De Pietri, a company specializing in the production of equipment for the horticultural sector, has recently updated its “FR80” harvester by introducing new technical solutions and re-engining it with a Yanmar power unit
Founded in 1920, the Emilia-based company De Pietri has been operating for four generations in the field of self-propelled equipment for horticulture, a segment it now serves worldwide. The core of its production is self-propelled harvesters, a product line that includes more than twenty different models, all customizable to meet customer requirements and continuously updated in their specifications to ensure maximum efficiency at all times. This production strategy also encompasses the recent upgrade of the “FR80” leafy-vegetable harvester, a machine running on steel tracks and capable of operating over working widths ranging from 140 to 200 centimeters.
The machine has in fact been revised both at the level of the cutting bar—redesigned based on experience gained in the field of large industrial harvesters—and in its propulsion system. The 2026 version of the “FR80” now features a latest-generation Yanmar “4TNV98CT” engine, a four-cylinder unit with a displacement of 3.3 liters, delivering 73 horsepower at 2,500 rpm and 280 Nm of torque at 1,625 rpm.
“In the past we used a different engine to power our FR80,” explains Davide Crescini, De Pietri’s export sales manager, “but we were already equipping our smaller harvesters with three-cylinder Yanmar units. The positive feedback we received in terms of reliability and fuel consumption prompted us to evaluate the use of Japanese engines on our larger, more complex machines as well.
After carrying out the necessary bench and field tests and confirming the excellent efficiency of these power units, we decided not only to re-engine the FR80 but to move toward a gradual replacement of our current engines with units from the same brand. What convinced us was the ease of installation of the engines, despite their Stage V certification—meaning they are equipped not only with EGR systems but also with DOC and DPF filters—as well as their power curves, which are perfectly aligned with the absorption and operating curves characteristic of our Danfoss hydrostatic transmissions.
By switching to Yanmar, in practical terms we have achieved a more dynamic and responsive powertrain, economical in terms of fuel consumption and capable of sustaining heavy, prolonged use without the abnormal overheating that competitors often have to address through the use of specific radiators or intercoolers.”
Title: Yanmar, efficiency-focused upgrade
Translation with ChatGPT
