IT’S an ideal header for harvesting. So why not call it IDEAL?
Which is precisely what AGCO did with its latest combine harvester, which debuted in WA at Mingenew last week.
Available in a three model range (7, 8 and 9), power ratings from AGCO Power and MAN engines range from 366 kilowatts (490 horsepower) to 483kW (647hp), linked to a step-less transmission.
There is a choice of tracks or tyres.
According to independent consultant Ben Slater, who set up and drove the newly-arrived header for AGCO dealer AgWest Machinery, Geraldton, it is an impressive machine.
“It’s a twin rotor machine but it has no conventional drum, so all the threshing is done by the rotors,” Mr Slater said.
“I drove the 8T model (410kW, 550hp), which is a class eight with AGCO suspension tracks.
“It was fitted with a MacDon 40 foot (12.2 metre) draper front and in canola going more than two tonnes, it didn’t miss a beat.
“It has got a 17,000 litre grain tank which can unload in 90 seconds so in good crop conditions it’ll give the chaser drivers a workout.”
The IDEAL, which is badged as a Massey Ferguson, will be demonstrated throughout the Wheatbelt during harvest by AgWest Machinery, which is taking forward orders for 2019.
According to AGCO, the 8 and 9 models are equipped with twin rotors, each 4.8m in length and 600 millimetres in diameter, making them the longest when measured against competitive brands.
While AGCO is not saying anything about autonomous machinery, the IDEAL is getting close to that mark.
It is equipped with 52 sensors, including mass acoustic detection sensors (MADS) that measure the differences in acoustic qualities to determine what grain is and what is not.
The IDEAL harvest system is then directed to change the concave clearance and the height of chaffer and sieve, as well as ground, rotor and fan speeds – all to maintain the operator’s harvest strategy.
The harvest strategy itself is set by an easy-to-use touch-screen display, allowing the operator to select preferences for minimising grain damage, loss and material other than grain (MOG) in the bin.
In addition, the IDEAL harvest system can even compensate for sudden shifts in various factors, such as crop density and field slope, anticipating and correcting problems before they occur.
Offering different options for different-sized operations, the class 8 and 9 models use two rotors in a dual helix configuration providing 43.7 square feet of threshing area – again the largest in the industry.
Two specially-moulded return pans use the full length of the threshing and separation chamber to distribute crop evenly to the cleaning shoe, even on hillsides, eliminating the need for a self-levelling shoe.
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Instead, the two return pans use a innovative new curved design to evenly distribute material from the rotors to the cleaning shoe, enhancing the efficiency of the cleaning system.
Another innovation is the IDEAL DriveCenter – the header’s central power unit – in which one gearbox attached directly to the engine, drives all main components of the combine: the processor, cleaning system and hydraulic pumps, as well as the header.
The air system also is impressive.
An AirSense system optimises cooling based on factors such as engine load and temperature.
It also takes in air from the top of the machine, where it’s freest of dirt and debris.
But to prevent any build-up of dust and chaff, the system’s fan reverses automatically to clear the radiator (another reason the machine doesn’t need a human).