SELF DRIVING XERION
Autonomous tractors were a big talking point at Agritechnica 2023 and the mainstream makers were not leaving it all up to the new start-ups. Claas kitted out its new Xerion 12 with a full self-driving kit which it is calling Auto Pilot. Still at the prototype stage, this is part of a three level ‘Autonomy Connect’ technology package that for now is only on the four-tracked tractor.
The base version is basically an autosteer equipped tractor which is called Driver Assistance. But it is the mid-level offering Co-Pilot where things start to get interesting as it adds LiDAR, radar and cameras with a big dollop of AI so the tractor can then scan its surroundings and drive itself, all the operator is doing is observing. How the tractor tackles the field can be done conventionally once it knows the boundaries or you can pre-plan the route.
The full-fat version is Auto-Pilot. With this you can hop off the tractor and use the new all-encompassing Claas Connect app (and web portal) to engage autonomous driving and let the tractor do the work. Add in the likes of Amazone’s intelligent implement control where the tines on a cultivator can detect a blockage and technically it should work away until the job is done. One of the eight cameras is looking to the rear and there is also a certain amount of TIM technology employed but is further integrated rather than simply plugged in.
Commercially availability is still some years off and there is also the European legislation hurdles of autonomous vehicle working. There are several prototypes currently with the Auto Pilot technology, the majority of which are in Germany and it is not restricted to the big Xerion, other tractor ranges will also be available with the autonomous system.
AUTONOMOUS 8RX
It is no secret that John Deere is running a number of autonomous wheeled 8R tractors in North America, but the autonomous 8RX at Agritechnica is the first one. Shipped across the Atlantic specially for the German show, the six pairs of stereo cameras (three at the front and three at the rear) for the 360-degree obstacle detection and distance calculation are also found on the autonomous 8R and 9R, which for model year 2024 are all prepped for autonomous operation with the necessary wiring harness.
Images are passed through a deep neural network that classifies each pixel in approximately 100 milliseconds and determines if the machine should continue to move or stop, depending on if an obstacle is detected. If there is something in the field the tractor is not sure about then it will stop and alert the mobile device user.
The 8RX is otherwise in standard guise and to work with the autonomous package requires the Operations Centre App on a mobile phone. The tractor is now on its way back to North America for more tests. The goal is to bring the autonomous technology to Europe but only when the company is 100% sure it meets all regulations.
Massey 9S
The 425hp 9S.425, the flagship in the new six-model range of 9S tractors, was one of the Agritechnica tractor highlights. Set to replace the 8700S series, power to all 9S models is from an updated six-cylinder, 8.4-litre Agco Power 84LXTN block. The Stage V engine has been trimmed of its EGR and slips back to a single turbo. Engine power management provides up to 30hp extra for all models, except the flagship, which has 425hp on tap all the time.
The 9S gets the same roomy cab that as was introduced on the 8S in 2020. The structure is a good fit on the 9S. It is almost as though it was
