HARVESTING THE FUTURE
Sowing ideas, harvesting the future: how a spirit of inventiveness and a deeply ingrained culture of innovation brings visionary technologies to fruition – this book tells the compelling story and introduces some of the smart minds behind the ideas through fascinating images and reports. www.delius-klasing.de 9 783667 114648
S. EAE ID TUR G E FU IN TH W TING ES SORV
Through the fusion of mechanical engineering with digitalisation, the company develops ground-breaking technologies today for the agriculture of tomorrow. Ready to take on one of the greatest challenges of our time: feeding an ever-growing global population.
HA
SOWING IDEAS.
Tradition and innovation – the CLAAS family company based in Harsewinkel has managed to successfully reconcile these seemingly contrasting elements for decades. CLAAS has been a driving force in agricultural engineering for more than 100 years.
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DEVELOPMENT CENTRE
Where the future is well within reach CLAAS E-Systems is housed on a five hectare site in Dissen down in the south of Lower Saxony. Since the company's electronics development centre was established in autumn 2017, it has been driving innovation at the interface between mechanical engineering and IT.
T E X T A n d r é B o ß P H O T O S L u k a s K a w a a n d A n d r e a s F e c h n e r
012 — 013
DEVELOPMENT CENTRE
Where the future is well within reach CLAAS E-Systems is housed on a five hectare site in Dissen down in the south of Lower Saxony. Since the company's electronics development centre was established in autumn 2017, it has been driving innovation at the interface between mechanical engineering and IT.
T E X T A n d r é B o ß P H O T O S L u k a s K a w a a n d A n d r e a s F e c h n e r
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I N N O VAT I O N S
Rubber instead of chains
You need tractive power to harvest on difficult terrain. But how can you achieve that without compromising driver comfort or even being prohibited from driving on public roads? The answer lay in TERRA TRAC crawler tracks, which offered power and comfort while protecting the soil and increasing efficiency.
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distributing the weight over a large contact area was the most important benefit for users. It minimised soil compaction and reduced yield losses. And unlike metal tracks, rubber tracks were also suitable for road use. CLAAS worked with Caterpillar initially on developments in this field. Ten years previously, the US company had developed a rubber track system for military deployment capable of transporting a 60-tonne load at up to 80 km/h. This expertise laid the foundations for developing the Challenger 65 crawler tractor. CLAAS and Caterpillar joined forces to develop a mobile track unit for selfpropelled and trailed machines. The jointly developed Mobil Trac System (MTS) was a universal running gear that could be used on many self-propelled work machines. The first combine harvester to be equipped with this system was the COMMANDOR 116 CS, designed exclusively for the US market and very popular with American farmers.
Crawler tracks and metal chains have been used on agricultural machines since the beginning of the 20th century. As farming became increasingly mechanised, N A M E farmers were beset by problems T E R R A T R A C when harvesting on heavy soils in P R O D U C T muddy conditions. In some areas B I N E H A R V E S T E R S tracked machines were the only Y E A R option. CLAAS offered its first 19 8 8 self-propelled combine harvester with steel tracks, but initially these were regarded as a niche product used mainly for rice harvesting. The metal chains were too expensive and too prone to wear to be more widely used. Furthermore, machines equipped with this drive technology were either prohibited from driving on public roads or very awkward to manoeuvre. With tyre manufacturers making major advances and continuously improving the performance of their products, agricultural markets were almost entirely dominated by wheeled vehicles.
The roadworthy full-track crawler, which used reinforced rubber tracks instead of the usual metal chains, could travel at a speed of up to 20 km/h without compromising the customary driver comfort since it was steered in the conventional way using the steering wheel. By the end of 1988, CLAAS and Caterpillar had introduced the name TERRA TRAC for the new profiled tracks. The US market responded even more enthusiastically to this innovative track technology when the Iowa State University published the results of a three-year study. This clearly showed that crawler tracks made a significant contribution to soil protection and thus ultimately led to improved profitability for the farmer.
But this was to change as another trend began to emerge. Agricultural machinery was getting bigger and heavier due to the introduction of new technology. Attention increasingly turned to the subject of ground pressure and soil compaction. At the same time, significant developments in rubber track technology were driving the transition from metal chains to rubber tracks and opening up a whole new range of potential applications. The reduction in ground pressure achieved by
Preliminary road and field trials in 1994 with a CLAAS MEGA 218 combine harvester had already shown that the half-track system offered significant benefits compared with the fulltrack version: narrow transport widths which would comply with European road traffic regulations, very smooth running characteristics and good pitch stability. In particular, approval for use on public roads was key to a successful European market launch.
