The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
More power and hi-tech for combines unveiled
Engine upgrade that meets latest emissions regulations for next year’s harvesting
The Scottish harvest has been on hold in recent days, but manufacturers have already unveiled their new and updated combines ready for next year’s gathering of grain and oilseeds.
The smaller models in the Case IH Axial-Flow range manufactured from February next year become the 150 Series to reflect an engine upgrade that meets latest emissions regulations and delivers more power for the top model.
Power at rated speed from the 8.7-litre FPT Industrial six-cylinder engine is increased from 402hp to 413hp, while full power output climbs from the current 442hp to 453hp.
New LED lighting for all Axial-Flow combines should help illuminate the harvesting process at night more effectively, while a new crop lifter design is being introduced to tackle laid crops.
A wave-formed skid said to suffer less wear is part of the higher-lifting design, which aims to get severely laid crops off the ground and presented to the cutterbar in a way that lowers losses.
Growers operating a controlled traffic system (CTF) to minimise tractor wheelings from all operations leading up to harvest are being catered for with a new 8.50m wide cutting table.
It replaces the 7.62m size in the Series 3050 Varicut range, which have 570mm of hydraulic fore-aft knife position adjustment to set up the table for different crops.
Going to 8.50m ensures that a consistent 8.0m cut can be taken in an 8m/24m CTF system.
This becomes the recommended table for the 7150 X-Flow combine, which is the most powerful of the three in the series featuring a 762mm diameter threshing and separation rotor.
Slope compensation up to 12 degrees is provided by the X-Flow automatic variable lateral movement of the sieves, which are fed by a sixauger grain pan.
John Deere has also worked on cutting table improvements, introducing a new pick-up reel for swathed crops and an improved header with adjustable knife position for the W and T series straw walker and S700 rotor threshing and separation harvesters.
The 700X table still has 800mm of fore and aft adjustment that can push the knife 1200mm ahead of the auger as on the current 600X design.
But a lower profile is said to result in a smoother transition of crop from the knife to the auger, especially in short crops such as spring barley.
Thicker skid plates last longer before needing to be replaced, says John Deere, and moving the slip clutch on to the auger is claimed to reduce wear.