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Claas has released the world’s first corn picker with an integrated stubble buster for one-pass harvesting and mulching.
German manufacturer Claas has released the world’s first corn picker with an integrated stubble buster for one-pass harvesting and mulching.
The Stubble Cracker was developed for the Claas Corio four, five, six and eight-row corn pickers. It features one rotating plate per row, each equipped with two specially developed mallets with a special coating, which crush and splice any stubble below the first internode.
The unit is attached to the frame of the harvester via a threepoint linkage. This allows three-dimensional ground tracking, via a skid plate that ensures a constant distance between the flails and the ground in all operating conditions. This also helps optimise performance and reduce wear.
Designed to be operated at a speed of 1,200 rpm, the mechanically driven rotors are monitored by the harvester’s CEBIS system, which send the operator a message if rotor speeds decrease. Twin hydraulic rams lift the rotors if there is a risk of overload, or they encounter obstacles. Meanwhile, a ratchet-style overload system protects the rotor drive line.
In addition, the cracker unit is raised automatically when reversing or raising the picker.
The Stubble Cracker system for the eightrow CORIO 875 FC adds around 400kg to the overall weight and is said to require around 32 extra horsepower.
While this means a little extra fuel consumption of 2 litres/ ha, the system eliminates follow up passes with a mulcher, knife rollers or supplementary tillage.
Independent studies have demonstrated fuel savings of 30% and a 50% reduction in labour requirements, when compared to performing an additional or secondary mulching operation. From an agronomy point of view, Claas Harvest Centre product manager – Lexion, Luke Wheeler, says the new unit allows faster decomposition of corn stubble and helps to break the lifecycle of fungal diseases and insect pests.
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With the biannual Italian EIMA machinery Expo less than a month away, Case IH has taken out a Technical Evolution award for the Advanced Vehicle Suspension system available on its Optum 360–440 series tractors.
The Advanced Vehicle Suspension system, available on Optum 360, 390, and 440 models, responds to changing conditions, automatically adjusting how the suspension reacts to absorbs shocks and controlling vehicle movement.
In operation, sensors monitor the vibrations transmitted from the tractor chassis to the operator cabin, allowing the system to adjust suspension damping in real time. The control system incorporates key priorities, such as comfort at lower speeds and stability as speed increases, while also reacting to factors such as lower tyre pressures, where the tyres absorb more of the initial shock.
Case IH said as suspension requirements change throughout the working day, as tractors move between the paddock and road transport, the system manages suspension response in the background as tasks, speeds and conditions change, leaving the operator without the need to make manual adjustments.
Richard Hollins, Optum series tractors global product manager, said: “Pioneering technology must earn its place in the working day. Farmers and contractors will judge an investment by what it delivers, including manageable ownership costs, dependable up-time and the versatility to tackle different jobs. With AVS, we are putting intelligent control to work for comfort and stability, without giving the operator another setting to manage.”
Organised by FederUnacoma, the Italian Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers Federation, the contest has been part of EIMA since 1986, with the Technical Evolution distinction awarded to products that introduce original improvements to solutions already manufactured or patented.
www.caseih.com
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