Strenx® structural steel makes Mapro Systems’ autonomous agricultural equipment work harder with less effort

Mapro Systems manufactures a wide range of highly versatile equipment under the Mac Trac brand. It is a tractor suitable for a variety of agricultural attachments, performing common tasks for farmers, such as plowing, sowing, creating beds, weeding, cultivating and row hoeing. The latest innovation in the MacTrac family is a GPS guided tractor that performs its duties without any human intervention. This means the farmer can get useful work done practically 24/7, and free up time for other tasks than sitting on the tractor!

The chassis of the MacTrac is made of Strenx^® 700 grade steel. The design goals are maximum torsional and longitudinal stiffness at minimum weight. The chassis’ main load-bearing beams are made of Strenx^® steel strips bent into a U shape. This gives the frame high strength in all load directions. Bending the beams from one piece without any welding also speeds up production. Aside from Strenx^® 700MC steel, Mapro Systems also uses Strenx^® Tube 700MLH in a square shape for other parts of the frame.

A CAD image of a chassis made in Strenx^® steel

“Working with SSAB as a partner in design and manufacturing is a great advantage for us. When optimizing the weight, it’s important to make exact thickness calculations for the Strenx^® material. The reason weight is so important is that the MacTrac must also be able to work on wet and loose soil without destroying the structure of the soil and leaving deep tracks that remain throughout the season.

A light tractor creates a wider window for working in the fields, making farmers less dependent on the weather, which of course has productivity benefits. The lightweight and strong frame can carry wider equipment. At the end of the day, more work has been done, even in conditions where heavier machinery would be unable to work at all. Another big issue for us is to consume as little energy as possible. Thanks to the low weight the MacTrac needs less fuel to operate,” says Mats Anderson.

MacTrac is a GPS guided tractor that performs its duties without any human intervention