New Holland Tractor Designed To Work Well In Vineyards

Farm machinery specialist New Holland Agriculture has teamed with the automotive design mavericks at Pininfarina to present a concept that's sexier than a tractor should be.

Photo Insert: The Straddle Tractor Concept

Designed to improve upon the way premium specialty grapes are tended to, the pod-like Straddle Tractor Concept navigates multiple rows through steep, narrow hillside vineyards to do its part in bringing the most luscious, aromatic reds and whites to dinner tables and cocktail hours the world over.

As much as we love Pininfarina's classic and modern automotive work, it's always interesting to view common, everyday objects through the firm's eyes.

The Straddle Concept isn't actually the first tractor concept we've seen from the famed house of design, but it's certainly the most arresting and forward-looking, C. C. Weiss reported for New Atlas.

New Holland says that the tall, slim Straddle was penned specifically for use on the narrow slope-side vineyards of some of the world's most celebrated wine regions, from Champagne to Burgundy.

It explains that such vineyards have rows of grapes separated by no more than 1.5 m (4.9 ft), often built into steep hills, necessitating the handpicking of grapes and maintenance performed by tractors that sweep over top the rows.

New Holland says little about the mechanicals of its concept, leaving it to serve as a design study.

The company does note that it's compatible with electric powertrain technology, serving as part of the company's Clean Energy Leader Strategy, which seeks to shift agriculture away from fossil fuel dependence and toward more sustainable energy solutions. The airless tires, meanwhile, eliminate rubber and flats.

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