After the first successful joint projects, CLAAS is intensifying further cooperation with Dutch startup AgXeed for the development and commercialization of autonomous agricultural machines. To this end, CLAAS, through its investment company Seed Green Innovations GmbH, has participated in the company's Series A financing round together with the venture capital investor Amathaon Capital from Munich and a company from the AMAZONE Group based at Hasbergen-Gaste, Germany. As an investment company within the CLAAS Group, Seed Green Innovations GmbH supports innovative companies that want to play a key role in shaping the future of agriculture and gives them access to CLAAS.

The cooperation between CLAAS and AgXeed was established after the first investment in Spring 2021 and has been continuously expanded since then. With the follow-up investment, CLAAS secures further access to innovative technologies for autonomous agricultural machines. At the same time, AgXeed benefits from the international network and the expertise of the CLAAS Group in many areas, from development to sales and service. For example, CLAAS Vertriebsgesellschaft mbH (CVG) signed a distribution agreement with AgXeed in May. Following this, from Summer 2022 selected CLAAS dealers in Germany and Switzerland will become distribution and service partners of AgXeed. In addition to the sale of AgBots, rental models will also be available which should make it easier for customers to get started with autonomous agricultural technology and enable extensive testing in their own operating structures. For this purpose, CVG has already included two AgBots in the FIRST CLAAS RENTAL portfolio.

The Dutch start-up AgXeed offers an intelligent, sustainable and fully autonomous farming system with scalable hardware, virtual planning tools and comprehensive data models, making it one of the leading companies in these areas in Europe today. After the 115kW (154hp) tracked version was presented in 2020, a three-wheeled AgBot for orchards and vineyards followed in 2021, which was recently joined by the four-wheeled AgBot, both of which are 55kW (74hp). All vehicles are diesel-electric. Together with CLAAS and the other partners Amazone and Amathaon, AgXeed intends to further accelerate the development of efficient and holistic agricultural process solutions in the coming years.

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Together with his brother Helmut Claas, he played a sizeable role in building up the company after the Second World War. With him, the last shareholder of the second family generation passes away.

"All those who knew Reinhold Claas appreciated him for his modest, unassuming manner. People and the well-being of the family business always came first for him. Through his actions in important phases of the company's history, he made a significant contribution to our success today," explains Thomas Böck, CEO of CLAAS.

Reinhold Claas was a graduate industrial engineer. He graduated from Darmstadt Technical University in 1958. He was one of the first graduates of this new interdisciplinary course of study, consisting of mechanical engineering and business administration. Reinhold Claas officially joined the company with his brother Helmut in July 1957. His main focus was on the development of balers and forage harvesters. Among other things, he was responsible for setting up baler production at the newly built factory in Metz, France. Until the 1970s, he expanded the production site and developed it to its current size.

Reinhold Claas was also the driving force behind the takeover of the renowned specialist for forage harvesting machines, the former Josef Bautz GmbH in Bad Saulgau, which joined CLAAS in 1969. As its managing director for many years, he developed the Swabian affiliate into what would later become a successful and innovative product division. Reinhold Claas was also active as an entrepreneur outside the family business: in 1958 he took over two ball bearing companies - one in Fribourg, Switzerland, with 250 employees, and another in Munderkingen, Swabia, with 550 employees. He managed both companies until the 1990s. During his active time, he also applied for a patent for more than 40 inventions.

Both in his home town of Harsewinkel and in the region, Reinhold Claas was socially involved in many clubs and organisations, especially in football and handball, which earned him high recognition. His great passion in his private life was hunting.

Reinhold Claas was married to his wife Doris for many years before she passed away in December 2005. The marriage produced sons Volker and Rüdiger Claas. The early death of his son Volker Claas, who died in January 2022 at the age of 57, hit him particularly hard. Most recently, Reinhold Claas held a seat on the Supervisory Board and two advisory boards. In the CLAAS Group, his son Rüdiger Claas is now the third generation to succeed his father.

The death of Reinhold Claas deeply saddens his family, the shareholders, the Executive Board and the employees.

