Autonomous Mowing Saves Money

Autonomous Mowing Saves Money Mowing with an all-electric, driver-optional tractor reduced labor needs and costs compared to mowing with a diesel tractor for a Washington apple orchard. A case study by Monarch Tractor presented the raw numbers from a high-density, V-trellis orchard with 12-ft. row widths. The orchard reported a driver pay rate of $24/hr. When multiplied by a usage rate of 1,000 hrs. per year, potential labor cost savings at an 85% driverless rate totaled $20,400. The electric tractor was compared to a diesel tractor with the same mower, a Perfect LF-250 7-ft. mower. The actual comparison period was 4.9 hrs. with a mowing speed of 5 mph. The two tractors each covered 18.21 miles and 26.49 acres. Fuel use of 2 gals./hr. and fuel costs of $5/gal. brought the cost of diesel to $49 for the trial. Electricity costs at 20¢/kWh for the Monarch tractor came in at only $10.64 for the 4.9 hrs. of use. Extrapolated out to a 1,000 hrs. a year, fuel savings alone totaled an additional $7,828.59. Total savings with the 85% driverless Monarch over a diesel tractor with an operator came to $28,228.59. Environmental savings were estimated at 9.92 metric tons of CO2 with the Monarch versus the diesel tractor. That’s equivalent to driving 24,634 miles in an average passenger vehicle. For additional e-tractor case studies, visit Monarch Tractor’s website. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Monarch Tractor, 151 Lawrence Dr., Livermore, Calif. 94551 (ph 833-247-4797; info@monarchtractor.com; www.monarchtractor.com).

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