CLAAS and a farm blogger have developed a pedal-operated harvester prototype for children, which they hope to turn into a toy ready for mass production.
The project is the result of a 4-year-old boy’s Christmas wishlist.
“Dear Santa Claus, I would like a pedal harvester.” – This sentence was recited two years ago by the four-year-old son of farm life influencer, Julia Nissen, from North Friesland for his Christmas wish list.
The 33-year-old, who writes an blog entitled Deichdeern, was eager to pass on the pedal harvester wish to Santa Claus.
According to CLAAS, there was only one problem: A pedal harvester, a miniature forage harvester for children that they can pedal themselves, did not then exist.
So Nissen approached the agricultural engineering equipment industry via their social media platforms to request their support in developing a pedal harvester.
CLAAS from Harsewinkel in Westphalia responded to the young mother’s call.
Team Pedal Harvester
The agricultural engineering equipment manufacturer is the global market leader in self-propelled forage harvesters and the European market leader in combine harvesters.
This resulted in Nissen and CLAAS establishing Team Pedal Harvester in autumn 2020.
In doing so, they asked children between the ages of 3 and 10 to assist with the design. In addition, a drawing competition gave children a chance to help decide how the company should make the pedal-operated forage harveste.
More than 140 children participated in the graphic design of the prototype.
A jury of five consisting reviewed design proposals:
- Guido Höner (top agrar editor-in-chief and children’s book author);
- Charlotte Stenzel (Marketing CLAAS Collection);
- Lars Kaumanns (product manager merchandising);
- Volker Buhlmann (product marketing self-propelled forage harvesters)
- Agricultural influencer, Julia Nissen took a look at the design proposals.
Bringing the product to the market
Tow rope, cup holder, rotating lights, foldable maize attachment, the industrial mechanic trainees at the CLAAS Technical Training Centre then turned the children’s design wishes into reality.
Following several technical challenges, the finished prototype was presented in April 2021.
The challenge is now to turn the prototype into a toy ready for mass production.
To achieve this, CLAAS is currently searching for a cooperation partner from the toy industry so that the pedal harvester can also be on the Christmas wish list of many other children.
Find more machinery-related content.
