Case IH reps talk high-efficiency harvest
By Leslie Stewart | Farms.com
Customer testimonials have been coming in for Case IH’s AFS Harvest Command combine automation system.
The reviews are positive – and automation is a very good thing.
“Producers love how intuitive and impactful the new technology has been,” reported Ryan Blasiak recently at the National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville, Ky.
Blasiak is harvesting marketing manager with Case IH, and he told Farms.com that “producers are finding the AFS Harvest Command automation allows them to utilize the machine’s capability to the fullest.”
Available with the Axial-Flow 250 Series combine, this technology adjusts the combine based on harvest conditions, with the operator choosing from four different levels of automation.
Once automation level is selected, Harvest Command’s 16 sensors constantly monitor the machine and adjust seven different settings for optimum combine performance.
With less-experienced operators able to achieve the productivity of expert, it’s easy to see why the technology had the Case IH lot buzzing at the Louisville farm show.
“AFS Harvest Command is a game-changer,” said Ryan Kucera, of Kucera Group in Ontario.
Kucera explained to Farms.com that “operators at any experience level can get into the seat and know that they are getting optimal performance from that machine -- and that it will continue to adjust itself to maintain that optimal performance as conditions change throughout the day.”
Each automation mode prioritizes different harvesting outcomes — from grain quality to grain savings to throughput.
Producers choose the mode of automation to match their harvesting goals. They then set the crop type, maximum operating speed and power limits and AFS Harvest Command takes over from there.
Producers can use the AFS Harvest Command™ in four different ways:
- Performance mode: the combine’s speed ensures an acceptable level of grain loss from the rotor and cleaning system.
- Fixed Throughput mode: the combine maintains a target throughput through speed variation and adjusts to minimize losses.
- Maximum Throughput mode: the combine operates up to the speed or power limit set by the operator, while adjusting to minimize grain loss from the rotor and cleaning systems.
- Grain quality mode: the combine adjusts settings to maintain a targeted grain quality and impurity level, while also minimizing losses.