Tractor GPS — User Guide

Field guidance and coverage recording for your iPhone.

1. What Tractor GPS Does

Tractor GPS turns your iPhone into a field guidance and coverage system for tractors and other farm vehicles. With it you can:

Record the boundaries of your fields and see their area in acres or hectares.
Save profiles for your equipment (planter, sprayer, mower, etc.) with working width, offset and its own track colour.
Drive parallel passes using an on-screen A–B guideline, with a live map showing where you've already covered.
Keep a work log of every session — when you worked, for how long, the distance driven and the area covered.
Plan upcoming work with the built-in job planner.
Use the phone's built-in GPS, or an external Bluetooth GNSS receiver for higher accuracy.

The app is designed to be read at a glance from a tractor cab and uses a dark colour scheme to reduce glare.

2. Before You Start

You'll need:

An iPhone or iPad running a recent version of iOS.
A sturdy mount inside the cab that keeps the device within arm's reach and gives the GPS a clear view of the sky.
A 12 V power outlet or USB charger — GPS recording drains the battery quickly.
An internet connection for the first launch (to activate your trial) and for downloading satellite map tiles. An internet connection is not required while driving in the field — see No Reception Mode in Settings to cache maps in advance.

Give the phone one to two minutes after launching the app to acquire a good GPS fix before you start recording.

3. First Launch & Subscription

The first time you open Tractor GPS you'll step through a short onboarding flow:

Splash screen — the app checks your subscription status.
Welcome — one screen highlighting what the app does. Links to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy are at the bottom. The app also asks for notification permission here, for trial reminders and session alerts.
Rating prompt — you can rate the app or skip past.
Location permission — when prompted, allow location access. The app cannot record fields or guide you without it.
Paywall — a 7-day free trial is offered, after which an annual subscription begins. The screen shows a timeline: Today – Get Access → In 5 Days – Reminder → In 7 Days – Trial Ends.
Tap Already Purchased? if you have subscribed before on another device — it restores your purchase through your Apple ID.

After onboarding you land on the main tabbed interface, opening on the Drive tab.

4. The Five Tabs

Along the bottom of the screen you'll always see five tabs:

Tab	What it's for
Fields	List and map of all your field boundaries.
Work Log	History of work sessions, grouped by day, plus the job planner.
Drive	The main screen — GPS guidance and active recording. The app opens here.
Implements	Profiles for your planter, sprayer, mower, etc.
Settings	Units, maps, backup, help, legal.

A typical workflow is: set up an Implement once → add a Field → go to Drive to record work → review in Work Log.

5. Fields — Mapping Your Land

5.1 The Fields list

The Fields tab shows a map preview at the top with your field boundaries drawn on it, and a scrollable list below. Each row shows a thumbnail, the field name, and its area.

Tap + (top right) to add a new field.
Tap any row to open that field's detail view.

5.2 Creating a new field

Tap + from the Fields tab.
The map centres on your current GPS location, with a crosshair in the middle of the screen.
Drive or walk to each corner of the field. At each corner:
Line up the crosshair over the exact point.
Tap the + button at the bottom to drop a boundary marker.
If you place a point by mistake, tap Undo to remove the last one.
The area is calculated live as you add points, shown in the area unit you've chosen in Settings.
When the boundary is complete (at least two points placed), tap Finish.
You can then Undo the last point, Reset to start the boundary again, Cancel to discard everything, or Save to store the field.
Enter a name and optional notes/details, then save.

Tip: For best accuracy, walk or drive along the actual boundary rather than estimating from the cab. You can also create a field automatically from work you've already recorded — see Section 8.

5.3 Editing or deleting a field

Open the field from the Fields list. You'll see the boundary on a full-screen map and three options:

Edit Details — change the name or notes.
Edit Map — re-open the boundary editor; add, move, or remove points.
Delete Field — remove the field. Deletion is permanent and cannot be undone, so the app asks you to confirm first.

6. Implements — Your Equipment Profiles

An implement is whatever you're pulling behind the tractor. The app uses its width to lay out guidance lines and paint coverage, and its offset to account for implements that don't sit centred behind the tractor.

6.1 The default implement

The app ships with a single starter implement called Default Work Width — 50 ft in countries that use feet, 16 m elsewhere, with no offset. Edit it to match your kit, or add your own.

