Tractor, harvester IT comes of age
Over the last halfdecade, digital technology has appeared to be the “must-have” for tractor and machinery companies, who believe that bringing IT to tractors and farming will offer its customers huge benefits.
Since its launch in 1996, following a decade of development, Lexion combine harvesters from Claas have set the benchmark for high capacity cereal production.
Back then Claas, in the 400 series -- in particular the top of the range 480 – mounted its APS pre-separation system ahead of a 600mm diameter threshing drum and introduced the Roto-Plus forced separation system, which differed from a conventional straw walker layout in using rotors inside threshing grates; this led to the arrival of a new harvesting category called APS-Hybrid.
The roomy, quiet and comfortable Vista cabin had an on-board setting and monitoring system called Cebis, and the Laser Pilot, which made a breeze of steering at night or in dusty conditions.
The Lexion has been popular, hitting a 10,000 milestone in just six years; the Lexion 480 had 415hp on tap and could harvest 40 tonnes an hour all day long.
In 2003 came the 500 series with more harvesting capacity and refined technical systems, and by 2005 the 600 series had arrived, pushing output to 70 tonnes per hour.
Of course customers wanted more, so in 2010 the 700 series appeared, able to carry headers up to 12.3m wide, travel at 40km/h on the road where local regulations allowed and equipped with high end software to document and record the harvesting process.
The latest Lexion 780, launched in 2013, sets the benchmark for harvesting performance, its grain tank holding 13,500L. It sports the Cemos automatic driver assistance system, by which the driver sets defaults for engine load, grain losses and returns loading, then the machine calculates and adjusts for maximum output within the set parameters.
The latest machines can also be specified with 4D cleaning systems for working on hillsides, and an automatic crop flow system. These and the original concepts gained the machine the coveted Machine of The Year 2016 at the giant Agritechnica show.
For readers who revel in numbers, the Harsewinkel factory recently produced the 50,000th Lexion; it has 50,000 individual parts and carries 4km of electrical wiring and 215m of hydraulic hose.
The world's largest wool scouring facility, WoolWorks Awatoto plant in Napier, is back operating at full capacity.
A year on and the problems created by Cyclones Hale and Gabrielle has largely dropped off the radar of media and politicians.
Feeling forgotten and in a fragile space financially and mentally.
The European Union Ambassador says the new free trade agreement (FTA) between the bloc and New Zealand will bring significant benefits to both parties.
Less Wellington bureucracy and more local, on-farm common sense was the focus of recent meetings held in South Canterbury as part of the Government's National Woolshed tour program.
'A lot of interest and positive responses' appears to be the way farmers are viewing the Government's initiative to hold a series of woolshed meetings around the country.