Now it was time to capture the European market. Up until then, the new crawler systems had been designed as full tracks – but this fell foul of European traffic regulations, which specified a maximum width for vehicles on public roads. Furthermore, the electric steering systems used for the full-track crawlers were not approved for road use in European countries. To overcome this problem, the CLAAS developers began to explore a half-track crawler design.
104 — 105
I N N O VAT I O N S
Rubber instead of chains
You need tractive power to harvest on difficult terrain. But how can you achieve that without compromising driver comfort or even being prohibited from driving on public roads? The answer lay in TERRA TRAC crawler tracks, which offered power and comfort while protecting the soil and increasing efficiency.
#16
C O M
SCAN + WATCH
distributing the weight over a large contact area was the most important benefit for users. It minimised soil compaction and reduced yield losses. And unlike metal tracks, rubber tracks were also suitable for road use. CLAAS worked with Caterpillar initially on developments in this field. Ten years previously, the US company had developed a rubber track system for military deployment capable of transporting a 60-tonne load at up to 80 km/h. This expertise laid the foundations for developing the Challenger 65 crawler tractor. CLAAS and Caterpillar joined forces to develop a mobile track unit for selfpropelled and trailed machines. The jointly developed Mobil Trac System (MTS) was a universal running gear that could be used on many self-propelled work machines. The first combine harvester to be equipped with this system was the COMMANDOR 116 CS, designed exclusively for the US market and very popular with American farmers.
Crawler tracks and metal chains have been used on agricultural machines since the beginning of the 20th century. As farming became increasingly mechanised, N A M E farmers were beset by problems T E R R A T R A C when harvesting on heavy soils in P R O D U C T muddy conditions. In some areas B I N E H A R V E S T E R S tracked machines were the only Y E A R option. CLAAS offered its first 19 8 8 self-propelled combine harvester with steel tracks, but initially these were regarded as a niche product used mainly for rice harvesting. The metal chains were too expensive and too prone to wear to be more widely used. Furthermore, machines equipped with this drive technology were either prohibited from driving on public roads or very awkward to manoeuvre. With tyre manufacturers making major advances and continuously improving the performance of their products, agricultural markets were almost entirely dominated by wheeled vehicles.
The roadworthy full-track crawler, which used reinforced rubber tracks instead of the usual metal chains, could travel at a speed of up to 20 km/h without compromising the customary driver comfort since it was steered in the conventional way using the steering wheel. By the end of 1988, CLAAS and Caterpillar had introduced the name TERRA TRAC for the new profiled tracks. The US market responded even more enthusiastically to this innovative track technology when the Iowa State University published the results of a three-year study. This clearly showed that crawler tracks made a significant contribution to soil protection and thus ultimately led to improved profitability for the farmer.
But this was to change as another trend began to emerge. Agricultural machinery was getting bigger and heavier due to the introduction of new technology. Attention increasingly turned to the subject of ground pressure and soil compaction. At the same time, significant developments in rubber track technology were driving the transition from metal chains to rubber tracks and opening up a whole new range of potential applications. The reduction in ground pressure achieved by
Preliminary road and field trials in 1994 with a CLAAS MEGA 218 combine harvester had already shown that the half-track system offered significant benefits compared with the fulltrack version: narrow transport widths which would comply with European road traffic regulations, very smooth running characteristics and good pitch stability. In particular, approval for use on public roads was key to a successful European market launch.
Now it was time to capture the European market. Up until then, the new crawler systems had been designed as full tracks – but this fell foul of European traffic regulations, which specified a maximum width for vehicles on public roads. Furthermore, the electric steering systems used for the full-track crawlers were not approved for road use in European countries. To overcome this problem, the CLAAS developers began to explore a half-track crawler design.
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I N N O VAT I O N S
Crop flow Unbeatable efficiency The success of the JAGUAR forage harvester is underpinned by a conveyor system patented in 1980 designed to improve crop flow. By hugely reducing the amount of energy required and increasing the efficiency of the crop flow system, this new technology proved a game changer in forage harvester design.