6.2 Selecting the active implement

The list has a circle next to each implement. The filled circle marks the one currently in use — tap another row to switch. The active implement is the one the Drive tab will use for guidance.

6.3 Adding a new implement

Tap + at the top right of the Implements tab.
Set the Width on the ruler wheel — this is the tool's working width, in the width unit you've chosen in Settings (metres, centimetres, feet or inches).
The Name is suggested automatically from the width (e.g. "40ft Wide") — overtype it with your own, e.g. "Kuhn 6-row planter".
Offset Direction — choose None, Left, or Right. If you choose Left or Right, set the distance from the centre line of the tractor to the centre line of the implement. Use this when the implement is towed off-centre (e.g. a side-mounted sprayer arm).
Pick a Track Colour — the coverage this implement paints on the map uses this colour, so different jobs stay tellable apart.
Tap Save.

6.4 Editing or deleting

Tap the Edit button (top left) to enter edit mode, then tap an implement to change its values.
Swipe a row left to delete it.

Tip: Set the width to exactly the tool's effective working width — including any intended overlap. Small errors add up over many passes.

7. Drive — Active Guidance & Recording

The Drive tab is where you do the actual work. It combines a live map, your GPS position, an A–B guideline, and a record of everything you cover.

7.1 Starting a session

Make sure you've selected the right Implement first.
Go to Drive. Wait until the GPS shows a good fix (the map will centre on your position and stop jumping).
Tap START to begin recording. The same button becomes PAUSE while recording and RESUME while paused.

7.2 Creating an A–B guideline

The A–B guideline is a straight reference line that the app uses to project parallel passes across the field.

Drive to where you want the first pass to start. Tap the A button.
Drive in a straight line towards where that pass ends, and tap the B button. If the app asks you to keep moving first, drive a little further — it needs a clear direction before it can set B.
The app draws the guideline through A and B, plus parallel lines offset to the left and right by your implement's working width.

Tip: You don't need to drive the full length of the field before pressing B — a short, accurate A-to-B is enough. The parallel lines extend across the whole area.

To remove the guideline, tap the red X button and start again from A. There is also a control to snap the guideline across to your current position — useful if you've moved to a different part of the field and want the passes to line up from where you are now.

7.3 Following the guidance

While you drive:

Your position is shown as a pointer on the map, overlaid with the guideline and parallel passes.
The coverage fills in behind the implement, in the implement's track colour, so you can see exactly what's already been worked.
Your speed, compass heading and session area covered update continuously.

7.4 Pausing and finishing

Tap PAUSE when you stop for a break or to refill, so paused time isn't counted; RESUME picks the session back up.
When the job is done, finish the session from the Drive screen or the Work Log. The recording is saved to the Work Log as a completed entry.
If the app is interrupted mid-session (a phone call, a dead battery), the Work Log shows a recovery banner the next time you open it, and you can resume the session from there.

8. Work Log — Tracking What You've Done

The Work Log tab keeps a record of every session, grouped by day with a summary for each date. It's also home to the Jobs planner.

8.1 Active session

If a session is currently running, it appears as a card at the top of the Work Log with the field, start time, area covered so far, and a red Finish button (the app asks you to confirm before ending the session).

8.2 Past sessions

Below the active session, completed logs are grouped by date (newest first). Each row shows the field, start time, and area covered. Tap any row for full details.

8.3 Session details

The detail screen shows the recorded coverage on a map, when the session started and completed, the fields it belongs to and any notes — plus the numbers: Area Covered, Enclosed Area, Perimeter, Time, Width, Distance and Average Speed.

The action buttons let you:

Continue — resume recording on this log, even after finishing. Useful if you finished a job but want to add more passes later.
Create Field — turn the coverage you drove into a saved field boundary. The fastest way to map a field is simply to work it once.
Edit — adjust the details and notes.
Edit Fields — link the session to different field(s).
Delete — remove the log after a confirmation.

8.4 Starting new work

Start New (or +) takes you to the Drive tab to begin a new session.

8.5 Jobs — planning ahead

The Jobs view in the Work Log tab is a simple planner: queue up the work you intend to do (which field, which implement), then tick jobs off as you complete them. Planned jobs sit alongside your completed history so the season's work lives in one place.

9. Settings

The Settings tab groups all preferences into sections.

