OREANDA-NEWS. August 27, 2009. The Gomel-based agricultural machinery maker Gomselmash has started field tests of a semicrawler grain harvester Palesse GS812. The tests are going on in Russia’s Amur oblast and involve specialists of Gomselmash’s central design bureau for grain and fodder harvesting machinery.

Boasting off-road capability, the new harvester has been made for Amur oblast farmers. The pilot specimen still preserves all design peculiarities of the model Palesse GS812 but now uses a special track drive, which is adapted to the leading axle of the harvester. The track drive was made in Birobidzhan.

The testing began in mid-August. Due to frequent rains the harvester has to deal with water-logged fields. The testing is supposed to last till mid-October as after the grain harvesting campaign Palesse GS812 will be used for soy bean harvesting to test a special six-metre header with a floating knife bar.

Igor Mitsuro believes it is too early to talk about commercial production of the new model. “We have already designed a harvester with special tyres and off-road capability. However, few customers intend to buy vehicles, which are somewhat more expensive than standard models,” he said. However, the ability to supply a caterpillar-mounted harvester will do good for the company’s image.