| Machinery
Somerset cheese maker tests New Holland’s
prototype T6.180 Methane Power tractor
New Holland’s second generation T6.180 Methane Power
tractor has received very positive feedback from testing by
Wyke Farms – one of the UK’s biggest Cheddar cheese
producers – to see how it stood up to practical farm
conditions.
he methanepowered tractor
was developed by
New Holland as a
100% sustainable
solution to
increasing fuel costs. In the UK,
where on-farm biogas plants are
becoming more common, there
could be an ample fuel supply on
hand.
The tractor draws on
commercial vehicle technology
already used by New Holland’s
sister brand, Iveco. By adapting
existing engine technology, fitting
a small three-way catalytic
converter housed within a
standard tractor chassis and cab,
the company has ensured the
methane tractor looks and drives
just like a diesel-powered tractor
while exceeding the current Tier
4B emissions legislation.
At Wyke Farms in Somerset, the
prototype tractor was put through
its paces with a slurry tanker,
transporting material to and from
the farm’s anaerobic digester (AD)
plant.
Three large anaerobic digesters
process waste from the farm’s
1,000 dairy cows, local cider waste
and other suitable material. The
resulting methane is used to
power the farm’s boilers and
generate electricity for the farm
and the cheese factory. Excess
gas is sold back to the grid to
serve the local community.
Roger Clothier, Wyke Farms’
Director who tested the prototype
tractor said: “We need fuel efficient
vehicles with a good power to
weight ratio to pull heavy tanks
around the farm. My first
impression is that this looks and
feels just like a normal tractor.
“With a combined gross weight
of 27 tonnes, the tractor and fully
loaded tanker was a little slow to
get off the line, but once moving
the tractor came alive. Engine
braking downhill was good and
there was plenty of power in the
mid-range and top-end with no
torque issues when going uphill - it
drove just like a diesel.”
The farm’s preferred power
bracket for its tractor fleet is
around 170hp. They perform a
range of tasks; mainly tanker and
trailer transport as well as the
usual range of farm applications
including ground preparation. The
T6.180 Methane Power prototype
offers 179hp max power which
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www.farmingmonthly.co.uk
would cope with any of the duties
required at Wyke Farms but Roger
felt that an additional 20hp would
be preferable, particularly when
under heavy load.
The use of compressed natural
gas (CNG) in vans, trucks and
buses is well developed and
limited only by storage capacity on
the vehicle. New Holland has
managed to squeeze 300L (52kg)
of compressed methane into nine
tanks around the tractor; enough
for around six hours of work
depending on activity and load.
Wyke Farms achieved around
four and a half to five hours for
tanker transport work during
testing. Roger commented that
while a comparable diesel tractor
would work for longer on one tank
of fuel, refilling the methane tractor
wasn’t too much of an issue. The
farm used an onsite CNG trailer
from Gas Vehicle Alliance during
the test period. Filling nine
methane cylinders was quick and
easy through a single inlet on the
tractor.
Increasing the running time
requires more gas cylinder
storage; something that is difficult
to achieve with current cylinder
shape and technology. However,
New Holland is looking at
potentially adding tanks to the
front ballast and on towed
implements.
Wyke Farms uses around
12,000L of red diesel a month at a
cost of £4,000. Running costs for
the T6.180 Methane Power tractor
were difficult to judge on this
particular test however New
Holland estimates that fuel cost
savings of 25 to 40% could be
achieved. In addition, no Ad Blue
is required.
In the cab the layout of controls
is much the same as a dieselpowered T6, with a methane tank
monitor to driver’s right. Front
visibility was good but the large
rear pillars containing gas tanks
can restrict visibility. For the tractor
drivers at Wyke Farms this was a
slight issue as they need good
visibility left and right when
reversing tankers.
Nick Fone, a freelance
machinery journalist who took the
T6.180 Methane Power tractor for
a test drive while at Wyke Farms
was pleasantly surprised by how
similar it was to a standard diesel
tractor. But unlike Roger he felt the
way the engine responded was
quite different.
Nick said: “It pulls loads well up
to a point, but then the torque
drops off. However, it’s
understandable that it would have
a different torque curve when it’s
using a totally different fuel to
diesel.
“There’s less engine noise so
it’s much quieter in the cab,
though this had the effect of
making the transmission noise
more audible, which I wasn’t
expecting. The bigger rear pillars
that house the gas cylinders make
t