Bonnel Plows

What Bonnel Plows does

Bonnel Plows (Charrues Bonnel) is a fifth-generation, family-owned French manufacturer of agricultural soil-working equipment, founded in 1875 in Le Neubourg, Normandy, and currently directed by Pierre BONNEL under a Société par actions simplifiée (SAS) structure with 51-100 employees. The company designs, fabricates, and commercializes a broad portfolio of mechanical farm machinery organized into seven categories: ploughs (Labour), stubble cultivation (Déchaumage), scalping (Scalpage), seedbed preparation (Préparation du sol), subsoiling/décompaction (Décompactage), front packing (Tassage frontal), and cover crop destruction (Destruction de couverts), totaling over 40 SKUs including the patented Modulab semi-mounted plough, the Z120/Z150/ZV150 mounted plough family, the MULTIFLEX disc harrow range, and the Ecorouleau cover-crop roller family including a vineyard variant. Core technology rests on proprietary mechanical engineering, notably the patented Z-beam chassis on the Modulab that delivers the lowest center of gravity in its category, hydraulic furrow-width adjustment (12 to 20 inches) on plough models, and carbide-tipped wear components for durability across the product range.

All parts and finished goods are produced in-house at the company's 2-hectare Le Neubourg facility, providing vertical integration and quality control across the full BOM. The business operates on a direct sales model with field-rep support (including a dedicated technical-service function), complemented by a company website, Facebook and Instagram channels, downloadable tariff documentation, and online demo/brochure request forms. Customer segments are professional French farmers and agricultural operations, split between medium-sized exploitations and large farms, with historical product distribution noted in France and internationally for the legacy 'Quart de tour' line (1946-1987). Pricing is not publicly disclosed; the company is privately held with no external funding, no parent company, and no disclosed revenue.

Name

Bonnel Plows

Legal name

SOCIETE DES CHARRUES BONNEL

Website

https://bonnel-sa.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1875

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Bonnel Plows (Charrues Bonnel) is a fifth-generation, family-owned French manufacturer founded in 1875 in Le Neubourg, Normandy, producing ploughs, cultivators, subsoilers, and front-packing equipment for professional French farmers and large-scale agricultural operations through direct sales and in-house manufacturing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Machinery

NAICS

Agricultural Implement Manufacturing (33311), Farm Machinery and Equipment Manufacturing (333111), Agriculture, Construction, and Mining Machinery Manufacturing (3331)

SIC

Farm Machinery & Equipment (3523)

akta.pro primary industry

Tillage & Soil Preparation Equipment (Plows, Harrows, Cultivators, Subsoilers) (AFAAAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Implements, Attachments & Quick-Hitch Systems (3-Point Implements, Couplers, Tool Carriers) (AFAAAAAG), Farm Machinery Parts, Service & Maintenance Equipment (Spare Parts, Diagnostics, Workshop Tools) (AFAAAAAH)

Keywords

• Agricultural machinery
• Mounted plows
• Disc harrows
• Soil preparation equipment
• Subsoilers

Headquarters

HQ city

Le Neubourg

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Bonnel Plows (Charrues Bonnel) designs, manufactures, and sells agricultural machinery for soil work and transport, including mounted and semi-mounted plows, disc harrows, tine cultivators, soil preparation equipment, subsoilers, and front-packing systems. All products are fabricated in-house at the company's factory in Le Neubourg, Normandy, and sold directly to professional farmers and agricultural operations in France and internationally.

