NEW HEADER CAPACITY--MacDon's new 45-foot FD70 FlexDraper is a flex header with a harvesting capacity greater than most Class 9 combines. Its unique three-section flex frame, when combined with MacDon's advanced draper technology, offers balanced floating action plus comparable flex range to competitive sized flex auger headers. With the 45-foot version, farmers will finally be able to push their combines to their harvesting limits in a wide range of crops. A key advantage of the unique flexing action is that it allows the header to maintain a consistently close relationship between the knife and the reel, even in maximum flex. For more information, call a local MacDon dealer, or visit www.macdon.com.
Large tires can deliver optimal performance
Growers who want to get the most out of today's larger, high-horsepower farm equipment while protecting their soil from damage can benefit from mounting large-volume radials on their tractors and combines, new research shows.
Experts from Michelin North America Ag Tires and Case IH recently demonstrated how large-volume tires with low air pressures can deliver optimal fuel efficiency and traction and reduce slip and soil compaction. "As farms have gotten larger, tractors and combines have by necessity gotten larger, heavier and more powerful," said Bob Rees, North American product marketing manager for Greenville, S.C.-based Michelin North America Ag Tires. "Growers using standard tires on larger tractors pay a heavy bottom-line price in reduced fuel efficiency, decreased productivity and greater soil compaction."
Working with retired Case IH product specialist Bill Manke and cooperating with Jeff Fields, farm operations manager for Purdue's Animal Science Center, Michelin conducted ag tire performance tests comparing MICHELIN Axiobib large-volume radials to a competitor's standard-sized 480/80R50 farm tire. The tests were conducted on the same 275 hp Case IH 335 Magnum tractor. It was equipped first with the competitor's standard-sized radial and sent across a field pulling a ripper with five shanks, then seven shanks and finally nine shanks deployed. Then, on unplowed parts of the same field, the same tractor completed the tests on MICHELIN Axiobib radials.
In tests using MICHELIN Axiobib radials, the tires suffered power hop for 50 yards once while pulling seven shanks but had no other issues. The highest average wheel slip for the MICHELIN radials was 6.3 percent pulling nine shanks while operating at 1800 RPMs in eighth gear. Other than that, while running Michelin radials, the tractor's average slip ranged from 1.4 percent to 4.7 percent, significantly lower than that of the standard tires.
Tractor fuel economy also improved on the MICHELIN Axiobib radials, which feature the tire company's patented Ultraflex Technology. The tractor averaged 12 gallons per hour when pulling nine shanks under full throttle in eighth gear, but otherwise ranged in average fuel economy from 8.6 gallons per hour to 11.4.
"The best fuel economy we saw was when we were on the Michelin Axiobib radials and using the Case APM while pulling nine shanks," Rees says. "We saw fuel economy of .9 gallons per acre, whereas the best we saw on standard tires was 1.1 gallons per acre with an average of 1.2."
For more information, call a local Michelin dealer, or visit www.michelin-us.com.
Seed treatments give flexibility
Pioneer Hi-Bred, a DuPont business, announced the company's Pioneer Premium Seed Treatment offering for the 2010 planting season, a program which will provide growers even more flexibility to select seed treatment products based on the season's field conditions and individual needs.
Insecticides, fungicides, nematicides, as well as seed treatment amendments can help protect and enhance the genetics, as well as the agronomic and defensive traits in a hybrid or variety. They also help solidify seed product performance to maximize crop productivity.
For 2010 planting, Pioneer is offering fungicide and fungicide/insecticide treatments from the conditioning plant, as well as increasing choices growers will have for soybean seed treatments through the company's extensive network of sales professionals.
In addition to the same soybean treatment products provided through production facilities for 2010, namely Gaucho insecticide and Trilex and Allegiance fungicides, the new Pioneer Premium Seed treatment offering also provides the flexibility of adding inoculants, signal molecules and other treatment amendments applied closer to planting to meet localized needs and conditions for maximized productivity.
For corn seed treatments in 2010, Pioneer will be offering Cruiser Extreme 250 and Poncho 1250. Additionally, Avicta Complete Corn, a new offering which protects against nematodes in corn, will be available on an as-ordered basis for corn.
In coming years, Pioneer will continue to review treatment options including new fungicides, plant health promoters and other amendments.
For more information, call a local Pioneer sales professional, or visit www.pioneer.com.
Factory optional planter scale package available
Kinze Manufacturing announced it will be the only planter manufacturer to offer a scale package as a factory option on all Air Seed Delivery (ASD) planters in its 2010 product line. The scale package option will provide corn, soybean and other row-crop producers an important management tool to help them improve planting efficiency and seed management.
Kinze will offer Digi-Star scales on its ASD row-crop planters as a premier management tool for growers. The scale package features the following:
--Three 1,500-pound Digi-Star load cells per tank (six total);
--Platform-mounted display installed near the planter's ASD tanks for easy use when loading tanks;
--Wiring and cabling, as needed.
Kinze Product Manager Matt Miner explained the scale package offers row crop producers an excellent way to increase planting efficiency and convenience.
"The platform-mounted display provides a number of features so planting can be more efficient than ever," Miner said. "In addition to showing the gross and individual weight of tanks, the display allows the grower to input the number of seeds per pound and the population data. This way they can easily see the number of acres to empty in each tank and an overall total."
Miner further explained the superior accuracy of the scale allows for better management of seed use when working with varying seed sizes and weights. An added benefit of the use of the scale is that leftover seed is kept to a minimum.
Because the scale package is offered directly from the planter manufacturer, growers won't have the inconvenience of an additional scale display in the tractor cab. The Kinze-supplied planter scale integrates with the in-cab Kinze Vision system, so growers have the convenience of seeing both the number of acres until empty and individual tank weights from their tractor seat.
"Kinze is excited to be offering this new scale package option on its 2010 ASD planters," Miner said. "It's a clear demonstration of our determination to enhance our 'best in class' planter products with relevant technology that helps the crop producer farm more efficiently and profitably. That's not just part of our company's mission statement--it's how we do business every day."
For more information, contact a local Kinze dealer, or visit www.kinze.com.
Flexible 3-wheel tower base improves flotation, traction
Reinke Manufacturing, Inc., has released its new Flexible Three-Wheel Tower. The tower, designed to provide improved flotation and traction in difficult soils, operates using all standard drive train components and is available now at Reinke dealers nationwide.
Unlike other 3-wheeled towers on the market today, the flexible tower design keeps all three tires on the ground at all times. This places a more consistent load on the drive train even while it provides power to all three wheels. Keeping all three wheels on the ground reduces the load on each tire and improves flotation, thereby reducing wheel ruts.
The extra tower base width of the structure allows the tower to cross trouble spots where standard towers might become stuck or high-centered. The flexibility and increased truss stability combine to greatly reduce the likelihood of span roll when traversing ditches and ridges.
For more information, call 402-365-7251, or visit www.reinke.com.
Send e-mail queries to: jlatzke@hpj.com
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