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Farm machinery manufacturer Claas's first patents have turned 100.
While Claas has registered more than 3,000 patents during its 108-year history, the company is currently celebrating the 100th anniversary of filing its first patent.
That first patent covered the knotting device for the Claas binder. This was the company’s first product after the formation of the company in 1913 by August Claas.
Patented in 1921, the Claas knotter has remained virtually unchanged over the last century – in either single or double knotting versions.
In 1923, a new patent number, 414212, saw the development of a knotter billhook with a floating upper jaw – easily recognised by those with an interest in agricultural mechanisation as it was the Claas company logo for many decades.
In 1934, the arrival of the first Claas pick-up baler revolutionised the European hay and straw industry. It brought haymaking into a single mechanised process, thus reducing labour and significantly increasing output.
The knotter then went on to appear in the HD pick-up baler of 1953, the Markant conventional baler in 1967 and the Quadrant big square balers launched in 1988.
Over the last century, Claas has always produced its knotters inhouse, with estimates suggesting that over one million units have been made since 1921. The company is reminding potential purchasers of the reliability delivered by the looped knots simplicity and the added bonus of the absence of any twine waste.
More recently in 2015, the knotter billhook and twine retaining plate was “beefed up” to handle the thicker, stronger twines required by modern high density balers.
Meanwhile, at the same time, the company introduced Automatic Pressure Control (APC), using sensors to continually monitor twine tension and compaction pressure in the bale chamber to avoid twine breakages during high-density operations.
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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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