GK took an engineering approach to produce a solution when end users or customers redefine criteria and create an offshoot machine. Slight variances in machines cause difficulties in engineering, service, parts, and repairs. The Tracked High Clearance Tracker's prototype version - TH1 - aimed for low ground pressure, extremely high clearance, great visibility, narrow row profile, and a low center of gravity. With these operational specifications, physical size, and structural layout, the TH1 became the machine for several crop varieties with immediate applications for cane berry, nursery, vineyard, and Christmas tree fields. The TH1 can be the power behind an assortment of implements and configured a multitude of ways. Its primary use is focused toward spraying applications, which require low ground pressure. The first prototype is designed as a beet chopper and separators and suggests other forthcoming opportunities. GK has integrated several current machines' capabilities into this prototype and expects more innovative results - a testimony to farmers and engineers together creating solutions.

The TH1 is an over the row high clearance tractor with hydraulic width adjustability. The tractor allows for variable row spacing and is mounted on a solid undercarriage, which floats across the ground on 12" wide rubber tracks. This machine offers incredibly low ground compaction, low center of gravity, narrow row profile width and a high row and ground clearance. With these credentials, this machine makes the perfect machine for a variety of crops and industries including: beets and vegetable seed. The tractor can handle a multitude of implements and attachments including air blast and pressurized drop boom sprayers.

The TH1 is an over the row high clearance tractor with hydraulic width adjustability. The tractor allows for variable row spacing and is mounted on a solid undercarriage which floats across the ground on 12" wide rubber tracks. This machine offers incredibly low ground compaction, low center of gravity, narrow row profile width and a high row and ground clearance. With these credentials, this machine makes the perfect machine for a variety of crops and industries including: vineyards, cane berries, Christmas trees, nursery, beets, and vegetable seed, etc. The tractor is capable of handling a multitude of unlimited implements and attachments including air blast and pressurized drop boom sprayers, hedgers, pre-pruners, fail, and rotary mowers, in-row cultivators, conical trimmers, diggers, separators, harvesters, etc. This machine has been completely designed and fabricated in [GK Machine's] facility within the last year. It is [their] newest creation.

GK Machine of Oregon debuts its newest creation – the TH1 High Clearance Tractor at the 2007 World Ag Expo. This top Ten New Product has been completely designed and fabricated in the last year.

The TH1 is an over-the-row high clearance tractor with hydraulic width adjustment allowing for variable row spacing. The TH1 is mounted on a solid undercarriage, which floats across the ground on 12” rubber tracks.

The TH1 offers incredibly low ground compaction, low center of gravity, narrow row profile and a high row and ground clearance.

John Hughes of GK Machine said the TH1 is the perfect machine for a variety of crops and industries including vineyards, cane berries, Christmas trees, nursery, beets and vegetable seeds.

The TH1 is capable of handling all kinds of implements and attachments including air blast and pressurized drop boom sprayers, hedgers, pre-pruners, flail and rotary mowers, in-row cultivators, conical trimers, diggers and many more.

GK Machine’s TH1 is their latest in a long line of custom manufactured agricultural machinery. The TH1 plus their other equipment on display at WAE reflect their commitment to fabrication for special needs of specialty crop growers.

The TH1 can be seen at the GK Machine space on O Street, space 045-047.

Possibly the next platform for vineyard mechanicals, the TH-1 tractor from Oregon-based GK Machine, Inc. is designed for just about any accessory application relating to spraying, pruning, hedging, mowing and cultivation. The TH-1 features a hydraulic, adjustable clearance (horizontal) boom, which spans from 83" to 124"; the tunnel clearance (vertical) is 108". Developed in response to issues related to top-heavy tractors, the TH-1 is evenly balanced side-to-side atop two 12" rubber tracks (instead of wheels) to reduce the compaction of soil. The operator rides directly atop one track in a pressurized cab complete with heat and air conditioning controls. The unit is powered by a domestic 125 HP 4 cylinder John Deere motor, and features Sauer Danfoss drives and pumps.

