Volvo Penta is supplying an 8-liter engine for agricultural specialist manufacturer MTS-Sandei, for its latest tomato harvester. The OEM’s new THV 800 model is the largest yet for the Italian company, with a capacity of 80 tons per hour. The machine will be powered by Volvo Penta’s 8-liter TAD871VE engine and has been created due to industry demand for a higher capacity machine. It has been successfully field-tested by some of MTS-Sandei’s customers. The collaboration on the new machine follows a successful integration of Volvo Penta engines in three of MTS-Sandei’s other tomato harvesters in 2015. The THV 800 has some components that are wider than on previous models, allowing for a higher intake and passage of tomatoes, and therefore a greater capacity per hour. The self-propelling machine feeds its crops into a trailer towed by a tractor, and has been designed to work for 24 hours per day, every day throughout the harvesting season which typically lasts for around 90 days. Volvo Penta’s TAD871VE is an eight-liter Stage IV/Tier 4 Final diesel engine. The use of SCR rather than a diesel particulate filter for emissions control, results in a compact engine that is easy to maintain. A common-rail injection system and the ability of the engine to produce high torque at low rpm reduces noise and fuel consumption, and consequently gives a reduction in emissions produced. “For perishable crops such as tomatoes, having low exhaust emissions is very important,” says Giacomo Mondini, Volvo Penta’s sales manager, Italy. “MTS-Sandei, like us, has an ethos of caring for the environment, and we have spent a lot of time in research and development to make our products as eco-friendly as possible. “Using engines in the agricultural industry is a challenge, so it’s good to see that our eight-liter model works well in MTS-Sandei’s new tomato harvester.”
