New Holland Agriculture has commercially launched the world’s first accessible farm tractor. The TL5 ‘Acessível’ (Accessible in Brazilian Portuguese), produced at their plant in Curitiba (PR), has been designed for people with lower limb disabilities, enabling them to work in fields independently.
According to the 2019 National Health Survey, published by the Brazilian Ministry of Health together with the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, Brazil has 17.3 million people over the age of two with some type of disability (8.4 % of this population), with 7.8 million having physical lower limb disabilities. Of the total number of people with a disability in Brazil, 2.9 million live in rural households.
“People with disabilities, including those who live and work in the countryside, want autonomy so they can carry out their activities independently. This is the main premise of inclusion. As a full-liner brand, New Holland is further expanding its product range with the launch of the accessible tractor. It will help eliminate barriers that today make it impossible for many farmers to get on a machine”, says Eduardo Kerbauy, vice president of New Holland Agriculture for Latin America.
First presented as a concept tractor at Rural Coopavel and Expodireto Cotrijal in 2020, it met with both public and press acclaim. The final product has been created in partnership with the inclusive mobility company Elevittá, Arteprima and Senai from São Leopoldo (RS).
The development of the Accessible TL5 also involved the participation of a New Holland customer, who uses a wheelchair. “As a brand committed to improving overall customer experience, this accessible tractor emerged from the real needs of many farmers, and they played a fundamental role in the development of the final product. And safety was always at the forefront”, observes Flávio Mazetto, Director of Product Marketing for New Holland Agriculture for Latin America.
Route 2030
Following the concept’s success, New Holland has sought to make the commercialized unit financially viable. An opportunity was identified through a Brazilian government financing line, the ‘Rota 2030’ (Route 2030), which sees most of the investment absorbed by the government to support and encourage innovation projects in the field of social inclusion.
Developed on the TL5 tractor platform, which benefits from over two decades of continual development, the TL5 Acessível is available in 80, 90 and 100 hp versions. The range is versatile and robust, being aimed at small, mid-sized and family farms. This multipurpose tractor is ideal for all applications.
Alongside new TL5 units, those from model year 2019 onwards can also have the accessibility platform retrofitted.
Farming Independence
“With the launch of this accessible tractor, we want to empower people. It is not just a question of making new technology available in the agricultural machinery market, but also enabling people with disabilities to return to their occupations with independence”, says Paulo Máximo, director of Commercial Marketing for New Holland Agriculture for Latin America.
The tractor has been designed to deliver the same operating experience for everyone, offering comfort, safety and performance, all in one vehicle. This is thanks to the lifting platform and joystick which enable the operator to enter and exit the tractor unaided, they can then access the operator seat and machine controls, which have been adapted to facilitate operation, all while maintaining the internal space and ergonomic operation. Moreover, this tractor can also be operated by people without reduced mobility.
A telematics solution is being developed for the complete TL5 range which will enable customers to check machine information in the MYPLMCONNECT fleet management platform.
“This technological package enables farmers to access features including tracking their tractors’ movements within a 24-hour period. It will also be possible to customize notifications and receive them via SMS, for example, when the field limit is exceeded ”, explains Mazetto. Other information, such as operating time can also be checked.
Banco CNH Industrial, in partnership with New Holland and its dealership network, will offer customers attractive financing conditions to facilitate the purchase of an accessible tractor, this is in addition to the government lines available through the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES).
