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Cummins Tier 4 Final

A global power leader, Cummins designs, manufactures, distributes and services diesel and natural gas engines and related technologies. For over 60 years, Cummins has been delivering the most durable and dependable diesel power in the world for ag equipment, with a broad power range from 60 hp (45 kW) to over 800 hp (597 kW), including Tier 4 Final certified engines. See cumminsengines.com/agriculture for more information.

Tribine Harvester released the first fundamentally new harvester architecture since the 1940s in 2016, and selected Cummins engines to power it.

The Tribine harvester’s new and unique design utilizes two Cummins QSL9 engines. One provides power to the hydraulic pumps moving the machine, and one drives a large number of belts that handle crop production. The combined 9-liter engines produce a power output of 650 horsepower.

“The future of harvesting is now,” says Ben Dillon, president of Tribine. “The Tribine performs all of the functions of a combine, only better and faster. Incorporating a 1,000-bushel grain bin, the Tribine can eliminate the need for a grain cart and tractor running parallel with the combine.”

This design improvement is a big deal for the agriculture industry, because compaction can reduce grain yields from 3-10%. While other machines use up to 6 tires of varying widths and spacing, creating multiple paths and more compaction of the soil, the Tribine’s 4 aligned low-ground-pressure tires with center articulation and a pivoting rear axle ensure that it leaves only one trail.

Additionally, the Cummins-powered Tribine uses the world’s largest threshing and cleaning system, providing a significant efficiency improvement with up to twice the cleaning area of any other harvesting machine. Speed of harvesting is also improved by the ability to unload the 1,000-bushel grain tank in less than 2 minutes, and the 500-gallon fuel tank capacity enables 24 hours of continuous operation.

Dillon says he was impressed with how Cummins supported this project from beginning to end with Cummins sales, engineering and service, as well as the quick on-site support he received from Cummins on-call technician. Dillon looks forward to the ongoing support he will receive from Cummins as Tribine approaches production of 25 units for the 2017 harvest.