Goldacres enters tractor market

Ballarat based Goldacres has been manufacturing sprayers for over 40 years but the business isn’t stopping just there.

The company has recently expanded its horizons and is now offering a cab chassis type vehicle that will be suitable for a range of tasks including spreading, firefighting and more.

According to Goldacres sales and marketing manager, Stephen Richards, the idea for the tractors came about when customers were asking for a cab chassis vehicle with high clearance to house spreader hoppers.

“So we developed these machines primarily for spreaders, but then we thought we probably don't want to limit into that market,” he said.

“There'll be other things that people want to put on the back with these units offering carrying capacities of up to 10 tonnes. The sky is the limit with what people can do with them, we’re open to ideas.”

There are two models in Goldacres’ Atrac cab chassis range – the M4 with a 6-tonne capacity and the M8 with a 10-tonne capacity. The M4 was modelled on Goldacres G4 self-propelled sprayer while the M8 was modelled on the G8.

“They'll go down the same line as our sprayers, but just won't get finished as a sprayer,” Richards said.

“We've also painted them a different colour to the green Goldacres machines so they stand out.”

The M4, the smallest model in the range, has a ground clearance of 1400mm and tracks that are hydraulically adjustable from 2m to 3m. It also features a 4-wheel-drive system that can also be used as a 2-wheel drive to reduce fuel usage.

It is powered by the tried and tested 4.5-litre Cummins Tier 3 engine with a 160hp output which is transferred to the ground via an Allison 2500 series 5-speed transmission.

The M8 has a 817mm ground clearance, fixed 3m tracks and a full time 4-wheel-drive system. It is powered by a 6.7-litre Cummins Tier 3 engine offering 260hp and an Allison 3000 series 6 speed automatic transmission.

The cabins feature the latest in European styling and finishes with quality air suspension seats, plenty of room in the cab and full length glass panels all round to give optimum visibility.

“There's not a lot of other machines available in Australia that are similar to this and that really compare to it,” Richards said.

“People’s heads are spinning with the possibilities with what they can put on the back.

“A spreader is probably the first thing that comes to people's minds, but this machine could possibly end up up north where we do a lot of G4s with the hydraulic 2 to 3m track adjustment in cotton.

“The M8 will handle 10 tonnes so you can put a 10-tonne spreader on the back or you can put a big water tank for fire fighting...any type of tanker or any type of bin.

“We're pretty excited about it.”

The Atrac tractors are now available in selected Goldacres dealerships nationwide.