Mechanization and Technology

Agrishow 2024: New Holland Presents Alternative Fuel Solutions and Shows Machine of the Year Brazil-winning Front-boom Sprayer

01 May 2024, Brazil: New Holland has devoted a key area of its stand at the 29th edition of Agrishow, the largest agricultural fair in Latin America, to its alternative fuel tractor developments, including the T4 Electric Power – the industry’s first 100% electric utility tractor concept with automated functions – and the T6.180 Methane Power – the world’s first tractor powered by biomethane generated from the decomposition of organic waste and animal manure, and which is commercially available in Brazil.

Methane and electric tractors, a spraying drone, tech innovations

Reaffirming its global leadership in clean energy, the New Holland stand features the T6.180 Methane Power tractor launched as a commercial product in 2022 and now available on the Brazilian market. In 2023, the brand announced the sale of the first T6.180 Methane Power unit in Brazil, and in partnership with the main companies in the biomethane sector introduced in Latin America the concept of the energy-independent farm, to create a new ecosystem – the first of its kind in Brazil – promising to revolutionise the country’s biogas market. The same year, New Holland sold the first biomethane tractor to a mill processing sugar cane, a sector with great potential for generating biomethane gas from cane waste.

Alongside the methane solution, New Holland debuts in South America, as part of its strategic electrification plan, the T4 Electric Power, an agricultural tractor powered entirely by electricity. Producing 75hp, it is the first utility tractor powered entirely by a battery pack that replaces the internal combustion diesel engine, eliminating tractor emissions and helping protect the environment.

At Agrishow New Holland is also pre-launching the New Holland Spraying Drone, imported and distributed in Brazil by the brand and offered in two models with 30-litre or 70-litre tank capacities – the latter the largest capacity currently available on the market. This preview at the fair marks New Holland and its parent CNH’s partnership with one of the largest companies in the spraying drone segment, China’s XAG.

The New Holland stand at Agrishow will also feature the latest digital agriculture developments, with three technology islands focused on solutions including operation management, planting, spraying, soil preparation and harvesting. The brand will be presenting the latest in its portfolio of precision farming technologies, connectivity and service packages to help growers boost productivity, including the new FieldOps™ platform, a new farm management application available for mobile devices and the web.

Machine of the Year Brazil: the Guardian SP310F high-performance sprayer

Launched at Agrishow 2024, New Holland’s new Guardian SP310F sprayer was announced at the event as Machine Of The Year Brazil 2024/2025 in the Spraying Machines category. The award was given following judgement by a technical committee of researchers from various regions of Brazil, who analysed the characteristics of entered products based on technical and scientific criteria, assessing not only functionality and performance, but also ethical issues, sustainability and the potential to transform industries and societies.

Powered by a 6.7-litre FPT NEF6 Tier 4B engine producing 289hp, the Guardian SP310F features an easy-to-clean stainless steel tank of 4,500 litres, supplying of 36m or 40m booms that are front-mounted. The SP310F is the only machine with this boom configuration on the Brazilian market. The arrangement ensures the product applied immediately reaches the target, for optimal efficacy, and provides the operator with excellent visibility across the boom, allowing ease of monitoring and ensuring safe operation from a cab ventilated with filtered air. A full suspension package allows higher travel speeds and greater workrates.

To meet modern farming’s need for precision agriculture, the Guardian SP310F features the IntelliView™ 12 monitor, with remote access connectivity via the customer internet portal for instant monitoring and recording of operations, enhancing fleet management. The sprayer can also be monitored by the IntelliCentre, staffed by New Holland specialists focused on maximising machine performance for customers.

Further specification includes a compressed air system which purges the spray lines to ensure all the liquid they contain is ejected when spraying is completed or stopped between tasks. With 50:50 weight distribution between rear and front axles, the Guardian SP310F’s design reduces the spraying constraints potentially caused by soil conditions or crop stage. Machine clearance can be varied from 1.83-1.98m to allow late applications on crops such as maize without causing damage.

Also Read: Agri-Business Summit & Agri Awards 6th Edition Held in Hyderabad

(For Latest Agriculture News & Updates, follow Krishak Jagat on Google News)