Engineers developing a driverless tractor for arable and grassland field work say they are now moving from the early prototype trials stage to deployments on commercial farms with a near-finished product ready to sell to farmers.

Krone and Lemken plan to enter the tractor market with the jointly-developed VTE process vehicle, a substantial four-wheel drive machine with a 230hp diesel-electric powertrain, that is fully autonomous with no place for an onboard operator.

See also: Driverless tractors: Which manufacturer is leading the race?

The latest prototype iteration features a telescopic drawbar extending from the front so the tractor can be towed to its next place of work instead of being loaded on to and moved aboard a trailer.

It also now has provision for front linkage and pto – which is not impeded by the drawbar or vice versa – and a new software partnership will help finalise a safety-approved robotic vehicle operating system.

The VTE tractor emerging from the Combined Powers project has four equal size wheels equipped with either large traction/flotation or narrow row-crop tyres.

It also has four-wheel steering, not just for good in-field manoeuvrability but also for consistent centre-line guidance; and it can work with equal ability in either direction.

Adding front three-point linkage and pto to the machine’s existing kit clearly improves its capabilities – operating a cultivator ahead of a seed drill, for example, or mounting a three-deck mower combination for greater output.

Trials underway

The Combined Powers engineering team reports successfully trialling a triple mower setup, having previously been limited to proving trials with a single grass mower as the machine worked in reverse.

Refinements for easier maintenance, to optimise sensor mounts and to improve practicality in general have also been made.

The VTE will now be put to work in real-life situations on commercial farms in Germany and elsewhere to explore its abilities carrying out a broader variety of tasks under everyday conditions.

Feedback from farmers will help bring the machine to market as soon as possible, say the project partners, who add they are talking with other implement manufacturers to ensure there is a choice of tools with the smart technologies needed to operate autonomously.