THE main reason for buying bigger machinery generally relates to increased cropping programs.
Importantly it also is about achieving maximum productivity in available windows of opportunity.
So a sprayer with a wider boom, for example, will give you more coverage in the spraying hours, regarded as optimum to achieve the desired weed kill.
Similarly, a bigger header and subsequent wider front, can harvest more area in the generally small windows of opportunity that present ideal harvesting conditions.
Having a big header is ideal when rain is forecast and you want to get the crop off fast while you can.
It was these factors that prompted Kulin farmers Adrian Tyson and his son Beau to bid farewell to their New Holland TR99 header and step up to a new CR7090.
While the TR99 had notched up 3000 hours, it was still in excellent condition when traded to New Holland dealer Farmpower Kulin.
But the salient point was a family decision to up the cropping program by 1000 hectares, triggering the need for a bigger header.
For Beau, the designated driver, the obvious differences in technology changes between the TR and CR models were impressive.
"Productivity was the focus to give us the ability to get the harvest done quicker to either miss inclement weather or to make up lost time from weather delays," he said.
"We increased the width of the front by four feet to 40 feet (12.2m) and we were able to achieve an operating speed of 18km/h in the lighter 2t/ha crops and 16km/h in 2.5t/ha barley crops.
"The improvement in capacity was evident as we were filling the bin every nine or 10 minutes and completing about 150 hectares a day compared with the TR99 which would do about 100 hectares a day.
"And with the TR there would be a certain amount of stop-start harvesting canola.
"With the CR we got perfect feed and no hassles, even operating at 10km/h."
The other pleasing aspect was fuel savings.
"We used about 11,000 litres of fuel for the 3200ha program which worked out less than four litres a hectare," Beau said.
The Tysons opted for the factory-fit IntelliSteer guidance system and IntelliView IV screen which also got a tick of approval from Beau.
"There's a lot more to see which gives you more information to make adjustments on-the-go to get the best threshing done and the cabin is more comfortable.
"I'm definitely less fatigued after a shift."
New Holland considers it has raised the bar with the new four model CR range.
The company continues to emphasise the advantages of its Twin Rotors, citing cutting edge development stemming from the company's Centre of Harvesting Excellence at Zedelgem in Belgium, which traces its self-propelled harvesting bloodline back more than 60 years.
"Almost 40,000 Twin Rotor combines have already been produced, with the latest models representing the ninth generation of CR combines.
The CR is available in both narrow and wide frame versions.
The 43cm (17in) rotors are fitted to the narrow frame CR6090 and CR7090 models, and the heavy duty, high capacity 55cm (22in) rotors are fitted to the wide-frame CR8090 and CR9090 models.
The 43cm rotors have two intake flights, whereas the 55cm variant offers three intake flights.
Both options feature a dedicated separation and threshing area, enhanced with the inclusion of adjustable rotor cover vanes.
Adjusting the vanes can change the number of revolutions the crop material rotates around the rotors. This is especially beneficial in hard-to-thresh cereal crops.
The CR range's rotors can be precision adjusted to cope with changing conditions and additional rasp bars and agitation pins can be configured to ensure the ideal threshing and separation processes to match different crops.
The IntelliView IV touch screen features increased screen size and is fully compatible with auto guidance IntelliSteer, which can be programmed and managed via the screen.
The grain handling system on the CR range has been further upgraded to match the increased capacity and throughput of the range.
The unloading spout has been completely redesigned, and directs the crop in a forward and outward direction for better distribution and a longer unloading distance, which means taller, higher capacity trailers and chaser bins can be used.
Unloading speed has also increased by 15 per cent which means the largest 12,500 litre grain tank can still be emptied in around 100 seconds.
Optional foldable grain tank lids are now available on the wide-framed CR8090 and CR9090 models to increase capacity from the standard 12,333 to 12,500 litres.
The ECOBlue Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) engine system features a 120 litre AdBlue tank which only needs to be filled with every second or third diesel re-fill.
It is located next to the pre-existing diesel tank and operators are kept continually informed of AdBlue levels via the IntelliView IV display.
Maximum harvesting power of 420kW (571hp) is achieved with the CR9090, which is fitted with a Cursor 13L engine. The CR6090 and CR7090 boast the Cursor 9 while the CR8090 uses the Cursor 10 engine.
New Holland says fuel consumption has been significantly reduced by up to 10 per cent courtesy of the ECOBlue SCR technology, with reduced engine speed of 1600rpm during road transport up to 30km/h.
Currently fronts are available up to 13.6 metres (45ft) but wider models are in the offing.
According to Beau, the Cursor engines are a significant improvement on past engines.
You can idle at 600rpm whereas most headers are about 1300rpm," he said.
At average operating speed of 16km/h, rev sit at 2100rpm.
The engine bay also impressed Beau with its clean design lines with less clutter that can build up trash and increase the fire risk on hot days.
"Overall it's a more stable combine than the TR and even with a 40 foot front we don't need dual front tyres."