Back in 2017, we reported that Gomselmash was testing the first large-scale combine harvester in the world to run on compressed natural gas.
Also Read: Pics: First combine in the world to run on natural gasThe machine in question – designated the Palesse GS4118K – has now been launched onto the market.
Power is provided by a Cummins IS12G ‘gas’ engine, along with gas storage cylinders, low and high-pressure lines, valves and associated plumbing and circuitry.
It apparently meets Stage V (engine) emissions regulations.
The manufacturer claims that this combine will make grain harvesting “more economical and environmentally friendly”. While the machine will be more expensive to buy than a diesel-powered equivalent, Gomselmash says that this gas-powered combine will be cheaper to run and maintain.
As well as combine harvesters, it’s worth noting that Gomselmash also manufactures self-propelled forage harvesters.
It showed off one of its current-generation foragers (pictured below) at a recent machinery exhibition in Estonia.
This machine – namely the FS 8060 – is home to a 632hp Mercedes-Benz V8 engine (with a displacement of 15.9L).
Its drum (chopping cylinder) is 780mm wide; its diameter spans 630mm. It can be fitted with 20 or 40 knives (resulting in a theoretical chop-length anywhere from 6mm to 48mm).
For the record, Gomselmash is headquartered in the Republic of Belarus. Its legacy apparently stretches back over eight decades.
The company now exports over 90% of its production; that figure has grown rapidly from just over 72% in 2012. In that year its machines were delivered to buyers in just 10 countries; now that number has grown to 26 or more.