06 As labor challenges persist and interest in automation grows, agricultural equipment manufacturers around the globe are accelerating their efforts to bring autonomous machines to market. KRONE and LEMKEN are among them, teaming up through their Combined Powers project to develop a cabless autonomous tractor unit capable of handling fieldwork with limited operator involvement. Representatives from the two companies began this initiative in 2019 after realizing that autonomy in agriculture would soon be inevitable. “Both companies started off saying that automation is the first step and autonomy, in the long run, is where agriculture is heading,” Eva Schröer-Merker, the Product Manager for the Combined Powers project at KRONE, explained to the Farms.com Precision Agriculture Digital Digest. “We got together for workshops to see what an autonomous machine would look like, what does it need to do, and what does it not need anymore?” After years of development, the Combined Powers project released an autonomous tractor unit (ATU) in March 2022 with testing beginning a couple of months, continuing to this day. The cabless unit stands about 8.8 feet wide and 8.5 feet high. It features a 4-cylinder MTU Friedrichshafen GmbH diesel-electric engine, a power output of 230 hp (170 kW), and a maximum speed of 12 mph. The engine acts as a generator to power two builtin electric motors that drive the drivetrain and PTO (power take-off). The system was also designed with future flexibility in mind, allowing the platform to accommodate emerging powertrain technologies as they become commercially viable. “We have a modular system so that if in the future an alternative (fuel) becomes available, we can just switch it to be either fully electric or run on hydrogen or other sources,” Schröer-Merker explained. Tractor Implement Management and ISOBUS systems mean the implement controls the ATU. Once deployed in a field, the ATU can operate autonomously within a predefined geofence. Farmers must first map the field within the system, after which the machine can carry out assigned tasks with minimal intervention. To move the machine between locations, the ATU can be transported using a drawbar attached to the threepoint-linkage of a traditional tractor. The system’s performance depends on the implement’s ability to communicate with the ATU. Implements KRONE AND LEMKEN JOIN FORCES FOR AUTONOMOUS AG The two global heavyweight manufacturers have partnered to develop an autonomous tractor platform. DIEGO FLAMMINI FARMS.COM
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