Five silver medals for CLAAS

CLAAS has been awarded five silver medals for excellence in agricultural engineering at Agritechnica, Europe’s leading farming technology exhibition.

Landpower General Manager – Product, Tim Needham, says the awards highlight the iconic German manufacturer’s dominance in grain and forage harvesting technology.

“Two of the award-winning innovations – the 4D cleaning system and the automatic crop flow monitoring – are found in LEXION combine harvesters,” he says. “Another two are found in JAGUAR forage harvesters and QUADRANT square balers, respectively.”

The new 4D cleaning system allows the full operating and cleaning potential of the combine harvester to be utilised even on longitudinal and lateral slopes.

It consists of two components: a slope-dependent rotor flap control and automatic fan control. The rotor cover plates automatically open or close depending on the lateral and longitudinal angle of the machine, as well as its separation and cleaning output. Likewise, the blower speed is automatically adjusted when driving up or downhill.

The automatic crop flow control system shuts down the harvester’s feeder, threshing, separation and grain tank discharge systems if critical load peaks are detected. “In effect, this system helps to maintain the fine balance between achieving maximum performance and avoiding critical load peaks,” Tim says.

“The worse case scenario is a brief interruption instead of a breakdown.” CLAAS also picked up a silver medal for its new MULTI CROP CRACKER MAX roller for JAGUAR forage harvesters.

The new roller has been developed for conditioning maize silage with chop lengths of between 15 and 22 mm. Compared with conventional corn crackers, the MCC MAX can be used to condition a wider range of chop lengths and dry matter percentages.

“The positioning and special geometry of the 30 annular segments ensure the chopped crop is not only processed by friction, but also by cutting and shearing forces,” Tim says.

“This allows even more intensive conditioning of the grain kernels, as well as shredding of the stalk material. This increases the digestible starch quantity of the maize silage, which in turn increases feed efficiency and livestock performance.”

The fourth harvesting innovation is the automatic pressure control system found in the new QUADRANT 5200 and 4200 square balers. This system controls the compaction pressure based on the machine’s operating rate and the quality of the twine.

The compaction pressure is automatically reduced if the specified values for maximum twine load or overloading of the frame is detected. The system then automatically restores the machine’s initial settings once the overload is cleared.

“Even inexperienced operators can now always achieve the maximum possible output from the baler and twine and can produce bales of uniform density, irrespective of the quality of the baling material,” Tim says.

The fifth medal was awarded for a field route optimisation program that helps operators to determine the most efficient working pattern in each paddock.

CLAAS claims the software, which can be operated using any standard PC or mobile tablet, reduces processing time by an average of six per cent. “Until now, this process has been done by eye and guesswork, often just following the outline of the paddock.

“By comparison, the CLAAS field route optimisation system uses advanced mapping and geometry tools to objectively calculate the optimal working pattern and then accurately forecast the amount of time that will be required. This opens up a new chapter in efficiency, both in the field and in the day-to-day planning of every farm manager.”