonomous harvesting, allowing anyone to handle the process with ease
- Harvesting one hectare (10,000 pyeong) of rice takes 8–9 hours, but with autonomous operation, actual driving time is reduced to just 2 hours, significantly minimizing operator fatigue
Daedong (Co-CEOs Kim Jun-sik and Won Yu-hyun), a leading company in future agriculture, announced on August 18 the launch of the DH6135-A, Korea’s first six-row combine harvester equipped with yield monitoring and Level 3 autonomous operation functions[1]. The model also supports wireless firmware-over-the-air (FOTA) updates, enabling customers to upgrade to the latest features with ease.
The DH6135-A is equipped with a yield monitoring feature that enables farmers to easily check harvest volumes by field section. Data can be viewed either on the in-cabin monitor or through the Daedong Connect app. Within the app, yields are displayed as a color-coded distribution map, divided into grids ranging from 5 to 20 meters, making it simple to visualize crop output across different sections of the field. Daedong plans to further upgrade this feature by introducing a year-over-year comparison tool, allowing farmers to leverage yield maps for precision farming. This will support more effective planning for fertilizer application, crop protection, and soil improvement on a field-by-field basis.
The model also offers Level 3 autonomous operation, enabling anyone to harvest with ease and minimal manual driving. Upon circling the boundary of the field up to three times, the system automatically sets the harvest area and turning radius. By selecting a turning method, such as Alpha Turn or C Turn, the combine establishes a fully autonomous harvesting path. Once the harvesting path is set, the combine completes the process fully autonomously. With the Auto-Drive to Unloading Point feature, the machine automatically travels to a designated location when the grain tank is full, which eliminates the need for any manual driving to unload grain. The model is also equipped with a Line Shift function, which makes small path adjustments in 5 cm increments to the left or right if the crop line and the combine’s divider are misaligned. This ensures greater precision and helps minimize unharvested sections, allowing farmers to complete the job more easily and accurately.
Internal tests show that harvesting a 1,200-pyeong rice field (around 0.4 hectares) takes about 60 minutes on average. Of this time, roughly 12 minutes are spent setting up the autonomous operation, such as harvesting the boundary and entering the turning pattern, meaning the operator only needs to manually drive for about 20% of the total process. At a larger scale, harvesting a 10,000-pyeong rice field (about 3.3 hectares) over 8 to 9 hours requires just 2 hours of operator driving time, dramatically reducing fatigue. The combine also comes with a field subdivision feature that automatically divides large fields into 500‑pyeong plots, enabling efficient operation even across wide farmland.
The DH6135-A is powered by a 143-horsepower diesel engine and is equipped with a six-row header and an extra-large 2,000-liter grain tank, making it capable of harvesting large areas quickly and efficiently. Its independent power transmission system for the driving and cutting units allows operators to adjust harvesting speed according to field conditions, such as lodged crops or wet paddies, without interrupting the operation. Convenience is further enhanced with the 2-SPEED HST system, which allows gear changes at the push of a button without needing to stop. For added reliability, the combine features a ground-sensing system that automatically raises and lowers the header to follow uneven terrain. It is also equipped with automatic leveling controls for both front-to-back and side-to-side movement, ensuring stable and consistent harvesting in all conditions.
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[1] Autonomous operations of agricultural machinery in Korea
▲ Level 1 – Driver Assistance (straight driving); ▲ Level 2 – Partial Autonomy (straight driving and turning); ▲ Level 3 – Conditional Autonomy (generating and following work paths); ▲ Level 4 – High Autonomy (obstacle detection and response); ▲ Level 5 – Full Autonomy (fully unmanned autonomous operation). Daedong enables autonomous operations using a redundant Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) system, which enables ultra-precision autonomous driving and 24-hour uninterrupted autonomous driving without any instability in receiving locational information. Moreover, the system provides ultra-precise locational information to the combine, allowing it to work with greater precision day and night. The positioning error is less than 2cm when stopped and a maximum of 7cm when following the work route.