DONALD, Ore. - The folks at GK Machine Inc. in Donald have put their heads together with farmers and engineers to develop a unique piece of farm machinery they hope will change the way equipment is purchased.

"We have one new very functional machine that can perform several functions in a safe and efficient way," said John Hughes, sales manager at GK Machine.

The new machine, dubbed the TH1, touts a low profile, low ground pressure, extremely high clearance, great visibility and a narrow row profile.

"We see immediate applications for caneberry, nursery, vineyard and Christmas tree growers," said Hughes.

For growers, the TH1 would become the power behind implements that growers already own. 'Its primary use is for spraying applications, but a flail mower or tree trimmer can easily be attached," Hughes said.

The idea was born about a year ago out of a prototype for a beet chopper and separator that was designed for a customer. "It offered us a great stepping-stone for other opportunities to sprout," Hughes said.

West Coast Beet Seed Company Inc. worked with GK to develop the machine that led to the prototype. It was the base for an innovative machine that could perform many functions for different applications.

GK Machine has been known for its focus on innovation and mechanization since 1976. "This new machine is serving as the catalyst for change and technological improvement," Hughes said.

By making one machine that can do more than one application, it streamlines equipment and labor issues for farmers and vineyard owners.

“We often make customized machines, but slight variances in those machines caused many difficulties in engineering, service, parts and repairs," Hughes said.

Versatility usually means more money, but GK plans to sell the machine for under $100,000. The idea is that this machine would take the place of other equipment and would mean fewer machines to maintain and store.

"Everyone who sees it has a new idea on how to put it to work. We see it growing into a very useful machine," Hughes said.

"We are enthused about it," said Hughes. "It can be used in so many industries and has so many uses it is really cost-comparable to other options."

With drivers working low to the ground, hillsides are safe and so is the ground. "This is the perfect machine for vineyards or people who typically have to deal with crops on slopes," Hughes said. "Drivers don't have to worry about root damage to crops and soil compaction."

"With wide rubber tracks that are 144 inches long the machine is less disturbing to the ground and gets workers out in the field earlier, which can translate into a longer growing season," said Hughes.

Matt Steinke, project manager for the TH1, thinks that safety is one of the many advantages to the machine. "We have designed the cab to be pressurized, and charcoal filters keep the product off the driver and on the application."

When operating equipment, safety is always an issue. "With the low and slim profile, drivers and people working around the machine have superior visibility to avoid safety issues," said Steinke. "In the future I can see us installing cameras on the machine so drivers can see into the next row or be on the lookout for children or fellow workers."

As far as GK Machine knows, this is the only machine of its kind made in America. "Right now it is made to order," said Hughes. "We only need about three months lead time and once the base unit is purchased it is customizable for specific applications."

For information call (503) 678-5525.

The GK TR2 Tracker is a self-propelled, hydrostatically driven rubber track sprayer with “on-the-go” tracking width adjustment from 60 to 80 in.  Powered by an 80 hp diesel engine, it features a 250 gallon spray tank and 50- to 60-ft. spray booms with a pressurized cab and charcoal filtration.  With 11.7-in.-wide tr5acks and 30-in. ground clearance, the TR2 is suited for a wide variety of row and field crops.  With only 5.4 psi ground pressure, growers can spray when it is too muddy for traditional wheeled sprayers.  The TR2 rides and handles smoothly using a unique bogey roller suspension system on the tracks and an adjustable steering wheel control to suit field conditions. The modular spray system is easily removed, allowing attachment of an optional three-point mount for granular fertilizer spreading.   

Twelve-inch-wide (30.5-cm) tracks and 65-in. (165-cm) ground clearance make the self-propelled, hydrostatically driven, rubber track GK TR4 Track sprayer suitable for a wide variety of row and field crops.  With 5.4-psi ground pressure, growers can spray when it is too muddy for traditional wheeled sprayers.  The TR4 rides and handles smoothly using a bogey roller suspension system on the tracks and an adjustable steering wheel control inside a reversible cab to suit field conditions.