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The summer of 1997 not only marked a milestone in combine harvesting technology, but also for the broad market acceptance of soil-protecting tracks on self-propelled harvesters. Since then, the friction crawler track systems developed and extensively tested by CLAAS Industrietechnik (CIT) in Paderborn have been the standard and benchmark in the industry.

Initially available for the LEXION, further development progressed rapidly. In 2004, driving comfort was significantly improved by the introduction of rubber shock absorbers on the axles of the running gear, which until then had been rigidly mounted. The development of hydro pneumatic suspension marked a quantum leap, which distinguished the new TERRA TRAC generation in 2011 and still provides excellent comfort characteristics to this day. This enabled significantly improved ground tracking, and a driving speed of 40 km/h on the road could be achieved for the first time.

"After initial skepticism, we were able to quickly convince more and more farmers and contractors of the advantages of TERRA TRAC technology," remembers Dr. Ulf Leinhäuser, CEO of CLAAS Industrietechnik Paderborn. “Whereas the number of machines fitted with TERRA TRAC crawler track systems was initially just over 10 percent, today it is more than 50 percent for the LEXION alone. In North America, more than 70 percent of the LEXION are delivered with our crawler track systems, while in Great Britain it’s more than 90 percent.”

The TERRA TRAC drives continue to be further developed. In 2019, CLAAS expanded the range of high-performance combines available with TERRA TRAC technology with the introduction of the LEXION 5000/6000/7000/8000. In the same year, series production of the AXION TERRA TRAC, which was shown as a concept at Agritechnica in 2017, began with two models. The AXION is still the only full-suspension half-track tractor on the market. At the end of 2018, CLAAS also added two JAGUAR forage harvesters with integrated crawler track systems to its product portfolio. These are fitted with drives that incorporate a patented headland protection system that allows the contact area of the drives to be reduced when turning at the headland, so bringing the benefits of TERRA TRAC to grassland and other sensitive areas.

The newest member of the TERRA TRAC family at CLAAS is the TRION. Launched in 2021, for the first time this includes the option of a medium-sized 5-walker model with TERRA TRAC, ex works from Paderborn.

35 years of experience: TERRA TRAC know-how also in demand externally

However, CLAAS' experience with soil-protecting tracks goes back a further 10 years, to 1987. "At the Farm Progress Show, CLAAS showed the COMMANDOR CS with two Caterpillar tracks," says Robert Obermeier-Hartmann, Senior Manager Product Strategy & Advanced Development. Because its overall width was more than 4.00m, the machines were mainly reserved for the North American market, so only a few were used in Europe - for example in Great Britain. "Looking back, the driving comfort was very poor due to the lack of suspension," adds Robert Obermeier-Hartmann. “With our current TERRA TRAC crawler track systems, we are moving to a completely different level. In the field and increasingly also when driving on the road, our bogies are superior to classic wheeled bogies in many respects and also when it comes to driving comfort.”

Technology and experience have also been valued by external customers for many years. TERRA TRAC crawler track systems from CLAAS Industrietechnik can be found on self-propelled beet harvesters and vegetable harvesters, but also on self-propelled and towed potato harvesters. Further fields of application are liquid manure spreading tanks with TERRA TRAC crawler track systems and ACTIVE DRIVE drive axle. Thanks to the additional "boost", a lighter tractor with less traction is sufficient, the wheel slip of which can also be significantly reduced by the drive axle under the carriage. The interaction of less weight, less wheel slip and the large contact area protects the ground in a previously unknown way.

To date, CLAAS Industrietechnik in Paderborn has manufactured and marketed 35,000 TERRA TRAC running gears in Paderborn.

