A Bendigo company has launched a new fully-automated tractor for farmers. or signup to continue reading Autonomous Ag displayed the tractor to hundreds of producers at the in Speed last week. The vehicle, an autonomous Fendt 936, was the star attraction at the event.
Different from some other self-driving tractors arriving on the market, the innovation involved a simple add-on, the 'Iquus' autonomous system, to a normal tractor. It could be added to Fendt tractor models going back several years with it soon to be trialled and tested on a 2014 Fendt. The kit will be rolled out by traders from later this year and the equipment, a full programming and set up will cost approximately $160,000.
Speaking to , Autonomous Ag managing director Brendan Williams, Bendigo, said the add-on could be wired into "potentially" any tractor but Fendt was the focus for now. "It basically retrofits through a standard Fendt tractor," he said. "It hooks into the tractor and controls it so the operator doesn't need to be there.
" Mr Williams said Autonomous Ag had history with Fendt and the partnership would work well. "The transmission in a Fendt and the electronics, it's been like that for decades and so, it's very solid," he said. "We picked the most stable platform to do our work.
" Autonomous Ag general manager Levent Gulec, Bendigo, said the tractor worked off a simple design. The Iquus install meant the tractor could still be auto-steered at any time. This would be useful when driving the tracto.