[Farm Machinery in the Spotlight at KIEMSTA] Hada Electric Tractor Sprays Fully Grown Garlic and Onion Fields with 800 mm Ground Clearance

Spraying in garlic and onion fields continues right up until just before harvest, even after the crops are fully grown. According to Hada, however, the minimum ground clearance of small tractors in the 30–40 horsepower range is only about 200–300 mm. When they pass over tall crops, the plants catch on the vehicle body, and the wide tires can easily run over ridges and crops. The problem of workers being exposed to pesticides while moving through narrow furrows to spray chemicals also remains.

Hada Co., Ltd. (CEO Ha Jong-woo), a company specializing in management machinery for field crops, unveiled two ride-on field management machines aimed at solving this problem. They are an electric ride-on management machine (electric tractor) exhibited at the “2026 Korea International Exhibition of Machinery, Equipment, Science and Technology for Agriculture (KIEMSTA)” held at EXCO in Daegu from Nov. 4 to 7, and a ride-on sprayer that combines the engine-powered ride-on management machine “H35CT” with a 16.2 m boom sprayer.
 

Electric tractor redesigned as a ride-on management machine, breaking away from the conventional tractor framework

Kang Moo-sang, head of Hada’s Future Technology Research Institute, explained, “At first, we were building an electric tractor based on a conventional tractor, but the design scope was too limited, so we completely overhauled it. We took the tractor’s basic transmission structure and designed it to be robust, then installed an electric motor.”

The motor’s maximum output is 24 kW, providing power equivalent to a 30 horsepower tractor. The battery capacity is 43 kWh, allowing it to be used for more than four hours based on spraying work. Kang said, “Farmers say four hours is enough because spraying is usually done briefly in the morning before sunrise and then finished,” adding, “For farms of around 3 ha, using it on a single charge is not a problem.”

It can be fully charged in two hours with fast charging, or in eight hours using household power (220 V). For fast charging, users can simply use chargers at electric vehicle charging stations. However, charging infrastructure in rural areas is still an obstacle. Kang said, “Fast charging can be done at EV charging stations, but rural areas may face difficulties because charging infrastructure is insufficient,” adding, “The realistic approach is to charge it in advance when it is not being used.”

The minimum ground clearance is 800 mm. The vehicle body was raised as much as possible so it would not catch on crops such as garlic and onions that require continued spraying even after they are fully grown. At the same time, the battery, which measures 1 m by 1 m and weighs around 500 kg, is positioned at the lowest point in the center of the body to lower the center of gravity and secure front-to-rear rollover stability. It can work while traveling up and down slopes of up to 15 degrees.

The chemical tank comes standard at 1,000 L. Kang said, “Competitors have 500 L and 800 L products, but farmers want to spray as much as possible once the tank is filled,” adding, “Since going back and forth frequently to refill chemicals increases work time, we maximized the capacity.”

Considerable attention was also paid to worker protection and convenience. The most vulnerable aspect of spraying work is the operator’s inhalation of pesticides. To prevent this, a cabin was installed, and a high-capacity heating and cooling system was included as standard. A suspension seat was fitted, and the steering wheel can be adjusted for height and tilted. Instead of the multiple control levers found on ordinary tractors, the amount of chemical sprayed, speed, and other settings are configured on a monitor. Kang said, “SS machines (speed sprayers for orchards) also have simple cabins, but the space is cramped and the cooling is poor,” adding, “We focused on reducing fatigue even when the operator is seated for long periods.”

Driving performance was tailored to narrow fields. Since furrow widths are about 300 mm at most and around 200 mm when narrow, narrow tires were chosen as the standard wheels, and farms can switch to wider wheels if desired. Four-wheel steering was applied to reduce the turning radius. Four modes can be selected: front-wheel steering, rear-wheel steering, four-wheel steering, and “crab-walk” driving, in which the front and rear wheels move diagonally in parallel.

Equipped as standard with a three-point hitch and PTO, it can attach around 10 types of implements to the front and rear, including fertilizer and compost spreaders and soybean topping machines. However, high-load tasks such as rotary tilling and plowing consume the battery quickly, so those are left to engine tractors, while the machine focuses on lower-load work. If an autonomous driving kit is installed, it can drive straight and turn autonomously. Fully unmanned autonomous driving without an operator is also being prepared.

The target crops are mainly field crops such as garlic, green onions, onions, and soybeans, and it can also be used in cabbage fields as well as for spraying in rice paddies. Regarding economic feasibility, Kang predicted, “It should show benefits compared with an engine model in about three years.”
 

Engine-powered H35CT launched this year by adding Hada’s design to an LS Mtron tractor

The H35CT is a ride-on management machine based on an LS Mtron tractor, and production and sales began this year. Hada receives tractors supplied by LS Mtron, uses LS Mtron’s engine and transmission technology as is, and directly designs and develops the chemical tanks, axles (the shafts connecting the wheels), tires, and other components to convert the machine for field spraying.

It is equipped with a 35 horsepower (26.1 kW) three-cylinder turbo diesel engine that complies with Tier 4 Final emissions regulations. It has a minimum ground clearance of 630 mm, narrow tires measuring 197 mm wide at the front and 210 mm wide at the rear, and a wheel track that can be adjusted between 1,300 and 1,700 mm.

Its biggest feature is the placement of the chemical tanks. Two 300 L tanks (600 L total) are mounted separately on top of the left and right rear wheel fenders. Kang explained, “Other tractors usually place the tank at the rear, but then implements cannot be attached,” adding, “By moving the tanks to the left and right, the machine can spray chemicals from the front and simultaneously work in a single pass with a fertilizer spreader attached at the rear.” By distributing the weight to the left and right, it reduces the risk of overturning on slopes and ridges while also securing rear visibility.

The transmission is a two-speed HST operated by two forward and reverse pedals without a clutch, and cruise control is also included. With eight external hydraulic ports at the front and rear, it can be fitted with a variety of implements, including onion harvesters, ridge-forming and mulching machines, stem cutters, soybean topping machines, garlic and soybean seeders, and cabbage transplanters. An autonomous driving kit can also be installed.

The representative combination for the H35CT is the “HADA-HBS16A” power sprayer for ride-on management machines. When the two-stage sliding folding boom is extended, the spraying width reaches 16.2 m. With 38 nozzles measuring 0.6 mm, it can spray 900 pyeong (about 2,975 m²) in under 10 minutes, and the boom height can be adjusted within a range of 150 to 1,370 mm. Spraying can be divided by left, center, and right sections, allowing chemicals to be applied only where needed. The boom is made of aluminum profiles, making it light and resistant to twisting. When moving or storing the machine, the boom is folded upright.
 

Expanding the market with the engine model, while making electric the main focus

The two products partly overlap in their main use of spraying. Hada plans to first expand the market with the engine-powered H35CT released this year, while continuing development of the electric ride-on management machine (electric tractor) with the goal of launching it in 2028 and nurturing it as a future flagship product. Kang said, “The engine type has advantages, but it also has many disadvantages, and when considering issues such as exhaust emissions, the development direction is also moving toward electric,” adding, “Not many farms have used electric tractors yet, so it will take time before full-scale adoption, but we will push forward with electric-based products as our main focus.”