Goldacres unveils all-new G8 Crop Cruiser Series 3 sprayer

Goldacres has launched its next-generation G8 Crop Cruiser Series 3 self-propelled sprayer, a major evolution of the popular Australian-made machine.

Revealed at the Goldacres Precision Unleashed Expo in Ballarat, the new G8 has been built from the ground up, introducing significant upgrades across powertrain, chassis, cab and precision systems.

“This machine is essentially new from the ground up,” said Stephen Richards, Goldacres Sales and Marketing Operations Manager.

“There’s not many parts that we used from the previous model. The chassis has seen some huge upgrades with a lot of laminating for strength, bigger airbags and torque rods, everything’s been improved to handle extra weight.”

The sprayer carries an 8000-litre main product tank with an optional 1500-litre front-mounted tank, pushing total capacity to almost 10,000 litres. “You can use the front tank for extra capacity, or run a different chemical mix up front for spot spraying, even spray blanket and spot simultaneously,” Richards explained.

Power now comes from a 6.7-litre Cummins B-Series engine producing 300hp and 1288Nm of torque, up 30 per cent on the previous model. It’s paired with a new ZF eight-speed transmission for smoother performance.

“The extra torque and the eight-speed box give it a totally improved, more refined feel,” Richards said. “Gear changes are silky smooth, you barely feel them.”

Operator comfort has also taken a leap forward thanks to a new CLAAS X11 cabin. “The X11 is just a lot more refined,” said Richards. “It’s got dual-zone climate control, a heated leather seat that swivels, a new side console and our G-Hub 2.0 platform with a 12-inch screen that offers road and field functions. It’s a big step up in comfort and usability.”

Boom options include 36- and 42-metre RivX designs and a 48-metre TriTech series boom with the latter able to spray at 48, 36 or 20 metres. The booms now feature smoother folding and a stronger structure.

“In the nozzle department, we've made some major upgrades," Richards added. "We can now offer our standard 3TS (three-tier system), 3TS Pro (seven-tier system), PWM (pulse width modulation) or we've got some systems specifically for spot spraying including Plumbing Standard, Plumbing Plus or Plumbing Dual."

For precision applications, the G8 can be equipped with Weedetect NIR or Weedetect Bilberry systems. “Weedetect NIR is our new green-on-brown system, while Weedetect Bilberry handles both green-on-brown and green-on-green detection,” Richards explained.

Production of the G8 Crop Cruiser Series 3 is already underway, with the first retail units expected to roll out in the coming month.

"The first machines are already coming off the production line, and they’re available now through our nationwide dealer network," Richards said.