Danish grower Axel Månsson has run a 230-hp AgXeed T2 7-SERIES with a Carbon Robotics LaserWeeder since April, purchased outright — and after months of field work he rates the autonomous tractor at 4.5 stars on nearly every criterion, with five stars for overall value. His verdict on whether he would buy again: "Yes, sure."

The machine works 3,000 ha of mixed arable and vegetables in central Jutland, including 1,400 ha of vegetables and 800 ha organic, tackling weed control in organic onions, beans and leaf celery. Labour drives the business case. "Manpower is very expensive in Denmark," Månsson says.

How does the autonomous pairing work in practice?

The AgXeed runs fully without a driver, communicating directly with the LaserWeeder. "The laser weeder can deliver 7,000 shots a minute," Månsson explains. "If there are a lot of weeds, the LaserWeeder tells the AgXeed to slow down. If there are fewer, the speed increases."

That automatic speed regulation keeps ground speed within the 0.4 to 1.8 km/h laser-weeding range, patch by patch, for as long as the job runs. "That automatic speed regulation based on weed density makes an enormous difference compared to running a conventional tractor with a driver," Månsson says. A human operator simply cannot read live weed-density data and continuously fine-tune ground speed to match it.

Safety stops trigger automatically if a person or animal comes too close. Alarms cover faults — "but there has been nearly nothing until now," Månsson says, with no breakdowns since April.

What about overnight work?

Overnight tasking is the standout feature. "We go home at six o'clock at night, and we instruct the AgXeed for example to be finished with 28 hectares by the next morning," says Månsson. The machine follows its planned route unattended and adjusts its own speed against the LaserWeeder's weed-density readings.

For cultivating work the AgXeed runs 10-14 km/h, pulling a 6-metre toolbar; laser weeding runs far slower. "When you drive slowly, it's better for everything – we get a better quality of work. It's better for the soil, and better for the implement," Månsson says. Wider belt tracks are currently being fitted to expand the machine into more cultivating tasks.

How does it fit the wider farm operation?

Field-to-field transfers remain the one job needing a human — but not a dedicated one. "If you have two tractors on a field and you need to move to a new field, our man in the tractor can move the AgXeed when necessary," Månsson explains. "So, he can operate both machines."

Route planning runs through TraXwise, down to individual fields with varying bed dimensions, and routes transfer to the John Deere Command Centre to coordinate manned tractor work. "And all the routing is built with TraxWise – that is unique," Månsson says.

Setup itself proved simple on a farm already adopting multiple new technologies. "Learning times differ from machine to machine, but this system was remarkably easy to pick up. It was not very complicated," Månsson says. Existing GPS field maps define boundaries. Remote monitoring lets managers track speed and progress at all times — on a phone if needed. Månsson himself has never operated it; his field managers and technical staff do. "It looks easy and people are happy."

What does it cost to run?

Operating costs are too early to assess precisely, but early signs are positive. "If you take the diesel for example, it's much cheaper," Månsson says. Implement wear should fall too: "If you have a cultivator behind the AgXeed, you will eventually need fewer spare parts, because it does it the right way every time and doesn't drive too fast."

Labour remains the biggest saving. "We save a lot on labour – that's the biggest one." Månsson estimates one person could manage a fleet of five AgXeeds in a concentrated field area. AgXeed's service has been responsive — "When we call them, they come right away – but there are not many problems" — though he cautions: "It's still quite new."

Who should consider it?

Large-scale organic operations with high hand-weeding costs are the obvious fit, and the farm still runs hand weeding alongside because it lacks enough laser weeder capacity for its full organic area. But Månsson resists easy generalisation: "It depends on the person. You have to be creative and say: yes, I can use this." Overnight tasking, he suggests, changes the economics for smaller farms too — if the operator rethinks the structure of the working day.

He is realistic about the pace of change: "Maybe there will come another kind of autonomous tractor that can do the same – we don't know. The technology is developing very fast." Farmers watching this space should note the farm's next moves: wider belt tracks being fitted now to extend the AgXeed into more cultivating work, and more LaserWeeder capacity as the logical next investment to push hand weeding further down the list.