Mechanical drive is more suited to broadacre agricultural sprayers which is why Goldacres fits mechanical drives because they are a simple, low maintenance, flexible drive system that have been proven over hundreds of thousands of operational hours across Australia. Source: AFDJ eNews
Goldacres’ mechanical drive has an extremely narrow leg profile and can provide an “on the go” track width adjustment system (G4 & G6) which can be in metric measurements made to suit Australian farming requirements.
The fuel economy reports on Crop Cruisers are extraordinary according to Goldacres. Operators consistently record usage as low as 11 litres per hour in good conditions (G6) and below 30 litres per hour in extreme conditions.
The efficiencies of the mechanical drive are one reason for this fuel economy.
Mechanical drives allow the engine to run at much lower revs than hydraulic drive systems which need high engine revs resulting in increased fuel consumption.
A low gross weight also pays dividends. The Crop Cruiser is up to 30% lighter than other machines in the class and this combined with an efficient drive system and lower engine rev requirement deliver an extremely fuel efficient sprayer.
An efficient drive system and low gross weight allows the use of a smaller engine.
Goldacres G6 and G8 Crop cruisers use the 6.7L Cummins tier 3 diesel engine along with an Allison automatic transmission, while opting for the 4 cylinder Tier 3 QSB 4.5L with Allison 2500 series package for the G4 self-propelled machine.
There are two other important areas of saving in a mechanical drive according to Goldacres. The drive does not require maintenance to the same levels as a hydro. Frequent changes of expensive oil and filter systems, and adjustments are not required.
Secondly, and most importantly, the resale value of Crop Cruisers remains high as potential buyers understand that they are not going to be faced with reconditioning costs of hydrostatic drives.
For more information www.goldacres.com.au