The TR4 offers on-the-go 80-in. (203.2 cm) to 120-in. (304.8-cm) tracking width adjustment.  Powered by a 115-hp diesel engine, it features a 400-gal. (1,520-L) spray tank and 40-ft. (1,200-cm) to 60-ft. (1,800-cm) spray booms with a pressurized charcoal filtered cab.

Nursery and vine crops grow in a variety of heights and row spacings.  But one thing is for sure: they all require spraying.  GK Machine Inc. in Donald, Ore., builds two versatile sprayers designed especially for these applications.

The TR2 and TR4 Tracker sprayers are rubber-tracked vehicles with low ground pressure – as low as 4.4 psi.  This light footprint is attractive to growers concerned about soil compaction, especially in moist conditions. 

The TR2 can clear crops up to 36 inches tall, while the high-stepping TR4 can be equipped to clear 84 inches.  The high-clearance design of both sprayers enables them to travel above crops to deliver an effective spray pattern.

In addition to large solution tanks and spray booms, a modular implement mount adds task versatility to the Trackers’ crop versatility.  The TR4 can also be equipped with mowers and prunners.  GK Machine earned an AE50 award from the American Society for Agricultural Engineering for the design of the TR2 and TR4 Tracker.

One of the main components that does remain constant on all TR Trackers is the 115-hp PowerTech 4045T John Deere engine.  It powers the hydrostatic drive for propulsion, and auxiliary hydraulics for spraying and hitch functions.

Engine: PowerTech 4045T – a 115-hp, 4-cylinder, 4.5 L, turbocharged diesel.  Distributor: Cascade Diesel Engine Co., LLC, Seattle, Wash., (206) 765-3832.

Donald, Ore. – GK Machine Inc.’s TR4 Track Sprayer has been named to the top-50 ag products for 1999 sponsored by the American Society of Agricultural Engineering.

The 1999 AE50 awards represent the cream of the crop on new and innovative ag equipment developed worldwide.

The TR4’s rubber tracks can be adjusted on the go from 80- to 120-inch widths and its 5.4-psi ground pressure is said to work well in muddy terrain.

Powered by a 115-hp diesel engine, it features a 400-gallon spray tank and 40 to 60-foot spray booms.

The award isn’t the first for GK.  In 1997, the company received a similar awards for its TR2 Tracker.

At G&K, Quality Comes First: Firm builds big business by building big machines

                Capital Press, Salem, OR. January 27, 1995.

DONALD, Ore. – Gary and Keith Grossen like to keep the quality up at G&K Machine, a business which builds three-wheel prayers, tanks, cat diggers, garbage trucks and hundreds of other items for farms and other businesses requiring heavy machinery.

To keep up the quality, they keep it all in-house.

Although most of the machine shop’s business comes by word of mouth, Gary Grossen said that’s more than enough to keep them so busy they’re having a hard time keeping up with orders. 

 “Our products keep us fairly diversified,” Grossen said.

G&K designs and builds such items as secondary containment fuel tanks for ag rigs (anywhere from common 650-gallon tanks up to 12,000-gallon capacity), tree diggers with a customized shaker mechanism to take the dirt off muddied root systems, hose travelers and a row-crop sprayer with rubber tracks and a steering wheel.

Business is good and there’s plenty of it to go around.

Trouble is, said Grossen, they need more people to do it.  “We have 20 employees now, and we’re really understaffed by at least five.”

The company plans to hire fabricators, mechanics, welders and hydraulic specialists to complete the work force within the next few months.  “But we really need them now,” he said.

Gary, 41, started the business by himself in the 1970s while Keith, 38, pursued a career as a civil engineer.  Now, Gary runs the day-to-day operations as general manager as brother Keith, the production manager, runs the floor.  A cousin, Dave Grossen, works as the design engineer for the firm.

The company began in 1976 in St. Paul and moved to Donald, Ore., in 1979.  Now in their second location in Donald, the company’s 20,000-square-foot facility is full of work and new ideas.  During slack times in the fabrication or design of large machines and implements, Dave Grossen keeps himself and others in production busy by carving out small, custom-ordered steel designs on a large “burn” machine.

Dave designs the finished product with the use of a computer, sends it to another employee who uses an interface to code the design for the burn machine and the machine cuts the design while other employees stock it and finish the product.

