PTx Trimble Introduces Autonomous Retrofit Grain Cart For Mixed Fleets
OutRun is a self-contained retrofit kit that enables autonomous grain cart operation on John Deere 8R or 8000R tractors with IVT.
PTx Trimble, formed earlier this year by AGCO and Trimble, has introduced OutRun, the first commercially available autonomous retrofit grain cart solution on the market. The announcement was made at the Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa, where attendees can learn more and demo the autonomous solution, which is designed to help farmers maximize yield. OutRun will be available for production release in 2025. The company is accepting beta customers in Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri for 2024.
OutRun is a self-contained retrofit kit that enables autonomous grain cart operation on John Deere 8R or 8000R tractors with IVT. The grain cart can be staged or be called for unloading without the need for another driver. The combine operator can also send the grain cart to a predefined truck unload zone for manual unload.
“Every year, one third of all acres in the Midwest are harvested late, costing farmers thousands of dollars in lost yield,” said Andrew Sunderman, General Manager of PTx Trimble. “Even with farmers working around the clock, crops are sitting, waiting to be harvested. OutRun makes it easy for an operator to run both the combine and the grain cart, which solves a critical need for farmers to leverage and deploy their available labor resources in the most beneficial ways and harvest their crops on time.”
OutRun is designed to be cost effective and easy to use, and is another example of PTx Trimble’s commitment to its retrofit-first, mixed-fleet strategy for autonomy. The retrofit kit is both machine and implement agnostic, allowing farmers to take advantage of autonomy with existing fleets and varying machine types. Flexible pricing provides scalability with proven ROI on farms of many sizes.
“I was really impressed,” said Corey Goodhue, a test customer that used the technology earlier this year. “This is a great tool for anyone who has challenges getting their crop out and filling their roster every day. Being able to take a skilled operator out of a cart frees up someone to complete other important work. It’s a definite fit for our operation; I can’t wait to get it installed and going.”
Availability
Farm Progress attendees interested in trying the OutRun technology themselves can visit PTx at Farm Progress Ride N’ Drive. The retrofit kit is available in a limited capacity for use during harvest in 2024 in Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri.
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