The crop flows in a straight line through the machine without slowing down.
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In self-propelled forage harvesters the crop is drawn into the machine from the front attachment, pre-compressed and then conveyed through the first of two N A M E openings into a rapidly rotatC R O P F L O W ing knife drum. Here the crop is P R O D U C T chopped into small pieces and A G E H A R V E S T E R S then discharged at high speed Y E A R through the second opening into 19 8 3 the discharge chute and from there into the forage trailer via the discharge spout. This simple operating principle was adequate for small machines because the distance from the discharge spout to the forage trailer was relatively short. But the bigger forage harvesters became, the more exacting the discharge performance had to be. One option to improve performance was to install a blower between the knife drum and the discharge chute. But this approach wasted a great deal of energy. The blower consumed a significant proportion of the engine output in reliably conveying the chopped material to the transport trailer due to friction and other inhibiting effects. The quest for greater efficiency has always inspired CLAAS developers to come up with new ideas, and here it was no different. They abandoned the power-hungry blower that was commonly used as a means of conveying the chopped material to the trailer. And came up with an exceptionally energy efficient alternative –
the crop accelerator: a paddle wheel mounted in the discharge chute with four hardwearing paddles. As a result, the energy required to discharge the crop remained low even with high throughputs. Instead of having to negotiate awkward angles as with conventional systems, with this design the crop flowed through the machine in a straight line with increasing momentum. This brought about a significant improvement in performance compared with blower-type machines of equal power as well as substantially reducing energy consumption for comparable performance. The innovative process set new standards in forage harvesting technology when it was introduced in the JAGUAR 600 series in 1983.
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I N N O VAT I O N S
Crop flow Unbeatable efficiency The success of the JAGUAR forage harvester is underpinned by a conveyor system patented in 1980 designed to improve crop flow. By hugely reducing the amount of energy required and increasing the efficiency of the crop flow system, this new technology proved a game changer in forage harvester design.
The crop flows in a straight line through the machine without slowing down.
#17
F O R
SCAN + WATCH
In self-propelled forage harvesters the crop is drawn into the machine from the front attachment, pre-compressed and then conveyed through the first of two N A M E openings into a rapidly rotatC R O P F L O W ing knife drum. Here the crop is P R O D U C T chopped into small pieces and A G E H A R V E S T E R S then discharged at high speed Y E A R through the second opening into 19 8 3 the discharge chute and from there into the forage trailer via the discharge spout. This simple operating principle was adequate for small machines because the distance from the discharge spout to the forage trailer was relatively short. But the bigger forage harvesters became, the more exacting the discharge performance had to be. One option to improve performance was to install a blower between the knife drum and the discharge chute. But this approach wasted a great deal of energy. The blower consumed a significant proportion of the engine output in reliably conveying the chopped material to the transport trailer due to friction and other inhibiting effects. The quest for greater efficiency has always inspired CLAAS developers to come up with new ideas, and here it was no different. They abandoned the power-hungry blower that was commonly used as a means of conveying the chopped material to the trailer. And came up with an exceptionally energy efficient alternative –
the crop accelerator: a paddle wheel mounted in the discharge chute with four hardwearing paddles. As a result, the energy required to discharge the crop remained low even with high throughputs. Instead of having to negotiate awkward angles as with conventional systems, with this design the crop flowed through the machine in a straight line with increasing momentum. This brought about a significant improvement in performance compared with blower-type machines of equal power as well as substantially reducing energy consumption for comparable performance. The innovative process set new standards in forage harvesting technology when it was introduced in the JAGUAR 600 series in 1983.
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I N N O VAT I O N S
ORBIS Ingeniously folds away The row-independent ORBIS maize header paired with the JAGUAR make the perfect team. In addition to the operational reliability of the technology, the ORBIS offers customers convenience throughout the working day: it takes just 15 seconds to switch to transport mode for fast, safe road journeys.
The ORBIS folds to a width of 3.0 meters for road journeys and thanks to the integrated transport system, the driver can travel safely on the road in full compliance with road traffic regulations.
