Belarussian manufacturer Gomselmash has added a gas-powered five-walker combine harvester to the price list.
Called the Palesse GS 4118 K, the firm first revealed it was testing a prototype early 2017. Flagged up as an industry first, the finished version is believed to be the only commercially available agricultural machine in the world that meets stringent Stage V engine emissions without using Adblue or a particulate filter.
Powered by a 350hp 12-litre Cummins IS12G gas engine, the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) is stored in eight carbon plastic tanks containing 1,816 litres (450m³). This is said to be sufficient to allow it to work for 8-10 hours. Refuelling can be done in the field and depending on the system takes from seven to 15 minutes.
CNG not only meets Stage V engine emission regulations without any costly changes, but also increases servicing intervals and significantly extends engine operating life, says Gomselmash, which claims cost savings of 45% to 50% when compared to a diesel engine.
Currently only available in Belarus and Russia, the exact price of the gas-powered Palesse GS 4118K has not yet been released, but we are informed it will be about 30% more expensive than a diesel-powered five walker combine.
Available with header widths of 6.0m, 7.0m and 9.2m, the grain tank capacity is 9,000 litres (unloading rate is 70lit/sec). Total sieve area is 5.0m² and operating speed in the field is up to 8km/hr. Top speed on the road is 20km/hr and the combine has an empty weight of 16.6t.
Gomselmash plans to bring the gas-powered combine to Agritechnica where more spec and price details will be available.
