Trident 5550 with Raven Autonomy vs Thorvald
Two spraying machines, one verified table. Every figure below is sourced and dated; vendor claims are labelled and kept apart from independent results.
The industry's first driverless spreader — Case IH's 415 hp liquid/dry combination applicator running CNH's Raven Autonomy stack, sold in North America.
Best for: US ag retailers and large row-crop operations spreading fertiliser who struggle to seat applicator drivers.Norwegian autonomous UV-C robot that replaces fungicide sprays for powdery mildew control — working at night in UK tabletop strawberries (used by 13 leading growers, around 20–30% of the national tabletop crop) and California vineyards, where over 150 Thorvald 3.0 units ran the 2025 season. Delivered as a service rather than a machine sale, with a vineyard-specific model launched for 2026.
Best for: Larger tabletop strawberry and wine-grape operations in Saga's service regions (UK, US) wanting to cut fungicide programmes without buying or operating robots themselves.| Trident 5550 with Raven Autonomy Verified 2026-07-16 | Thorvald Verified 2026-07-17 | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Task | Spraying | Spraying |
| Autonomy | Fully autonomous | Fully autonomous |
| Country of origin | United States | Norway |
| Availability | Available now | Available now |
| EU market | Pending | CE-marked |
| Lead time | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Last verified | 2026-07-16 | 2026-07-17 |
| Specifications | ||
| Power source | Diesel, 415 hp peak | Battery-electric · 48 V Li-Ion 70 Ah (space for a second battery) · charges from a regular outlet |
| Required tractor power | Is the machine (self-propelled applicator) | Not required (self-propelled modular platform) |
| Dimensions | 14 ft 2 in wheelbase | Modular platform; configuration-dependent, not disclosed |
| Weight | Not disclosed | ~200 kg |
| Min farm size | 400 ha | Not disclosed |
| Productivity | Plans and completes entire mapped field operations, one or more machines per supervisor | Fleet-scale service: ~2,500 acres of US vineyard treated; ~20% of UK tabletop strawberry crop |
| Max speed | 40 mph (64 km/h) road | Typically under 5 km/h in operation |
| Sensors | Camera array + radar · 360° perception · AI obstacle detection (Raven Autonomy) | Autonomous navigation stack; crop-counting cameras (up to 3 million crop counts per robot per night, vendor claim) |
| Price & model | ||
| Price (EUR) | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Native price | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Business model | Machine purchase through Case IH / Raven dealers; autonomy availability limited | UV-C treatment as a service — Saga deploys, operates and maintains robot fleets; growers pay for treatment rather than buying machines |
| Ongoing cost | Not disclosed | Service fee (not published); no grower-side machine ownership |
| Key outcome | ||
| Best verified result | Applicator operator Whole-field operation supervised from a mobile device · vendor | Fungicide use for powdery mildew −70–100% pesticide use (vendor claim) · vendor |
| EU context | ||
| CE marking | Autonomous configuration not CE marked for the EU | CE status not published; UV-C units carry light-exposure safety interlocks for night operation |
| Machinery Regulation | No EU conformity for driverless operation — North-American offering | Placed on the EU/UK market by Saga Robotics; Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 autonomous-machine provisions apply |
| CAP subsidy | Not applicable — not purchasable in the EU | Large pesticide reduction supports EU pesticide-reduction and eco-scheme goals (service currently UK/US/NO, not EU-27) |
"—" 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.