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Loadall Hydrogen-powered prototype.
While the automobile industry heads full tilt down the electrification route, heavier industries such as trucking and construction appear to prefer a hydrogen-fuelled future.
UK-headquartered JCB is currently evaluating a Loadall 542-70 prototype, offering 4.2-tonne lift and seven-metre reach, burning hydrogen instead of diesel.
JCB notes the “green machine” – as well as ditching the more normal JCB yellow for a lime green similar to a competitor – does everything that would be asked of its diesel-powered equivalent, with the benefits of zero emissions and a lot less noise.
Developed by engineers at the JCB engine factory in Derbyshire, the reengineered 4.8-litre (94hp/75kW) four-pot block is said to be far less complicated than a hydrogen-powered fuel cell and lends itself to incorporation into all types of traditional powertrains.
The same 4.8-litre hydrogen block has also been installed in several other JCB machines, including a backhoe loader, with the fuel stored in a variety of locations – not always in the engine compartment – providing sufficient capacity for the machine to undertake a full day’s work.
Moving forwards, JCB is investing £100m on a project to produce what it calls “super-efficient hydrogen engines”, with a team of 100 engineers already working on the development, with another 50 being recruited. At this stage, the company is targeting late-2022 when the first hydrogen powered machines will be available for sale, incorporating a new block that is expected to cost roughly the same as a diesel equivalent.
Global tyre manufacturer Michelin has extended its agricultural trailer tyre range, with the introduction of its new WorkxBib series, designed for tipping trailers, slurry tankers and manure spreaders.
Following the record-breaking success of its hydrogen-powered Hydromax, JCB is ramping up its investment in the business, key to the first major change at the executive level of the business, with George Bamford stepping up to the post of joint chairman, alongside his father Lord Bamford.
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Massey Ferguson has announced a strategic supply partnership with International Tractors Limited (ITL), a manufacturer of low-horsepower and compact tractors, with recognised brands such as Sonalika and Sollis, to expand its portfolio with a new tractor range.
With the biannual Italian EIMA machinery Expo less than a month away, Case IH has taken out a Technical Evolution award for the Advanced Vehicle Suspension system available on its Optum 360–440 series tractors.
The Advanced Vehicle Suspension system, available on Optum 360, 390, and 440 models, responds to changing conditions, automatically adjusting how the suspension reacts to absorbs shocks and controlling vehicle movement.
In operation, sensors monitor the vibrations transmitted from the tractor chassis to the operator cabin, allowing the system to adjust suspension damping in real time. The control system incorporates key priorities, such as comfort at lower speeds and stability as speed increases, while also reacting to factors such as lower tyre pressures, where the tyres absorb more of the initial shock.
Case IH said as suspension requirements change throughout the working day, as tractors move between the paddock and road transport, the system manages suspension response in the background as tasks, speeds and conditions change, leaving the operator without the need to make manual adjustments.
Richard Hollins, Optum series tractors global product manager, said: “Pioneering technology must earn its place in the working day. Farmers and contractors will judge an investment by what it delivers, including manageable ownership costs, dependable up-time and the versatility to tackle different jobs. With AVS, we are putting intelligent control to work for comfort and stability, without giving the operator another setting to manage.”
Organised by FederUnacoma, the Italian Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers Federation, the contest has been part of EIMA since 1986, with the Technical Evolution distinction awarded to products that introduce original improvements to solutions already manufactured or patented.
www.caseih.com
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