Revolutionary harvester set for world debut

A combine harvester which incorporates a grain tank, as well as a number of other innovations in its design, has left the final assembly line at its Newton, Kansas factory ready for its world debut at the upcoming Farm Progress Show in Iowa.

The TRIBINE was first unveiled as a prototype in 2013 at the Ag Connect Expo in Kansas City, Missouri, with developers saying the machine is the "first fundamentally new harvester architecture since World War Two".

“The future of harvesting is now,” says inventor and Tribine Industries President Ben Dillon, quoting the company's tagline.

"The TRIBINE performs all of the functions of a combine, only better and faster. Incorporating a 1000-bushel (about 30-tonne) grain bin, the TRIBINE can eliminate the need for a grain cart and tractor running parallel with the combine."

The combine began live testing in a wheat field just 18 months after the company brought together a group of engineers to develop the machine.

Dillon says the TRIBINE was the culmination of over two decades of hard work and that he developed four generations of machines before going into production with the current TRIBINE.

He developed the machine with one main aim in mind, that is to increase productivity and efficiency for farmers on the field.

According to Tribine Industries, operators can unload the 1000-bushel grain tank in less than two minutes and the 500-gallon fuel tank capacity enables 24 hours of continuous operation.

The TRIBINE is also claimed to feature the world’s largest threshing and cleaning system, providing up to twice the cleaning area of any other harvesting machine.

"The capacity of major importance to producers is the crop throughput rate," says Tribine Industries Vice President of Engineering Bob Matousek.

"TRIBINE’s solution to this is a large diameter rotor with 270 degree concave wrap, which feeds a cleaning system of considerable width utilising an advanced pneumatic cleaning method. This results in a superior balance of separation and cleaning capacity."

Another key reason for developing this two-in-one machine, Ben Dillon says, is to reduce compaction on the ground.

"As combines grew bigger; with higher capacities and higher yields, grain carts had to grow bigger, reaching over 1000 bushel," he says.

"Grain carts and combines were united to the point of being dependent on each other, with the grain carts being pulled by tractors and adding additional tracks and compaction to the soil with every pass and trip to the semi-truck."

"Published studies on the impacts of compaction have shown that compaction can reduce grain yields from 3 per cent to 10 per cent. The TRIBINE addresses this issue and many more."

By installing four aligned low ground pressure tyres with centre articulation and pivoting rear axle, engineers ensured the TRIBINE leaves only one trail hence significantly reducing ground compaction.

Tribine Industries is currently getting the harvester ready for the 2016 Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa for its official release and demonstration. The show will be held from August 30 to September 1, 2016.

Customers in the US will also be able to order the machines for 2017's harvest.