Development and Components How Much Car Is There in a Tractor?

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FAULHABER Drive Systems

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Suppliers who manufacture for passenger cars and agricultural machinery also exhibited at Agritechnica. What similarities and differences do they see?

How many similarities are there between the passenger car industry and agricultural engineering? At the Agritechnica trade fair, a number of companies exhibited that are active on and off-road. Horse Powertrain, for example - a merger of the drive divisions of Renault, Geely and an investment by the Saudi Arabian oil company Aramco - has so far mainly offered passenger car drives and transmissions.

At Agritechnica, the company introduced its first engine in an agricultural vehicle that will go into production in spring 2026. It is a three-cylinder gasoline engine with approximately 60 kW, installed in a Utility Terrain Vehicle (UTV) from the Spanish manufacturer Corvus.

According to Horse Powertrain, the requirements for engines in passenger vehicles and agricultural applications are fundamentally similar. "The main difference is that agricultural machines are work equipment. Aspects such as efficiency, durability, and the availability of spare parts are clearly at the forefront," explained Alejandro Ruiz Luque, Business Development Manager of Horse Powertrain in Spain. "The most important thing is to understand the engine's work cycle. The idle speed is much more relevant in agricultural machines than in passenger cars."

For the future, Horse envisions a downsizing of the drive, where a powerful internal combustion engine could provide the energy that was previously supplied by three or four engines. By customizing the base engine with different calibrations, development costs can be scaled, and operating costs reduced. According to Alejandro Ruiz Luque, Horse received many visits from customers at Agritechnica who were looking for drives for their vehicles—specifically for UTVs and other agricultural vehicle segments.

More Digitalization in the Field

For years, the company "Arnold NextG" has known both worlds. Starting with a disability-friendly joystick control for passenger cars, the company has now developed a central control unit for complex drive-by-wire system architectures with "NX Next Motion"—implemented in dozens of (pre-)development projects with manufacturers of passenger cars, trucks, defense vehicles, agricultural machinery, and construction equipment.

As a system supplier, Arnold NextG views the digital drive system architecture in passenger cars as somewhat more complex than in agricultural machinery, particularly in tractors. This is largely because a passenger car features additional electric steering support, high-dynamic steering requirements at higher speeds, and many additional safety and comfort functions. Additionally, there are more extensive proof and documentation obligations, quality processes, and higher safety requirements for "onroad" vehicles.

According to Arnold NextG, agricultural machinery is generally somewhat simpler in design, but no less demanding. Additionally, both passenger car and agricultural machinery manufacturers are similarly pragmatic and solutions-oriented, even though the agricultural machinery sector seems to represent more traditional engineering—while passenger car manufacturers have become noticeably more software-oriented. The main differences are the lower production volumes in agricultural machinery and somewhat less price pressure.

While Arnold NextG has already implemented several small series projects with up to several hundred drive-by-wire vehicles for passenger cars, trucks, construction, and military vehicles, so far, only prototypes and pre-development projects have been conducted for tractors. However, serious inquiries for the first small series projects for drive-by-wire tractors have already been received.

From Passenger Car to Tractor

Schaeffler has already implemented many series projects with agricultural technology customers. The supplier has equipped several fully electric and hybrid agricultural machines with electric traction motors, further developed from passenger car applications. Another carry-over product is the hydraulic adjustment of valve clearance in diesel engines to reduce emissions and increase efficiency.

The company also traditionally markets "Schaeffler classics" such as bearings, electromechanical linear actuators, coupling, and damping systems in both realms, such as passenger car wheel bearings in modified forms for disc harrows. Electric auxiliary drives and exhaust sensors also fall into this category.

Durable Components in Demand

According to Schaeffler, the attributes of durability and robustness hold even greater significance in agricultural technology, as different operational times and load cycles are required. The environmental conditions—forces, temperatures, water, and dust—are also more demanding in agricultural technology. In combustion engines, the power split for main and auxiliary drives adds further requirements.

In daily collaboration, Schaeffler considers experiential knowledge regarding the specific agricultural applications to be essential. "You simply have to know how a machine is used, whether in terms of operating times or working environment," was stated at the Schaeffler booth in Hannover. "Agricultural machines are pure work machines where efficiency and high functionality are crucial. Additionally, understanding the corporate culture of agricultural equipment manufacturers is important."

Schaeffler sees a future trend in intelligent sensor technology for smart farming and even greater functionality. User comfort is also becoming increasingly important. In terms of drives, the focus is on emission reduction and a higher integration of functions within the overall drive system. Additionally, Schaeffler expects that, similar to new automotive concepts, software-defined vehicles and new E/E architectures will be adopted in agricultural machinery in the medium term.