Mitchell Park
03 5342 6399

Why do Goldacres fit mechanical drive?

There are many reasons why mechanical drive is more suited to broadacre agricultural sprayers. We fit mechanical drive because it is a simple, low maintenance, flexible drive system that’s been proven over hundreds of thousands of operational hours across Australia. Our mechanical drive has an extremely narrow leg profile and can provide an “on the go” track width adjustment system which can be in metric measurements made to suit Australian farming requirements.

  • Fuel economy: The fuel economy reports on Crop Cruisers are extraordinary. Operators consistently record usage as low as 11 litres per hour in good conditions – and below 30 litres per hour in extreme conditions. Compare the fuel consumption of the big engine hydraulic drive machines and you will realise the fuel savings. The efficiencies of the mechanical drive is one reason for this fuel economy. Mechanical drive allows the engine to run at much lower revs than hydraulic drive systems which need HIGH engine revs resulting in increased fuel consumption.
  • Gross weight: A low gross weight pays dividends. The Crop Cruiser is up to 30 per cent lighter than other machines in the class and this combined with an efficient drive system and lower engine rev requirement delivers an extremely fuel efficient sprayer.
  • Engine: An efficient drive system and low gross weight allows us to use a smaller engine – anyone with any doubt about the power of the Cummins engine only needs to drive a Crop Cruiser to be reassured. We believe we have the highest power to weight ratio in their class with all models.
  • Maintenance and resale: There are two other important areas of saving in a mechanical drive. Firstly, 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.