| | | Tomato harvesting just became potentially faster and more efficient thanks to some modern technological advances. Golden Valley Manufacturing in Bakersfield, California, recently introduced a new, state-of-the-art tomato harvester designed to pick three rows of tomatoes, rather than the conventional one or two. It is perhaps the largest — and smartest — tomato harvester in the world. The company built its first prototype in time for the 2006 fall harvest. The new machine features a PowerTech Plus 9.0L engine that drives four piston pumps, four gear pumps manufacturer, and one hydrostatic pump through a Funk 5600 pump drive. Those nine pumps run 38 hydraulic motors on the machine. Sophisticated. What's interesting about this application is that the hydraulic systems are electronically monitored and controlled by a Parker IQAN system. The IQAN is the electro- hydraulic communication link between the hydraulics and the PowerTech Plus 9.0L engine. IQAN monitors operator inputs through the foot pedals and joy sticks and converts this data to a usable electronic signal that precisely controls the hydraulic and engine functions, optimizing the harvester's performance. Greg Brannstrom, owner of Golden Valley Manufacturing, says the new harvester will potentially reduce harvesting costs by two-thirds. It is designed to harvest 150,000 tons of processing tomatoes a year — more than double the capacity of conventional harvesters. Likewise, the fuel efficiency of the PowerTech Plus engine is also expected to cut fuel use by half. The three-row harvester will also potentially reduce machine and labor requirements. Reducing harvesting costs by | | 50 percent or more is a significant savings that will reap immediate benefits, says Brannstrom. "At that rate," he says, "the harvester will have a pretty fast payoff." Another cool feature is the electronic sorter. The PowerTech Plus engine powers a large 31.6-cfm John Deere industrial air compressor that produces air for solenoids that remove the unripe fruits and dirt clogs from the good fruit during the harvesting process. The engine also drives a variable-flow fan designed to remove debris from the radiator. Brannstrom says he's impressed with the new Tier 3/Stage III A PowerTech Plus engine. "The engine generates a lot of power and torque. If you drive along and need a lot of oil for the hydraulics for a half of a minute, this engine will produce the horsepower needed to get through the tough spots. Normally, you would have to size a larger engine to handle the load, but the 9.0L engine offers that power in the form of a power bulge. I'm very happy with the way it runs. It's also very quiet and smooth." Above all, "it's the most preferred engine for agriculture," says Brannstrom, who moved to California from Sweden in 1980 and started the company in the mid-1990s. "I'm a new kid on the block, and John Deere is a well-accepted engine. If you use John Deere, customers perceive you as building a better machine." Engine: John Deere Tier 3/Stage IIIA PowerTech Plus 6090H — a 298-kW (400 hp), 6-cylinder, 9.0L, air-to-air aftercooled diesel engine. Distributor: Western Power Products Inc., Bakersfield, California, (661) 397-9155, www.westernpowerproducts.net. | | |