Product overview

Bonnel Plows (Charrues Bonnel) is a 5th-generation family agricultural equipment manufacturer founded in 1875, specializing in soil working and transport machinery. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of mechanical farm equipment organized into distinct product lines: (1) Labour (plows) including mounted plows (Z120, Z150, ZV150, Z Ecochaum), semi-mounted plows (Modulab, Média), and push plows; (2) Déchaumage (stubble cultivation) featuring disc harrows (MULTIFLEX series) and tine cultivators (MC series including MC SP3, MC SP4); (3) Scalpage with the MC Scalpeur; (4) Soil preparation equipment (Néolis, TiTAN, VL, VL-GD) for plowed land and TCS (simplified techniques); (5) Subsoiling/decompaction (LSM, Polibar, Helisol, Sous-soleuse) for deep soil work; (6) Front packing/tamping (Modulo, Unidisk, Brizlab) for seedbed firming; and (7) Cover crop destruction (Ecorouleau series) for vegetation management. All products are manufactured at the company's factory in Le Neubourg, Normandy, with a full range of spare parts available.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mounted Plow Z150 Reinforced mounted plow series with Z-beam chassis for perfect wheel integration, designed for medium to high-power tractors and accommodating up to 7 plow bodies.
• Mounted Plow Z120 Mounted plow series with variable furrow width from 12\" to 20\" via hydraulic adjustment, suited for versatile use on medium-sized farms.
• Mounted Plow ZV150 Mounted plow with variable width capability from 12\" to 20\", featuring double control bodies on parallelogram with bushed and greased pivots.
• Z Ecochaum Plow Economic plow for shallow tillage with 80% reversible wear parts and high work rates to limit fuel consumption (13-20 cv per body).
• Modulab Semi-mounted Plow Semi-mounted plow with steering wheel independent of turning mechanism, featuring patented Z-beam chassis delivering the lowest center of gravity in the market for excellent stability.
• Média Semi-mounted Plow Semi-mounted plow designed for large farms, with triangular frame and wide-axle carriage delivering consistent plowing regularity in minimum time.
• MULTIFLEX Disc Harrow (mounted, semi-mounted, push variants) Independent disc harrow mounted on rubber shock absorbers for first stubble cultivation at shallow, regular depth to create a quality false seedbed; available in mounted, semi-mounted, and push configurations.
• MC Tine Cultivator (including SP3, SP4, and push variants) Tine cultivator with fluid design and centralized settings, available in 3 or 4 bar configurations and in semi-mounted foldable and push variants for stubble management.
• MC Scalpeur Cover-crop Scalping Cultivator Scalping cultivator for cover crop destruction and soil surface preparation.
• Néolis Seedbed Preparation Tool (mounted and semi-mounted) Seedbed preparation and stubble maintenance tool producing quality seedbeds on plowed or simplified-cultivation soil; features 60 cm underframe clearance and is offered in mounted and semi-mounted versions.
• TiTAN Combined Seedbed Preparation Tool (mounted and semi-mounted) Combined tool that prepares seedbeds on plowed land by opening soil, crumbling, leveling, and compacting in a single pass; available in mounted and semi-mounted versions.
• VL Vibro Cultivator Light vibro cultivator with 5 rows of vibrating tines for superficial seedbed preparation after plowing.
• VL-GD Heavy-Duty Vibro Cultivator Heavy-duty vibro cultivator with 5 rows of 45×10 high tines at 10 cm spacing for simplified soil preparation (TCS techniques).
• LSM Single-beam Subsoiler Single-beam subsoiler with hydraulically adjustable straight tines, configurable to work with all tines, none, or only 2 as a track eraser.
• Polibar Subsoiler (Monopoutre and Bipoutre) Single- and twin-beam subsoilers that fissure soil and promote water infiltration; mono version can be used frontally with a rotary harrow and bipoutre version offers up to 25 cm deep decompaction.
• Helisol Subsoiler (Monopoutre and Bipoutre) Subsoiler that decompacts subsoil without disturbing the surface; bipoutre version features curved or straight tines at 50 cm spacing for 25-45 cm decompaction work.
• Sous-soleuse SB Wheel-track Decompactor Subsoiler with drainer balls attached to each shoe, intended for wheel-track decompaction to promote soil drainage and water flow at depth.
• Sous-soleuse NSH Hydraulic Non-stop Subsoiler Subsoiler with hydraulic non-stop safety designed for stony soil conditions.
• Modulo Front Tire Packer (standard, XL, XXL) Front-mounted tire packer for soil firming and leveling ahead of seed drills, available in standard, XL, and XXL widths.
• Unidisk Front Disc Packer (integrated wheels, single row, double row) Front disc packer with integrated wheels, offered in single-row and double-row versions for controlled soil firming ahead of seeding.
• Brizlab Front-pushed Soil Preparator (L, F, V, TF variants) Front-pushed soil preparator with 2 rows of 70×12 mm straight tines and various roller options, designed for leveling and mulching before seeding on stubble or plowed land.
• Ecorouleau Cover-crop Roller (standard, GA, Viti variants) Roller for cover crop management with auto-steering frame on rollers, including pulled-foldable GA versions and vineyard-specific Viti variants.
• Herse Mulch Vibrating Tine Harrow 5-row vibrating tine harrow with reversible straight shares for stubble management and residue distribution.
• Interface XXL Front Seed Drill Interface Front-mounted interface for seed drills with integrated mass carrier and signaling.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Horsch: German agricultural equipment specialist in tillage, seeding, and crop care, with comparable product categories (cultivators, seedbed preparation, subsoilers) and overlapping European farmer customer base.
• Lemken: German specialist in tillage, sowing, and crop protection equipment with a renowned plough portfolio (e.g., Juwel, Titan), directly overlapping Bonnel's plough and soil-preparation product lines across European farms.
• Kverneland: Norwegian-origin, now CNH-owned manufacturer of ploughs, cultivators, and soil-preparation equipment; competes head-to-head with Bonnel in mounted and semi-mounted ploughs across European markets.
• Pöttinger: Austrian manufacturer of tillage, seedbed preparation, and sowing equipment with strong plough and cultivator ranges; directly comparable product portfolio to Bonnel across stubble cultivation and soil prep.
• Maschio Gaspardo: Italian manufacturer of tillage, seeding, and crop-care equipment with comparable plough, subsoiler, and cultivator ranges; competes for European farmer customers with similar medium-large farm focus.
• Grégoire Besson: French family-owned agricultural tillage equipment manufacturer specializing in ploughs and soil preparation machinery; the closest French competitor to Bonnel with similar heritage and product overlap.
• Amazone: German manufacturer of tillage, sowing, and crop protection equipment; overlaps with Bonnel in soil preparation tools and cultivators and competes for similar European farmer customers.
• Kuhn: French agricultural equipment manufacturer with a leading range of ploughs, tillage tools, and soil preparation equipment, directly competing with Bonnel across mounted and semi-mounted ploughs, stubble cultivators, and seedbed preparation implements.

Broad incumbents

• John Deere: Global agricultural equipment leader offering a broad portfolio including tillage implements and tractors; competes with Bonnel through integrated tractor-implement solutions but at vastly larger scale.
• CNH Industrial (Case IH / New Holland): Global agricultural OEM group whose brands (Case IH, New Holland, Kverneland) compete with Bonnel across ploughs, tillage, and soil preparation, though as part of a much broader machinery portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/photo.php?fbid=248011843995132&set=a.127306672732317&type=3
• Instagraminstagram.com/bonnel_charrues

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bonnel Plows