Photo: Joe Spencer
Case IH recently celebrated 175 years in the agricultural machinery business with an impressive product launch at Kyalami in Gauteng. The line-up of tractors and combine harvesters from the extensive Case IH range attracted more than 900 visitors from all over South Africa.
Top of the tractor range was the Quadtrac 600, the latest incarnation in the 20-year history of the Quadtrac concept. A Quadtrac broke the world ploughing record in 2012, with an STX500 turning over more than 321ha in 24 hours.
The 12,9-litre engine of the current Quadtrac 600, incorporating an engine management system, pumps out up to 492kW.
A criticism of the Quadtracs was that the lubrication level of the bearings on the idlers and rollers was difficult to check, adding to maintenance time. Domed, sight glass hubcaps are now fitted as standard, neatly addressing this problem.
Also exhibited was the latest Magnum, the MX380. This pushes out a maximum 311kW through a CVT transmission, incorporating the latest technology to combine high performance with cost-effective operation. It is also available with the Rowtrac option for optimal traction and flotation under all conditions.
Inside the hall, a stream of farmers had a close-up look at the new top-of-the-range 9240 Axial Flow combine, which is fitted with tracks.
The standard AFS (Case IH Advanced Farming Systems GPS-based technology) provides a flow of data on the combine’s real-time functioning to the operator, simultaneously monitoring the condition in the crop.
At the launch, it was announced that the Case IH Axial Flow combines now carry a three-year warranty.
Opening the event, Northmec managing director, Johan van der Merwe, pointed out that Case IH’s South African distributor, Northmec, had been in business since 1869. This, with Case IH’s 175 years in the business, was a clear indicator of continuity and reliability, features sometimes in short supply in the current tumultuous marketplace.
Joe Spencer is the mechanisation editor at Farmer’s Weekly.
