Autonomous tractor · head to head
OutRun retrofit autonomy kit vs 9RX Autonomy (2nd-gen kit)
Two autonomous tractor machines, one verified table. Every figure below is sourced and dated; vendor claims are labelled and kept apart from independent results.
PTx (AGCO) · United States
Self-contained retrofit kit that makes an existing tractor drive itself — autonomous grain cart today, tillage rolling out, Fendt support landing 2026.
Best for: US grain operations that want to drop the grain-cart driver at harvest without buying a new tractor.John Deere · United States
Second-generation autonomy kit on the four-track 9RX — 16-camera, 360° driverless tillage, full US launch in 2026.
Best for: Very large US broadacre operations on the JD platform wanting driverless primary tillage at high horsepower.| OutRun retrofit autonomy kit Verified 2026-07-16 | 9RX Autonomy (2nd-gen kit) Verified 2026-07-16 | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Task | Autonomous tractor | Autonomous tractor |
| Autonomy | Fully autonomous | Fully autonomous |
| Country of origin | United States | United States |
| Availability | Available now | Available now |
| EU market | Pending | Pending |
| Lead time | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Last verified | 2026-07-16 | 2026-07-16 |
| Specifications | ||
| Power source | Uses host tractor's diesel engine | Diesel; 9RX 640–830 hp models |
| Required tractor power | Host tractor — John Deere 8R (2014+) with IVT; Fendt 900 now, 1000 series fall 2026 | Is the tractor (up to 830 hp) |
| Dimensions | Retrofit kit on standard tractor chassis | Standard 9RX four-track chassis |
| Weight | Not disclosed | Not disclosed for autonomy configuration |
| Min farm size | 400 ha | 500 ha |
| Productivity | Grain cart cycles on demand during harvest; tillage with no-till/slow/no-go zones | Field-dependent; 24 h duty capable; faster and wider than gen-1 kit |
| Max speed | Field speeds; per host tractor | Field-work speeds; road transport driven manually |
| Sensors | Obstacle-detection sensor suite · automatic stop · virtual boundary enforcement | 16 cameras in pods · 360° vision · improved long-range depth calculation |
| Price & model | ||
| Price (EUR) | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Native price | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Business model | One-time hardware purchase + annual service fee — no per-acre or hourly charges | Kit purchase on owned/leased 9RX; licensing/subscription terms not publicly disclosed |
| Ongoing cost | Annual service fee (amount not disclosed) | Not disclosed |
| Key outcome | ||
| Best verified result | Grain-cart driver at harvest Combine operator calls the cart via iPad · vendor | Operator supervision Remote supervision via Operations Center Mobile · vendor |
| EU context | ||
| CE marking | Not CE marked for EU autonomous operation | Not filed for EU autonomous operation |
| Machinery Regulation | No EU conformity claimed — product marketed for North America | No EU approval — John Deere states EU safety rules currently prevent autonomous-tractor launch |
| CAP subsidy | Not applicable — not purchasable in the EU | Not applicable — not purchasable in the EU |
"—" means the manufacturer has not disclosed the figure; we never estimate silently. Model either machine's payback with your own numbers on its ROI calculator page.