With their joint Combined Powers project, the companies say they are ‘endeavouring to advance and bring into focus not only the development of autonomous process units, but also the associated work processes by carrying out additional practical deployments at home and abroad’. The findings and results of field trials in 2022 and 2023 were incorporated into the optimisation and further development of various features of the process units.
The functionality of the autonomous process unit has been significantly enhanced by the integration of a front linkage with PTO shaft; this means that two separate, intelligent attachment spaces are now available. This combination can be used profitably in both grassland and arable farming.
For grassland specialist Krone, for example, the use of a front-rear combination significantly improves mowing efficiency. Initial experience was successfully gained using the Krone EasyCut F 320 front-mounted mower in combination with the Butterfly EasyCut B 950 Collect.
Lemken, on the other hand, utilises the additional function particularly in the areas of stubble cultivation and sowing where rollers and front hoppers can now be easily carried and used.
The autonomous process units were further developed, taking into account ease of maintenance, practicality and optimisation of the sensor carriers. Another highlight is the improvement in the diesel-electric drive. The new generation of machines retains its power output of 170kW/230hp and continues to feature four-wheel steering with large tyres for maximum tractive power and minimum ground pressure. The transport solution presented at Agritechnica 2023, using a drawbar, is possible even in combination with front-mounted implements. The new tractor units are characterised by their uniform paintwork in dynamic platinum grey.
The advanced autonomous tractor units from Krone and Lemken enable large-scale practical trials and significantly improve the reliability of autonomous processes, according to the companies. The test deployments take place on various farms in Germany and neighbouring European countries in order to test the functionality and communication of the autonomous process units using various implements under real conditions.
Both companies want to further develop the product in close cooperation with practising farmers and to make it marketable as quickly as possible, helping to address labour shortages and enabling farmers to act as system operators of autonomously operating machines in the future and to focus more closely on arable farming issues and farm management tasks.