Ag Days is a signature venue for agricultural equipment manufacturers and is the place where Prairie farmers often get a first peek at new products.
A lot of the Big Iron on display for 2012 will be showcasing not just equipment, but some new, factory-installed technology to help make farmers more efficient and environmentally friendly.
A recurring theme for 2012 is the new Canadian Tier 4 emission standards for all off-road engines, including farm equipment, which comes into effect January 16, 2012 and applies to all equipment produced after that date. Many of the new models on display are Tier 4 compliant.
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John Deere heads up the technology offerings with its new JD FarmSight, which uses wireless technology to link operators, farm managers and dealers. The technology helps them gather and manage information via their mobile devices or laptops, to optimize farm and equipment operations.
JD FarmSight, which is standard on all 2012 John Deere tractors and combines, includes its JDLink telematics technology system, which allows customers to monitor machine performance and create curfews and geo-fences.
Sumo subsoiler
Agco will feature three brand new products: The Massey Ferguson 9500 series Combine, Fendt 800 series tractor and a new Massey Ferguson SP Windrower, all of which will be seen in Manitoba for the first time. All are Tier 4 compliant and new features and technologies.
Local Brandon dealer, Hepson Equipment will feature its ever popular Claas Jaguar Harvesters, and a couple of new products: the Sumo subsoiler, built in England and Salford Vertical tillage systems.
Manure spreaders can have a tough time holding up to the rigours of the Prairie landscape and conditions, but Degelman Equipment has a tough, rugged new model which can handle the impact of rocks, concrete and other materials that get caught up with the manure. It has a 60-foot spread and comes in two sizes: the M28 can hold 28 tons and the M34 has a 34-ton capacity.
Kuhn will be featuring its LSB1290 square baler with crop-processing capabilities and a patented six-twine knotting system. Its VB2190 round baler features an automatic binding system.
Look out also for H & L Motors of Glenboro, that will have some new vario-transmission Duetz Fahr tractors on display.
Versatile will unveil its new line of IT4, Tier 4 compliant, 4WD tractors, which range in size from 350 hp to 550 hp. It’s also unveiling a recently added line of precision seeding equipment, featuring the DH730 air drill and DH730 air cart.
New generation
MacDon has a new generation of windrowers (the M155 and M105) which offer increased horsepower via new Tier 3 Cummins engines, as well as all new cab suspension with the M155 model. Equipped with Intermediate Speed Control, all header functions operate at full power with reduced engine r.p.m. for increased fuel savings.
All of the T6, 7, 8 and 9 series tractors and combines on display at the Manitoba New Holland Dealers Association exhibit will be Tier 4 compliant and range from a small chore tractor right up to a 630-hp 4WD. Also on display will be their recently launched, 200 model skid steer, which features a roomy, comfortable cab and incorporates New Holland’s patented vertical lift Super Boom design for better height and reach.
A big story at the Morris Industries stand is its latest C2 Contour Drill that features a new shank design which sheds trash easier and faster while the “true one-to-one parallel linkage gives outstanding seed depth and more yield potential,” says marketing communications manager, Darrel Schindel. Still in the vein of precision seeding, they offer a new 650-bushel tow-between air cart, with a conveyor auger that loads and unloads at 60 bu./minute.
On the technology front, Morris will unveil its Input Control Technology, which works with a GPS system to shut off modules of the seeding unit to help conserve inputs and reduce costs due to overseeding.
An improved engine air filtration system and a Pro700 monitor in the cab are just two of the new features on the 2012, Tier 4, Case IH 8230 combine, which has 30 more hp than the previous model. It has a redesigned spreader system, an unload auger long enough for a 45-foot head and an increased unload rate of four bu./second. There is also the option of a more efficient 40-blade magnacut chopper, and all 30 series Case IH combines will feature fuel saving Tier 4 SCR technology.
Vertical tillage
The new Case IH 330 Turbo vertical tillage unit is designed to scatter, not streak residue. Its design includes a levelling ability to fill shallow wheel tracks and a three-dimensional soil action which “improves aeration, residue mixing, soil warming, weed removal and levels the soil surface for planting,” says Trevor Hardy, crop production sales specialist for Western Canada.
A new high-horsepower 2013 CVT Magnum concept tractor will also be shown at the Case IH booth. The CVT transmission will be available in Magnum 235- to 370-hp models. The all new Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) has been designed to transfer torque efficiently to the ground using (Automatic Productivity Management) APM Diesel Saver technology, providing “user-friendly, intuitive speed settings and control,” says Darryl Priel, Case IH tractor product specialist.