The milestones of TERRA TRAC technology from Paderborn at a glance

• 1997: Introduction of TERRA TRAC for CLAAS LEXION combine harvesters
• 2004: Introduction of rubber shock absorbers for increased driving comfort
• 2006: 2nd generation TERRA TRAC with a reinforced frame cast in one piece for the new LEXION 600
• 2011: Introduction of hydro pneumatic suspension and 40 km/h top speed
• 2017: AXION TERRA TRAC as a concept at the Agritechnica
• 2018: Introduction of two JAGUAR TERRA TRAC models with a unique headland function
• 2019: Start of series production of two AXION TERRA TRAC models
• 2019: Presentation of the LEXION 5000/6000/7000/8000 with ten TERRA TRAC models

2021: Introduction of the TRION series with six TERRA TRAC models

• February 2022: JAGUAR TERRA TRAC no. 100 rolls off the assembly line in Harsewinkel
• …next stop: Agritechnica 2023

CLAAS offers TERRA TRAC undercarriages for the following series:

• AXION TERRA TRAC 930/960
• JAGUAR TERRA TRAC 960/990
• LEXION 5000/6000/7000/8000
• TRION 500/600/700

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Since the market launch of the AXION TERRA TRAC in 2019, the full-suspension half-track high horsepower tractors have appealed to more and more farmers and contractors throughout Europe and, from 2022, also in selected overseas markets. In addition to heavy and medium-heavy pulling work, e.g. soil cultivation, and thanks to their excellent soil protection, the unique ground contour following with 120mm suspension travel of the drives and the outstanding driving comfort up to 40kph top speed, the tractors also perform far more varied activities, such as spreading organic and mineral fertilizers on fields and grassland, hauling grain or sugar beet at harvest or even the mowing of sensitive meadows.

In addition to the current 635mm and 735mm wide rubber belts, two additional variants are now available for even more versatile and soil-protecting use. For problem-free use in row crops, for example spreading organic fertilizer in crops or working with hoes, CLAAS now offers 457mm/18 inch narrow tracks. Since autumn 2021, the AXION TERRA TRAC has also been available with 890mm/35 inch wide tracks, but the overall width still remains below 3.00m. These belts are ideal for further reducing soil damage and compaction on fields and grassland, and thanks to the active belt control when steering, there is no surface damage when turning tight.

The 457mm/18 inch narrow tracks as well as the 635mm/25 inch and 735mm/39 inch wide standard tracks can now also be supplied with a 3.00m/120 inch tread setting in selected markets such as Australia. This makes it possible to work in Controlled Traffic Farming applications and to further improve maneuverability.

As a further innovation, the AXION TERRA TRAC can now be equipped with the CLAAS CTIC tyre inflation system on the front axle. The front tyres are filled using the air compressor for the air brake system.

CLAAS offers two AXION TERRA TRAC models:

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The groundbreaking and still the only self-learning, interactive driver assistance and process optimization system, the functionality of CEMOS for tractors has been further expanded. The Terranimo^® application will be fully integrated in CEMOS for tractors from summer 2022, which will enable the tractor-implement setting to be even more focused on soil protection.

Terranimo^® is a simulation model developed by the Bern University of Applied Sciences (BFH-HAFL) in cooperation with the Agroscope Reckenholz research institute, Aarhus University in Denmark and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), which calculates and visualizes the risk of harmful compactions. The algorithms are based, among other things, on decades of accumulated expertise. In CEMOS for tractors, they are combined with the current available parameters, such as soil type and soil condition, working depth, field condition (uncultivated, shallowly tilled or deep tilled), attachment, tire type, ballasting and a few more, so that there is no further effort involved in using Terranimo^®.

Based on the combined information and the technical mechanics calculated by CEMOS (e.g. static and dynamic axle loads), Terranimo^® calculates the compaction risk separately for three soil layers. On the basis of this risk assessment, CEMOS can provide the driver with further recommendations for ballasting and optimizing the tire pressure in order to drive in a way that protects the soil. If the driver changes the settings for the tractor-implement combination, such as the tire pressure, based on the compaction risks and the recommendations derived from them, this information flows directly into the current risk assessment of the Terranimo^® function. As a result, the driver will receive direct feedback on the effect that changing the settings will have.

For this innovation, CLAAS received a silver medal from the Agritechnica Innovation Commission. The award takes place during the DLG Field Days (June 14th to 16th, Versuchsgut Kirschgartshausen, Germany).

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