Building on its legacy of high-capacity, high-efficiency combines, Case IH is expanding its combine lineup with new 50 series Axial-Flow® combines, which includes new Axial-Flow 250 series combines equipped with optional AFS Harvest Command™ combine automation system. Designed to optimize grain quality and grain savings, the 250 series combines feature 2-speed electric shift ground drive, adjustable rotor cage vanes and an improved feeder house design. Plus, AFS Harvest Command automation simplifies harvesting by sensing and optimizing machine settings — regardless of operator skill level.
“We’re excited to roll out the next generation of high-efficiency harvesting with the Axial-Flow 250 series combines,” said Ryan Blasiak, Case IH harvesting marketing manager. “The new series, coupled with the new innovative combine automation system, will help producers simply harvest more of what they grow.”
Automatically optimizes settings
Achieving optimal combine performance requires perfectly balancing ever-changing ground speeds with numerous settings and adjustments throughout a long day of harvesting. Until now, that meant carefully monitoring and tweaking those settings for varying crop conditions and terrain across the field throughout the day. New from Case IH Advanced Farming Systems (AFS), AFS Harvest Command combine automation system — available only on the new 250 series Axial-Flow combines — utilizes 16 sensors to automatically adjust seven combine settings. It reduces the need for operator monitoring and adjustment from 12 down to just three, depending on the level of automation selected.
“AFS Harvest Command automation offers producers the advantage of automatically adjusting itself based on feedback from sensors to target the maximum ground speed and engine load set by the combine operator,” Blasiak said. “This is the distinguishing factor between AFS Harvest Command automation and competitive units. No extra time or margin for operator error is required to establish a baseline, maximizing quality and throughput.”
Initially available for corn, soybeans, wheat and canola crops, AFS Harvest Command automation proactively adjusts the combine as crop conditions change, based on patent-pending technology. It’s simple. Operators just choose the mode of automation to match their harvesting goals. From there, AFS Harvest Command automation takes over.
Each automation mode prioritizes different harvesting outcomes selected by the operator — from grain quality to grain savings to throughput — and continually optimizes machine performance based on the limits set by the operator. The four modes of automation include:
- Performance — Maximize grain savings and grain quality while optimizing throughput.
- Grain Quality — Maximize grain quality while also saving grain and optimizing throughput.
- Fixed Throughput — Operator can fix the machine throughput and the machine will adjust to save grain and maintain a quality sample.
- Maximum Throughput — Operator can maximize the throughput while automation adjusts combine settings to save grain.
“Labor is important. Whether you’ve ran a combine for 50 years or 50 minutes, this machine is super user-friendly,” said Case IH customer Mark Bartlett, who operated an Axial-Flow 8250 combine with 3162 draper head. “The fact that you can grab someone off the street and get the same results as someone who has run one forever is extremely appealing to us.” Bartlett is from Colby, Kansas, and farms 5,000 acres of mixed crops, including corn, wheat and milo.
Source : Case IH