9.1 Units

One sub-page holds all four unit pickers, and every figure in the app follows them:

Area — including acres and hectares.
Distance — km, m, mi, or yd.
Width — m, cm, ft, or in (used for implements and guidance spacing).
Speed — km/h or mph.

9.2 Map

Map Type — choose between standard and satellite imagery. Satellite is usually more useful in open fields.
No Reception Mode — download the map tiles for your area in advance, so guidance and recording keep working in fields with no phone signal.

9.3 Mount Position

Tell the app where on the vehicle the phone is mounted, relative to the centre line. Guidance corrects for it, so an off-centre phone doesn't skew your passes.

9.4 GPS Relay

Running the app on an iPad without cellular? GPS Relay lets an iPhone share its position with the iPad, so you can drive with the big screen in the cab and the phone as the receiver.

9.5 iCloud Backup

Your fields, implements and work logs back up to iCloud and sync between your devices. The status line shows when everything is safely stored.

Share the app with friends — opens the iOS share sheet so you can send a link via Messages, email, etc.

9.7 Support

Contact Support — opens a new email to the support team with your address pre-filled.

9.8 Legal

Terms of Use (EULA).
Privacy Policy.

10. External Bluetooth GNSS Receivers

The iPhone's built-in GNSS updates roughly once per second and is typically accurate to within a few metres — fine for spreading, spraying and mowing. For tighter work you can use an external Bluetooth GNSS receiver.

Apple-certified (MFi) Bluetooth GNSS receivers don't need any setup inside the app:

Pair the receiver in iOS Settings → Bluetooth, the same way you'd pair headphones.
Once paired, iOS replaces the phone's own GPS feed with the receiver's — for every app, Tractor GPS included.
Open Tractor GPS and drive: fields, guidance and work logs all use the receiver's position automatically.

Accuracy depends on the receiver — good units bring sub-metre accuracy, and RTK-capable receivers can do considerably better.

Tip: Mount the receiver's antenna where it has the clearest view of the sky — the cab roof beats the dashboard.

11. Tips for Best Results

Mounting the phone

Install a sturdy, vibration-resistant mount, within arm's reach.
Position the phone so nothing blocks the sky above it.
If the phone isn't mounted on the centre line of the vehicle, set Mount Position in Settings so guidance can correct for it.
Plug in to 12 V or USB power whenever you're driving.

Before each job

Open the app at least a minute before you need guidance so GPS can settle.
Confirm the right Implement is selected — a wrong width throws off every pass.
Heading somewhere with poor signal? Cache the maps first with No Reception Mode.

During the job

Set A and B on a stretch you know is straight — not on a headland turn.
Drive steadily; GPS smoothing works better at consistent speeds.
Watch for the coverage to fill behind you. Gaps are immediately visible.

Battery

Keep the phone on a charger. GPS and a constantly-on screen drain a battery in a few hours.
Turn screen brightness down in shaded cabs.
Close unused apps in the background.

12. Troubleshooting

The map won't centre on me / "no GPS" message

Make sure you gave the app location permission: iOS Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services → Tractor GPS → While Using the App (or Always).
Wait 1–2 minutes after launch for the first fix.
Check the phone's view of the sky. Windscreen coating and cab roofs can attenuate the signal.

GPS position jumps around or loses accuracy

The iPhone's internal GPS updates about once per second and has limited precision. For demanding work, use an external GNSS receiver (Section 10).
Keep the phone mounted in a fixed position — moving it around degrades positioning.

Guideline is off or the passes don't line up

Check the active implement's width is correct.
Check the offset if you're pulling a non-centred tool, and Mount Position if the phone isn't mounted centrally.
Re-set A and B on a known straight stretch.

The app closed mid-session and my work looks unfinished

Open the Work Log — a recovery banner appears above your logs and lets you resume the interrupted session.

I can't see my subscription

Tap Already Purchased? on the paywall screen, signed in with the same Apple ID you used to subscribe.
If it still doesn't find it, contact support from Settings → Contact Support.

App feels sluggish

Force-close other apps.
Restart the iPhone.
Make sure iOS and Tractor GPS are up to date.

13. Support & Legal

Email: Settings → Contact Support, or support@tractorgpsapp.com

Website: tractorgpsapp.com

Terms of Use & Privacy Policy: Settings → Legal

This guide describes Tractor GPS 2.4 for iOS, checked against the shipped app in September 2026. Some buttons or screen layouts may differ slightly between app versions.