A NEW vintage of self propelled sprayer is about to hit the market.
Designed and built in-house by Australian spray equipment manufacturer, Goldacres, the G4V Crop Cruiser is targeted at horticulture and viticulture use.
Goldacres, engineer, Johnathon Roberts said the machine had been in development for about three years.
“We’ve got a couple of working prototypes in the field, with both running well,” he said.
Mr Roberts said the machine had been designed specifically for the horticultural industry, including features such as four-wheel drive (4WD) and a narrow footprint.
“The very wet, irrigated conditions demand a 4WD machine,” he said.
“It has been designed for growers wanting to manoeuvre around smaller paddocks while ensuring spray quality.
“The four wheel steer means tight turning in smaller paddocks, this allows the farmer to optimise the planting area.
Mr Roberts said the G4V differed from other Goldacres Crop Cruisers by having what they were calling a hydro-mechanical transmission.
“Its got the best parts of a hydro static transmission, but is transferred into a full mechanical drive line,” he said.
“In the horticultural industry you need to be able to spray at slow speeds.
“This transmission allows for better spray control, whilst still able to be driven at higher speeds for road transport.
“It’s the best of both worlds.”
Mr Roberts said the machine had also been designed to handle the large volume sprays needed in the horticultural market
“It has a 400 litre a minute centrifuge pump, so it has the capacity to handle the high rates,” he said.
Mr Roberts said the cruiser could increase the efficiency of horticultural operations.
“From an engineering perspective it is a very efficient machine in terms of fuel usage,” he said.
“With the large capacity tank and large booms it will also be efficient in terms of productivity,”
Mr Roberts said he expected the G4V Crop Cruiser to go into full production over the next few months and had fielded a lot of interest from growers.
The prototype was on show at the biennial Goldacres Expo, held in Ballarat earlier this month.
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