Most of the large machines such as the 3-wheel sprayers, hose travelers and other equipment are built from scratch, said Gary, everything from the cab to the wheels and all the gear in between.

He is proudest of the company’s new design for a nursery-stock tree digger that has a hydrostatic transmission – also their design – and rubber tracks.

One version of the digger also has a shaker mechanism of their own design that knocks the mud and debris off root systems of trees.

Gary said the company has built eight of the diggers and sent some to New York, Canada and California.

He calls it the “HD-7 Hydrostatic Tree Digger.”

At the Northwest Ag Show, G&K Machine will have 60-by 40-foot booth in which they intend to display a three-wheel sprayer and a tractor with a spray boom – also of its own design and manufacture.

They also could include a secondary-containment fuel tank and a toilet trailer for field sanitation in their booth area.

Gary and Keith Grossen never realized that tinkering in their barn 20 years ago would one day lead to a profitable business custom designing and building agricultural equipment.

“We got our start building go-carts and motorbikes,” says Keith.  “Then we started modifying ag machines for area farmers.”

The brothers’ talent for modifying existing machines and designing new ones quickly blossomed into GK Machine.  Today, GK Machine employs 25 people and occupies a 20,000-square-foot facility in Donald, Ore. 

You won’t find anyone wrenching on go-carts here.  Now, advanced AutoCAD design technology is used to engineer agricultural equipment. 

“Building customized equipment is the bread and butter of this operation,” says Keith.  “Farmers come up with the ideas, and we build them.  Saving manpower is our specialty.”

Take GK Machine tree diggers, for example.  These crawling critters can unearth entire rows of dormant trees in minutes.  One GK Machine tree digger does the work of up to 50 nursery workers.

“They dig up trees and shake the dirt from the roots so we can ship to markets out East,” explains Gary.  A 6059D engine powers both the shaker mechanism and the drive tracks on the tree diggers.

Other manpower savers are the TR2 and TR4 Tracker sprayers.  These rubber tracked chemical sprayers feature hydrostatic drive and are typically used in nurseries.  Besides spraying, they can be equipped with a 3-point hitch to cultivate, plant, and fertilize.  A John Deere engine powers the drivetrain and hydraulic pump for the sprayer. 

“We use the John Deere 4045T engine in our TR2 and TR4 sprayers, because we don’t want the walls in the cab to be vibrating,” Keith says.  “We want an engine that purrs like a kitten.” 

How did GK Machine settle on John Deere engines for their power needs?  Because of a good experience with John Deere-powered irrigation travelers. 

“Our first traveler had a John Deere 4039D.  It ran 10,000 hours and was never touched,” relates Keith.  “Plus, a John Deere engine starts easy and runs so smooth.  That 4-cylinder Deere engine is one of the best.” 

GK Machine is still growing, and the brothers plan to add an additional 1,700 square feet to their business soon.  Keith is looking forward to building new and different machines in the future.

“Throw a project to us, and we just eat it up,” boasts Keith.  “It’s a challenge to design something that works.” 

Engines: John Deere 4039D – a 80-hp, 3.9 L, 4-cylinder, naturally aspirated diesel; 4045T – a 120-hp, 5.9 L, 6-cylinder, naturally aspirated diesel.  Distributor: Emerson Power Products, Seattle, Wash., (206) 764-3850.

The GK TR4 Vineyard Tracker is a self-propelled, hydrostatically driven, mutli-purpose, over-the-row crawler tractor with on-the-go track width adjustment from 96 to 136 inches (244 to 345 centimeters).  It also features height adjustment from 76 to 86 inches (193 to 218 centimeters) with auto or manual self-leveling.  Powered by a 125 horsepower turbo diesel engine, it carries 200-gallon (760-liter) stainless saddle tanks and a quick-attach 50-foot air blast spray system.  Front mounted CAT II implement hitches and a 65-horsepower hydraulic power take-off with load sensing allows the TR4 to operate a variety of vineyard implements such as hedgers, pruners and mowers on multiple rows at once.