Agras T70P vs Herbicide GUSS
Two spraying machines, one verified table. Every figure below is sourced and dated; vendor claims are labelled and kept apart from independent results.
DJI's 70 kg-payload spray-spread-lift drone (global launch July 2025) — 70 L spray tank, 100 L spread hopper, dual millimetre-wave radar and tri-vision obstacle sensing.
Best for: Contractors and larger growers who outgrew the T50 and want one aircraft for spraying, spreading and heavy lifting.GUSS Automation's dedicated herbicide sprayer for orchards and vineyards — the same self-driving 4WD/4-wheel-steer platform as base GUSS, but built to spot-spray weeds in row middles instead of spraying the tree/vine canopy, using multiple onboard weed-detection sensors to target individual weeds rather than blanket-spraying. Diesel-powered (John Deere 4.5L 74 hp Stage V engine, no DEF) with a 600-gallon tank and adjustable 15-19 ft breakaway spray booms. Like the rest of the GUSS line it is sold and serviced only through John Deere dealers, confirmed only in the US and Australia, with no EU presence found.
Best for: Large commercial orchard and vineyard operations in the US or Australia (same footprint as base GUSS — almonds, walnuts, pistachios, citrus, stone fruit, wine grapes) wanting to cut herbicide use and weeding labour by autonomously spot-spraying individual weeds in row middles instead of blanket spraying or hand/mechanical weeding.| Agras T70P Verified 2026-07-16 | Herbicide GUSS Verified 2026-07-19 | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Task | Spraying | Spraying |
| Autonomy | AI-assisted | Fully autonomous |
| Country of origin | China | United States |
| Availability | Available now | Available now |
| EU market | CE-marked | Pending |
| Lead time | ~4 wk | Not disclosed |
| Last verified | 2026-07-16 | 2026-07-19 |
| Specifications | ||
| Power source | Swappable battery (DB1580 30 Ah / DB2160 41 Ah, 52 V) | Diesel — John Deere 4.5L 74 hp Stage V engine, no DEF required (manufacturer brochure). A third-party directory instead describes a 3.8L Cummins engine; not confirmed by GUSS Automation, whose own current brochure states John Deere. |
| Required tractor power | Not applicable | Not applicable — self-propelled 4WD/4-wheel-steer platform, not a tractor implement |
| Dimensions | 3.20 × 3.52 × 0.96 m unfolded | 23 ft 6 in long x 6 ft 4 in tall x 8 ft 4 in transport width; 15-19 ft adjustable spray boom width (manufacturer brochure) |
| Weight | 52–56 kg (dry, by battery) | 12,460 lb (5,652 kg) empty — manufacturer brochure. (A third-party directory cites "5,652 lb", which is actually this same kg figure mislabeled as lb — a units error, not a genuine conflict.) |
| Min farm size | 5 ha | Not disclosed as a number; manufacturer brochure markets the GUSS/Herbicide GUSS line at small, medium and large operation scales (its "small scale" case study is still a professional commercial grower, not a hobby farm) |
| Productivity | Up to 18 ha/hour (spraying) | 90-gallon fuel cell gives approximately 13-14 hour run time; one operator can monitor/supervise up to 8 GUSS/Herbicide GUSS machines at once; manufacturer case study cites refill downtime cut from a typical 45 minutes to about 3 minutes |
| Max speed | 20 m/s | Not disclosed |
| Sensors | D-RTK 3 AG (0.8 cm) · front + rear millimetre-wave radar · tri-vision system | GPS + LiDAR + vehicle sensors for autonomous navigation (manufacturer states GPS alone is unreliable beneath tree canopy, hence the added sensor stack); multiple onboard precision weed-detection sensors trigger targeted spot-spraying instead of blanket application; GUSS Safety Vest disables drive mechanics when a nearby worker's vest is detected |
| Price & model | ||
| Price (EUR) | ≈€50,000 | Not disclosed |
| Native price | US$53,999 (US dealer combo) | Not disclosed |
| Business model | Buy via dealer · combos bundle batteries + charger/generator | Buy or pay-for-service, sold and serviced through GUSS Automation (Kingsburg, California — a wholly owned John Deere subsidiary since August 2025) and John Deere dealers, confirmed in the US and Australia. GUSS Automation publishes no unit price; a third-party ag-tech directory (unconfirmed by the manufacturer) cites an indicative $301,000-$400,000 depending on configuration. |
| Ongoing cost | Battery replacement by cycle count; pump/nozzle consumables | Diesel fuel, tires, spray consumables (nozzles, pump wear parts) and scheduled maintenance through the GUSS Automation / John Deere dealer network; costs not published |
| Key outcome | ||
| Best verified result | Spray tank payload vs Agras T50 +75% · vendor | Herbicide application — spot-spray vs blanket application Multiple onboard weed-detection sensors trigger targeted spot-spray only where weeds are actually present · vendor |
| EU context | ||
| CE marking | CE marked (2025) | Not disclosed — no CE-marking evidence found; confirmed commercial deployment is US and Australia only |
| Machinery Regulation | UAS regime applies; EASA Open/Specific category rather than Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 alone | Not applicable — no evidence Herbicide GUSS has been placed on the EU market |
| CAP subsidy | Aerial PPP application restricted under the Sustainable Use Directive — derogations vary by member state | Not applicable — no EU/CAP-linked deployment found |
"—" 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.