Mixed (Intermix) Control
This is a working mode in which position and draft control are used together in a certain ratio. It softens the over-sensitive, constantly moving behaviour of pure draft control; the hitch responds to draft force, but thanks to the position component the depth stays within a certain band.
In mixed control the system evaluates two error signals together: deviation from the target force and deviation from the target position. The mix ratio may be fixed for the tractor or adjustable with a separate lever. The result is that the implement rises somewhat when the soil hardens, but does not drift towards running shallow.
- It gives the most balanced result on heavy loam fields whose hardness varies from area to area.
- It reduces the "hitch constantly rising and falling" behaviour seen in pure draft.
- If the mix is adjustable, start the job position-biased and shift gradually towards draft.
This concept is also useful for understanding what an electronic retrofit kit does and does not do. The kit makes the tractor's existing control mode manageable from the control side; it does not create the control mode itself. If your tractor has a mixed control lever, you carry on using that lever after fitting the kit as well.
The context in which this term is used: Converting a tractor hydraulic lever to electronic control