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Contractors are always looking for machines which satisfy not only their customers' high quality standards, but their own demands for speed and efficiency N A M E as well. The ORBIS meets these O R B I S criteria: the front attachment for P R O D U C T forage harvesters that is mainly AG E H A R V E S T E R S used for maize was introduced Y E A R by CLAAS over ten years ago. In 2 0 18 2018 the developers unveiled a completely re-engineered generation. As well as a host of minor improvements, the ORBIS now features a newly designed folding mechanism. Now available in four versions with working widths ranging from 4.50 to 7.50 m, the maize header can now be folded quickly and completely symmetrically, making it possible to drive the forage harvester on public roads with ease. The front attachment is designed mainly for use in maize but can also be used to harvest other crops such as miscanthus or sorghum. The largest version weighs an eye-popping 3400 kg. This weight indicates just how robustly engineered the harvest attachment is – from the frame to the contoured, press-hardened construction of the T-panels. This greatly reduces the cutting angle in relation to the ground to ensure shorter and more uniform stubble heights. In view of its weight, it's impressive how quickly the ORBIS maize header can switch from working to transport mode: the mechanical and hydraulic systems require just 15 seconds to
fold a 7.5-metre working width to a roadworthy width of just 3.0 metres. Watching the folding process from the front, you get the impression that you're looking at a bird elegantly folding its wings as it lands on the ground. With the maize header in transport mode, the driver can work just as comfortably on the road as in the field. The new ORBIS enables fast, safe on-road travel at up to 40 km an hour, and with the maize header folded away, the driver has very good visibility. The enhanced comfort and convenience of the JAGUAR/ORBIS combination ultimately reduces transfer times between fields, giving the contractor more time to focus on the harvesting process. CLAAS ORBIS maize headers are designed and produced at the Bad Saulgau production plant, which specialises in forage harvesting machines. In one of the largest grassland areas in Europe, some 500 experts develop, test and produce mowers, tedders, swathers and forage trailers. Bad Saulgau also produces all the front attachments and crop flow components for the JAGUAR.
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I N N O VAT I O N S
ORBIS Ingeniously folds away The row-independent ORBIS maize header paired with the JAGUAR make the perfect team. In addition to the operational reliability of the technology, the ORBIS offers customers convenience throughout the working day: it takes just 15 seconds to switch to transport mode for fast, safe road journeys.
The ORBIS folds to a width of 3.0 meters for road journeys and thanks to the integrated transport system, the driver can travel safely on the road in full compliance with road traffic regulations.
#19
F O R
SCAN + WATCH
Contractors are always looking for machines which satisfy not only their customers' high quality standards, but their own demands for speed and efficiency N A M E as well. The ORBIS meets these O R B I S criteria: the front attachment for P R O D U C T forage harvesters that is mainly AG E H A R V E S T E R S used for maize was introduced Y E A R by CLAAS over ten years ago. In 2 0 18 2018 the developers unveiled a completely re-engineered generation. As well as a host of minor improvements, the ORBIS now features a newly designed folding mechanism. Now available in four versions with working widths ranging from 4.50 to 7.50 m, the maize header can now be folded quickly and completely symmetrically, making it possible to drive the forage harvester on public roads with ease. The front attachment is designed mainly for use in maize but can also be used to harvest other crops such as miscanthus or sorghum. The largest version weighs an eye-popping 3400 kg. This weight indicates just how robustly engineered the harvest attachment is – from the frame to the contoured, press-hardened construction of the T-panels. This greatly reduces the cutting angle in relation to the ground to ensure shorter and more uniform stubble heights. In view of its weight, it's impressive how quickly the ORBIS maize header can switch from working to transport mode: the mechanical and hydraulic systems require just 15 seconds to
fold a 7.5-metre working width to a roadworthy width of just 3.0 metres. Watching the folding process from the front, you get the impression that you're looking at a bird elegantly folding its wings as it lands on the ground. With the maize header in transport mode, the driver can work just as comfortably on the road as in the field. The new ORBIS enables fast, safe on-road travel at up to 40 km an hour, and with the maize header folded away, the driver has very good visibility. The enhanced comfort and convenience of the JAGUAR/ORBIS combination ultimately reduces transfer times between fields, giving the contractor more time to focus on the harvesting process. CLAAS ORBIS maize headers are designed and produced at the Bad Saulgau production plant, which specialises in forage harvesting machines. In one of the largest grassland areas in Europe, some 500 experts develop, test and produce mowers, tedders, swathers and forage trailers. Bad Saulgau also produces all the front attachments and crop flow components for the JAGUAR.