AgBot W3-2 Series vs SwarmBot
Two autonomous tractor machines, one verified table. Every figure below is sourced and dated; vendor claims are labelled and kept apart from independent results.
AgXeed's compact wheeled AgBot for permanent row crops — a 75 hp diesel-electric autonomous platform built for orchards, vineyards and tree nurseries, distinct from the larger arable-focused AgBot 2.055W4 (wheeled, 156 hp, id agxeed-agbot) and AgBot T2-7 (tracked, 230 hp, id agxeed-t2-7) already listed on this site. AgXeed states "proven running hours in apple and pear production"; no public press release, world-record trial or independent test data was found for this specific model (unlike the T2-7), so its commercial footprint reads smaller/quieter than its siblings.
Best for: Orchard, vineyard and tree-nursery growers (apples and pears named specifically) needing a compact, low-weight autonomous platform for spraying, flail mowing and soil preparation between permanent rows without soil compaction.Australian autonomous farming platform from SwarmFarm Robotics (Gindie, near Emerald, QLD) — a diesel-powered (86 HP), ISOBUS-connected carrier chassis that autonomously drives interchangeable implements (spot-sprayers incl. Weed-It, mowers, spreaders) across broadacre grain and cotton paddocks, rather than one dedicated tool; categorised here as "tractor" for that reason, with spraying/mowing/spreading sold as attachment packages. Commercially available in Australia since 2018 (current generation SwarmBot 5; TRL 10, ~120 units in service, over 5,000,000 acres worked); not sold or serviced outside Australia.
Best for: Broadacre Australian grain and cotton growers (SwarmFarm's own case studies run ~2,000 ha) wanting a diesel-powered, multi-implement autonomous platform for fallow spot-spraying, mowing and spreading, bought or leased direct from the manufacturer.| AgBot W3-2 Series Verified 2026-07-19 | SwarmBot Verified 2026-07-18 | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Task | Autonomous tractor | Autonomous tractor |
| Autonomy | Fully autonomous | Fully autonomous |
| Country of origin | Netherlands | Australia |
| Availability | Available now | Available now |
| EU market | Pending | Pending |
| Lead time | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Last verified | 2026-07-19 | 2026-07-18 |
| Specifications | ||
| Power source | Diesel-electric, 55 kW / 75 hp (2.9 l 4-stroke Deutz Diesel engine, Stage V, max. torque 300 Nm) driving an electric drivetrain | Diesel-powered self-propelled platform · 86 HP engine |
| Required tractor power | Is the tractor (75 hp / 55 kW equivalent); wheeled, no cab | Not required — self-propelled autonomous carrier (86 HP diesel) |
| Dimensions | Length 3.85 m; height 1.50 m; wheelbase 2.40 m; width from 1.38 m (min. transport width, 400 mm rear tyres) to 2.02 m (710 mm rear tyres); front wheel fixed at 710 mm, rear wheel options 380/400/520/710 mm | Not disclosed |
| Weight | 2.8 t empty | 2.5 tonnes (SwarmBot 5, current generation); earlier/smaller platform variants reported lighter — exact figure varies by configuration |
| Min farm size | Not disclosed | Not disclosed by SwarmFarm; case-study deployments are on 2,000+ ha broadacre grain/cotton properties |
| Productivity | Not disclosed as a ha/day figure; brochure gives per-implement rates — orchard sprayer (2,000 l, PWM valves) at 8 km/h; 180 cm flail mower at 4-6 km/h | Up to 1,000 acres (400 ha) per day for field spraying operations |
| Max speed | 0-13.5 km/h (electric drivetrain) | Not disclosed |
| Sensors | Roof-mounted LiDAR; ultrasonic and radar sensors integrated into a contact-sensitive safety bumper; geofence system; visual indicator lights and audible alarm; emergency-stop buttons around the machine; RTK GNSS positioning accurate to ±2.5 cm | Computer-vision weed detection (integrates third-party optical spot-spray sensors such as Weed-It); GPS-guided autonomous navigation with obstacle detection and path planning |
| Price & model | ||
| Price (EUR) | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Native price | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Business model | Buy only, price on request — AgXeed does not publish list pricing for the W3-2 on its own site. Sales are handled directly by AgXeed's regional team (including a named orchard/tree-nursery specialist) or via a requested dealer field demo; no country-specific W3-2 distributor was found (unlike the AgBot T2-7's UK distributor SoilEssentials). | Direct sales from SwarmFarm Robotics (Gindie/Emerald, QLD); early commercial units were also offered on a managed lease basis at commercial launch (~AUD 6,000/month reported in 2018 trade press) — current purchase/lease pricing is not published |
| Ongoing cost | Not disclosed for the W3-2 series specifically — no published service-cost figures found | Not disclosed — no published service/subscription fee schedule; integrating third-party attachments (e.g. Weed-It spot-spray sensors) adds cost |
| Key outcome | ||
| Best verified result | — No verified outcome | Weed density in fallow paddocks under fortnightly SwarmBot spot-spraying -18 percentage points (~90% relative reduction) over 8 weeks · independent |
| EU context | ||
| CE marking | AgXeed's FAQ states every AgBot "will be delivered together with an EC Declaration of Conformity... [and] all machines are fitted with a CE mark" — a range-wide claim, but no W3-2-specific certificate was found | Not applicable — Australian domestic product; no evidence found of CE marking or EU market placement |
| Machinery Regulation | AgXeed's FAQ states its AgBots "comply with the most relevant EU regulations" (Regulation (EU) 2023/1230); geofence-bounded supervised autonomy is documented for the W3-2 specifically | Not applicable — not placed on the EU market; would need to meet Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 autonomous-machine provisions if it entered EU sale |
| CAP subsidy | Eligible; several EU states fund autonomy pilots | Not applicable — Australian machine, no CAP/EU eco-scheme relevance |
"—" 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.