SAMO Maschinenbau GmbH
"Innovations in agricultural technology."
Austrian maker of the VarioCHOP AI in-row cultivator, whose per-row cameras locate crop roots to hoe weeds within the row in 100+ crops.
SAMO Maschinenbau GmbH is an Austrian agricultural machinery manufacturer founded in 1998 in Thomasroith, Upper Austria. The company has roots in family farming, employs about 20 people, and develops its machines through field trials and its own measurement work. A German sales subsidiary, Samo TW Landmaschinen GmbH, is based in Uelzen, Lower Saxony.
The company's main automated product is the VarioCHOP AI "In-Row" cultivator, a camera-guided hoeing implement that removes weeds inside the crop row, not only between rows. One camera sits above each row and detects the plant and its root position; the system identifies crops by their roots rather than their leaves, and a 3D camera measures plant height. Integrated flash and LED lighting allow detection at any sun angle and at night. Hoeing knives open and close up to three times per second, and in-row plant spacing can start at about 8 cm. The machine can be configured with 1 to 16 rows and individual row spacings adjustable from 15 cm. In six-row sugar beet it works at up to 5 km/h, or about 1 ha/h. According to SAMO, it works in more than 100 crops, including sugar beet, pumpkin, corn, onion, garlic, cabbage, peanuts, lettuce, potatoes and sunflowers, and a new crop can be trained in about six hours. Side shift is hydraulic, row height is set by electric motors, and settings are made through a tablet or Android device. GPS and ISOBUS are not required, and power can be taken from the tractor battery. SAMO says the machine has been in use since 2024 and was developed together with partner Ullmanna, which sells the cultivator internationally under its own brand while SAMO sells it under the SAMO brand in Austria and Germany. SAMO claims hand-weeding costs can fall by up to 90%.
The conventional VarioCHOP inter-row cultivator has a patented band-width adjustment that can be set electro-hydraulically from the cab or mechanically, Hardox and tungsten-carbide hoeing shares, and working speeds up to 19 km/h; the X-ADJUST option covers row widths of 45 to 75 cm. The THOR universal cultivator is used for seedbed preparation, stubble cultivation, cover-crop incorporation and mechanical weed control, with tool-free depth adjustment from 2 to 23 cm, 29 tines on four bars and working widths of 3 to 7.5 m.
SAMO also makes tractor comfort accessories, including a foldable passenger seat for Fendt, Deutz-Fahr and John Deere tractors, a pneumatic cab suspension for CNH brands, a Fendt door closer and a modular forestry cab guard. It sells used machinery and offers CNC contract manufacturing for one-offs and small series, from raw material to painted assembly. The company received a Silver Medal at Agritechnica 2019 and the Agrarfuchs 2020 award.
Primary type & automation activities this supplier delivers:
VarioCHOP AI In-Row
- Model: VarioCHOP AI
- Launch Year: 2024
Camera-guided in-row hoe that detects crop roots per row and opens knives up to 3 times per second.
VarioCHOP inter-row cultivator
Inter-row hoe with patented electro-hydraulic band-width adjustment from the cab.
THOR universal cultivator
Universal cultivator for seedbed preparation, stubble work and mechanical weed control.
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Contact SAMO Maschinenbau GmbH
WEBSITE
https://www.samo-gmbh.at/en/PHONE
+43 7676 5001HEADQUARTERS
Austria
Company Facts
Founded
1998
Primary Role
Manufacturer
Company Size
-
Primary Region
Europe
Annual Sales
-
Funding Stage
-
Funding Total
-
