Grainswest - Tech 2024

Tech 2024 Grains West 24 FEATURE “I still understand why there’s a customer base out there looking for higher horsepower at the top end because they can pencil it out about what more they can do in one pass.” — John Schmeiser “Previously, some customers would have to only put half of the load in their air cart in order to be able to climb those hills with all that weight,” said Porter. An updated hydraulic system with dedicated pumps for both machine functions and the implement also contribute to their hill climb ability. “A lot of times that flow is prioritized to the machine and so lifting that implement can be really slow or the fans can start to slow down,” said Porter. The new machine with its dedicated pump allows these systems to work independently. These models are ready for the future, meeting the Final Tier 4/Stage V emission standards with no diesel exhaust fluid—a convenient feature that will save farmers time in daily maintenance. They’re also one add-on away from being autonomous. “If a customer decides in a year or two from now that they want to run autonomously, all they need to add is the camera perception system,” said Porter. John Deere’s Electric Variable Transmission (EVT) is geared to customers who want the easy driving and quick acceleration of the company’s Infinitely Variable Transmission (IVT)— available in 7R and 8R tractors—in a high horsepower tractor. “It does all that hard work for you. It uses electric motors to drive the transmission and generate electricity for offboard applications. “We’re really looking forward to seeing where this offboard power goes and how we can solve some of these customer pain points with this technology,” said Porter. “There’s a lot more to come in the EVT space in the future.” Case IH introduced the new Steiger 715 Quadtrac to the Canadian market this year, a significant jump from its Steiger 645 with a 13-litre engine. The new model has a 16-litre engine and features a larger drive wheel and a track that’s about a foot longer than the previous generation. “By having a longer track, that also got us an increased travel speed of 26.5 mp/h [42.6 km/h], so about 2.5 mp/h [4.0 km/h] faster than what we were doing before,” said Morgen Dietrich, tractor segment lead for Case IH. A heavy-duty suspension (HDS) track will be available for the 715 Quadtrac and additional Quadtrac models in 2025. “And what a HDS does is it builds on that larger drive wheel, but we added suspension, so now this is an active suspension system, active hydraulic cylinders that are allowing this track to now mold and adapt to all the soil’s imperfections,” said Dietrich. The robust suspension also reduces vibration of the operator seat by 40 per cent. Central Minnesota farmer Frans Rosenquist owns a 715 Quadtrac and likes the new model’s increased cab comfort. “I call it an old man’s tractor, because it rides so smooth in the cab that it’s just like you’re driving on air,” he said. With its increased seat swivel, Rosenquist doesn’t have to crane his neck to look behind the vehicle. He farms approximately 6,000 acres with his son and son-in-law and grows corn, soybeans and vegetables. With 50 hours pulling a 60.5-foot cultivator behind his new high-horsepower tractor, Rosenquist said it effectively does the job of two of his older tractors because he can pull equipment and travel much faster. “This is the highest horsepower tractor we’ve ever had.” On this machine, acres with steep hills are not as challenging as they once were, he said. “I did shift down two gears from what I normally go because the hills were so steep, but it just walked right up them,” he said. “It’s also got better fuel economy than our 620s have, and that’s one of the things I really liked about it, is the fuel economy; and the horsepower is just unbelievable.” He also likes its larger fuel tank, which reduces the number of refills required. As farms get larger, Rosenquist sees such machines as the way of the future. All the farmers he knows are trying to find ways to get more acres done in a day. The key, he said, is to find a tractor that provides the power and is enjoyable to ride. Canada’s first NEXAT widespan controlled traffic system, an autonomous carrier vehicle with interchangeable implements, will be employed as a harvester in Manitoba this fall. NEXAT GmbH was founded in 2017 by Felix and Klemens Kalverkamp. The German company’s machine employs two 550-horsepower diesel engines that power four small electric engines at each wheel. The 45-foot carrier accommodates compatible implements produced by partner manufacturers. It’s a 10-minute task to swap out these interchangeable units or to switch from field to street mode. These tasks can be completed from inside the unit’s cab or by remote control. NEXAT does market its own harvester implement for large and small grains with a 50-foot header and approximately 900-bushel grain tank that can unload about 17 bushels per second. “We tripled the unloading