​Goldacres sprayers have maximized efficiency with Allison transmissions

Equipped with fully automatic Allison transmissions, Goldacres has developed the new Super Cruiser G8 and G10 range of spraying tractors to meet the growing demand for fertilizer and greater spraying capacity.

“Allison automatics provide a smoother ride when the tractor is spraying the crop, allow the engine to run at lower speeds improving fuel efficiency and offer greater reliability,” said Ashley Dinning, national sales manager for Goldacres.

Goldacres spray tractors have to deal with a wide variety of conditions due to the stark contrasts of the Australian countryside. The condition of the soil can vary from firm and dusty ground to muddy and rain-soaked ground, and temperature variations can be intense — from 0º Celsius in winter to more than 50º during summer.

According to Dinning, Goldacres is the only major tractor manufacturer in Australia to adopt conventional automatic transmissions rather than a hydrostatic transmission system. The company has been using Allison transmissions in its sprayer line since 1997. Goldacres' new G8 sprayers and G10 spreaders were developed to meet the growing demand for greater capacity as farms are using more fertilizer and applying it with more frequency.

"In the past, farmers applied between 14 and 18 kilograms of fertilizer per acre to their crops once a year. However, the current standard calls for applying 45 kilograms per acre at least three times a year," says Dinning.

This means farmers are looking for larger capacity reservoirs to reduce the number of fertilizer or sprayer tank refills. With greater weight, the tractor must have a lower center of gravity and greater traction capacity to prevent the vehicle from becoming bogged down in soft ground with a large weight on board.

Each time the operator has to refill the fertilizer tank takes 30 to 40 minutes, so greater capacity means greater productivity in a working day. The G10 has the capacity to transport around 10.000 liters of fertilizer, while the G8 carries approximately 8.000 liters of liquid fertilizer or agricultural sprays.

“Our previous model Crop Cruiser used an Allison 2500 automatic transmission, but was designed to have high ground clearance and chain drive to the rear wheels,” said Dinning. "The high height from the ground prevented damage to higher crops during spreading or spraying."

"When designing the new Super Cruiser line Allison automatic transmissions were the only option considered, as their performance has proven excellent over the past two decades in our legacy models."

The new Goldacres G8 and G10 share the same chassis and use 6,7-liter Cummins QSB diesel engines that produce 260 hp, around 40 hp more than the previous Crop Cruiser. "We opted for an Allison 3000 in the new Super Cruiser because it easily assimilated the increase in torque and power, as well as allowing the inclusion of the 4x4 traction system and a power take-off (PTO) to operate the distribution unit and the hydraulic spar of the sprayer arms".

Dinning states that the fuel efficiency delivered by Allison automatics is one of the standout features, and that he has observed fuel savings of around 50% when compared to a tractor of similar power using a hydrostatic transmission.

"A similarly powered tractor using a hydrostatic system will typically consume between 24,5 and 30 liters of fuel/hour. However, Allison transmissions allow our models to run at lower engine speeds meaning operators can expect consumption of fuel around 11 to 15 liters/hour", says Dinning. "Another great advantage of Allison automatic transmissions is the possibility of locking a certain gear, through a button on the console, for a specific application, making the engine operate in the ideal torque range and move smoothly through the plantation."

Another benefit of Allison transmissions is the fact that it smoothes operation, causing fewer jerks when traveling around the farm, which reduces wear on components such as spray arms, in addition to ensuring a continuous and consistent fertilizer application rate.

The G10 can be equipped with spray booms ranging from 24 to 36 meters. This allows the vehicle to meet a wide range of applications per acre for row crops. It also has the capacity to transport up to 8.000 liters of other products including herbicides, pesticides, fungicides and liquid fertilizers.

“Even working with corrosive fertilizers and agricultural sprayers, Allison 3000 Series transmissions have double maintenance intervals compared to most models with a hydrostatic system,” says Dinning. "Allison mandates 2.000 hours between service services for this application, while most hydrostatic models require service every 1.000 hours. Allison is also easier to maintain and more reliable, a fact proven on each of the nearly 300 tractors Crop Cruiser that we have been producing since 1997."