Robot sets plowing record

Chris McCullough For Agri-View

A new world plowing record has been set by an autonomous vehicle – covering about 50 acres in 24 hours.

Taking place in the United Kingdom at Birch Farm in North Yorkshire, the new record was achieved by the AgXeed AgBot 5.115T2 driverless vehicle pulling a five-furrow Kverneland LO 300/85 plough. Officially, the 24-hour autonomous plowing challenge covered 51.37 acres of plowing using the robotic tractor, which is powered by a Deutz diesel engine. The area covered would have taken two working days to complete by an operator using a similarly powered tractor pulling a five-furrow plough.

Working with furrow widths of 16 inches and at a depth of 9 inches to prepare land for maize and fodder beet, the 156-horsepower rubber-tracked autonomous AgBot operated at forward speeds from 3.5 miles per hour to 5 miles per hour on the rolling land, slowing only to carry out headland-turn sequences.

Telemetry from the AgBot confirmed that fuel consumption from the diesel-electric powertrain totalled 101.1 gallons during the 24-hour period, delivering a fuel-efficiency figure of 1.97 gallons per acre.

AgXeed UK sales manager Peter Robinson was quite upbeat about the AgBot’s 24-hour performance.

He said, “Having mapped the field boundary and created a job map complete with headland-turns sequence, the AgBot worked tirelessly for 24 hours. It has proved that autonomy is not just for the mundane, repetitive tasks, but it can also be applied to more complex processes, such as plowing.”

With multi-layer security systems built into the AgBot for operational safety, the 7-ton autonomous tractor was equipped with a 1.5-ton front weight to reinforce traction for the fully mounted five-furrow Kverneland LO plough.

Adam Burt, Kverneland UK’s product specialist for plows, said, “We’re delighted to be part of this technological revolution and thrilled to have completed this world-first record attempt.

“The combination of Kverneland LO plough and AgBot achieved an output that would have taken two working days to complete with an operator using a similarly powered tractor pulling a five-furrow plough.

“Using Kverneland number 28 bodies, the LO plough is one of the easiest on the market to pull, and its low draft has rewarded this achievement with low fuel consumption supported by a high-quality finish.

“Creating this record has highlighted the efficiencies available from using autonomous tractors for repetitive tasks.”

The AgBot was momentarily stopped during the night to fill its 100-gallon fuel tank to complete the 24-hour work period. The total area plowed during the 24-hour challenge was verified by north-Yorkshire farmer and former director of the Society of Ploughmen, James Whitty.

This is an original article written for Agri-View, a Lee Enterprises agricultural publication based in Madison, Wisconsin. Visit AgriView.com for more information.