HARVESTER REVIEWS
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command & control Chris McCullough flew to Germany for the global launch of Case IH’s Axial Flow 250 series combines in 2018
A new hydrostatic transmission, featuring a field and a road mode and on-the-move two-speed range control, provides increased traction.
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ase IH’s Axial-Flow 250 combine harvester series, the 7250, 8250 and 9250, boasts automated features designed to help improve the performance of even an experienced operator, the company says. The AFS Harvest Command automation technology uses 16 sensor inputs to continuously monitor the machine, with seven adjustable settings to maximise combine performance in harvesting wheat, canola, maize and soybeans. There are a number of options on the in-cab AFS Pro700 terminal to suit the level of experience of the operator, the crop condition and type, as well as the harvesting conditions. The basic version of AFS Harvest Command features the proven Automatic Crop Settings (ACS) system. This adjusts operating items such as fan speed and concave clearance according to the crop type, eliminating the need to make individual element settings. The operator is able to adjust the combine on the go and save the settings for future use. The next version, with Feedrate Control, adjusts ground speed based on crop load to cater for a desired outcome, performance to control losses, maximum throughput, or fixed throughput. The top specification option is full AFS Harvest Command automation, which automatically makes threshing and cleaning system adjustments based on the same desired outcomes as Feedrate Control, with the addition of grain quality monitoring. This uses camera-based technology and sieve pressure sensing to provide further guidance to the machine’s automatic adjustment process, helping minimise impurities in the grain sample. Case IH harvesting product marketing manager for Europe, Middle East and Africa August von Eckardstein says the AFS Harvest Command automation grain camera uses a patented multi-spectral light emission to monitor sample quality “Combining the five light spectrums provides enhanced detection of the exposed starch in broken grains. The AFS terminal alerts the operator if dirt affects camera clarity,” he says. With full automation, AFS Harvest Command can be used in four different ways. In all cases, the operator sets crop type, a maximum target engine load and maximum ground speed for the combine to then operate in:
• Performance mode: the combine operates at a speed to ensure an acceptable level of grain loss from the rotor and cleaning system • Fixed throughput mode: the combine maintains a target throughput by varying its speed, and adjusts settings to minimise losses • Maximum throughput mode: the combine operates up to the speed or power limit set by the operator, while adjusting settings to minimise grain loss from the rotor and the cleaning system • Grain quality mode: the combine adjusts settings to maintain a targeted grain quality and impurity level, while also minimising losses “AFS Harvest Command automation is not designed to replace operator decisions, but to enhance them, identifying the factor limiting combine performance as conditions change, displaying it and making adjustments to address it,” von Eckardstein says. “AFS Harvest Command means less need to worry about factors such as losses, fan speed and rotor speed, which allows greater focus on header position and unloading.”
ROTOR CAGE AND SIEVE UPGRADES All units in the Axial-Flow 250 series are fitted with rotor cage vanes that adjust themselves when AFS Harvest Command automation is engaged, or can be controlled in-cab from a righthand console switch. By changing the pitch of the vanes, the crop will move faster or slower through the rotor cage, tuning threshing and separation performance to crop conditions for improved efficiency. Together with upper and lower sieve control, the full AFS Harvest Command automation package can also adjust all sieve settings according to feedback from the loss sensors, grain camera and sieve pressure sensors. Unique sieve pressure sensors provide AFS Harvest Command automation with sieve loading data, allowing the system adjust fan and sieve settings to prevent grain loss when exiting or entering the crop at the headland or stopping the combine in the field. Working together with the auto fan option, this also helps prevent losses before they occur by detecting sieve load and combine inclination. The fan and sieves work in conjunction
Looking for a harvester? Search for ‘harvester’ on TradeFarmMachinery.com.au or type the TA or DIY code shown here into the keyword search field
60 TradeFarmMachinery.com.au
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27/8/20 12:50 pm
