New Holland R4: Autonomous Robot Tractor for Orchards and Vineyards

Why the R4 Appeared at All

At Agritechnica 2025, New Holland unveiled a new series of autonomous machines — the R4 Robot Series, aimed specifically at growers of grapes, orchards, and other specialty crops. The main idea is simple: take routine, repetitive tasks that are hard to cover with seasonal labor and shift them onto a compact autonomous robot.

According to CNH, the R4 is a fully cab-less proof-of-concept with electric or hybrid drive, designed for inter-row mowing, cultivation, and spraying in high-value crops. It reduces the need for manual labor and can cut local CO₂ emissions by up to 100% when operating in fully electric mode.

R4 Series Concept: Two Machines for Different Crops

The series includes two models, both being tracked, fully autonomous platforms without a cab:

• R4 Electric Power – a fully electric robot for narrow vineyards.
• R4 Hybrid Power – a hybrid robot for orchards and wider row spacing.

Key design principles:

• “Clean-sheet design” – this is not a reworked tractor, but a machine engineered from scratch as a robot with no operator station.
• Tracked undercarriage with low soil compaction – crucial for vineyards and orchards on slopes and terraces.
• Full integration with CNH’s autonomy platform: GNSS navigation, LiDAR, cameras, and control via a smartphone app.

New Holland R4 Technical Specifications

Below is a summary of the key specifications of the two variants, based on publicly available data from the manufacturer and industry media.

Note: some values (weight, width) are marked “≈” because different sources may vary slightly — here we use averaged figures from several publications.

Autonomy and Control Systems

Both R4 models use a common CNH autonomy stack:

Task planning via mobile app
In the app, the operator defines the field, task type, implement, speed, and safety parameters. The robot then performs the work autonomously, while the agronomist monitors status in real time.

Navigation

GNSS satellite navigation for precise positioning in the rows;

LiDAR and cameras to stay in the row, recognize canopy edges, and detect obstacles.

Smart spraying functions
The materials mention:

automatic shutoff of spray flow in gaps in the planting and at headlands;

rate control depending on canopy height;

development of localized application based on disease detection.

What Tasks the R4 Can Actually Handle

In New Holland’s concept, the R4 is a “workhorse” for routine operations in orchards and vineyards where repeatability and accuracy matter most:

Inter-row mowing and mulching

Light inter-row cultivation / soil loosening

Spraying (including night work or in “quiet zones” where low noise and zero local emissions are critical)

Potential work with electric implements (for example, future electric shredders, mulchers, fan sprayers powered from the 48 V e-PTO).

The idea is that skilled staff focus on monitoring, analysis, and decision-making, while the robot performs what people already spend hours doing — but now without fatigue and with strict adherence to set parameters.

Benefits for Orchardists and Winegrowers

If we distill the key advantages into practical points, we get:

Solving the labor problem
In high-value crops, manual labor is one of the largest cost items. The R4 is designed to take over the most monotonous tasks, reducing dependency on seasonal workers.

Environmental performance and sustainability

the R4 Electric Power version delivers zero local emissions;

the R4 Hybrid Power can run on HVO fuel and offers a fully electric operating mode on specific sections.

Minimal soil compaction
Tracks with a large contact area reduce pressure on the soil — especially important on light soils, slopes, and in intensive perennial crops.

Compactness for complex terrain
A height of about 1.38 m and a width of 0.7 m (Electric Power) allow the machine to work on terraced vineyards and in dense plantings where a conventional tractor simply cannot fit.

What It Means for Ukrainian (and Other) Growers

For Ukraine, such solutions are more of a reference point for the near future than “equipment for tomorrow”:

Large wine estates in the South will sooner or later need to automate inter-row operations in vineyards.

Modern intensive orchards (apple, sweet cherry, walnut, blueberry) are already heavily mechanized, yet many operations are still done manually or semi-mechanized.

The R4 shows what equipment in these segments might look like:

narrow, low-profile, yet powerful;

supplying electric power to implements;

fully integrated into the farm’s digital infrastructure (maps, tasks, analytics).

Project Status: Serial Machine or Not Yet?

In CNH’s official materials, the R4 is described as a “fully autonomous and cab-less proof of concept”, debuting at Agritechnica 2025. In other words, it is a highly advanced concept, not yet a mass-produced commercial model.

This is typical for large manufacturers:

first — a concept is presented at a trade show;

then — several years of refinement, field testing, and adaptation to different markets;

only after that — commercial launch in key countries.

For growers it’s crucial to understand: the R4 is a realistic “tomorrow”, but not a tool for today. Still, it is worth following the evolution of such solutions now — including in terms of future service infrastructure and spare parts availability.

The New Holland R4 is not just “another compact tractor”; it is an attempt to rethink work in orchards and vineyards:

1. two platforms (Electric and Hybrid) for different crop systems;
2. full autonomy: from task planning in an app to independent work in the rows;
3. hybrid or fully electric drivetrains focused on emission reduction;
4. support for electric implements, paving the way for new types of mounted equipment;
5. emphasis on reducing labor costs and strictly following agronomic prescriptions.

Agricultural Spare Parts from BAS.UA

Autonomous robots, electric drives, hybrid systems — that’s the future. But right now, every farm already has dozens of machines that need high-quality spare parts and reliable service.

If you need:

• components for mounted or trailed equipment,
• spare parts for tillage, seeding, harvesting, or other agricultural machinery,
• visit the website of BAS-Agro LLC — bas.ua.

In the catalog you’ll find a wide range of spare parts for different brands and machine types, and you can select solutions to upgrade your current fleet — so your machinery park is ready for the day when robots like the New Holland R4 become a common sight in orchards and vineyards of your region.