German innovation

In addition to winning a gold medal at Agritechnica, Claas walked away with a record six silver medals for innovation.

German innovation
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1. ICT software
Implement Controls Tractor (ICT) software (Right) does exactly what it says on the tin. Claas has applied the system to a big square baler/tractor combination. The baler has a cruise pilot that automatically controls the speed of the tractor and continually optimises the baler’s performance via ICT. Depending on his requirements, the operator can choose between ‘throughput capacity’ and ‘bale quality’.

Read: Agritechnica gold medal winners

Should the unit be overloaded, the baler’s auto-stop function automatically shuts down the power takeoff shaft via ICT. The pick-up, knotters, cutter rotor and gatherer in the baler are monitored, substantially relieving the operator’s workload, while driving speed is controlled automatically to achieve optimum performance of the tractor/machine combination, making full use of the machine’s performance potential.

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2. Automatic axle adjustment
In normal steered-axle systems, the trailer axles are steered in a fixed ratio to that of the steering angle of the tractor. This means that at a small trailer axle angle, steering is positive at high speeds, but manoeuvrability is impaired at slow speeds. A larger trailer axle angle, on the other hand, reduces the turning circle and saves tyre-wear when manoeuvring, but affects stability at speed.

The new Claas system automatically adjusts the behaviour of the rear-axle steering to suit different driving speeds, improving manoeuvrability at low speeds and stability at higher speeds. A sensor on the trailer drawbar continuously measures the lock angle between the tractor and the trailer. As this angle becomes progressively smaller, the driver is warned by an audible signal that increases in frequency to help prevent a collision between the tractor and the trailer drawbar.

3. Eliminating blockages
Blockages in the crop intake on self-loading trailers and combinations have always meant an interruption of the loading operation. The new system from Claas automates what was once a manual process. When the overload safeguard responds, the articulated drawbar is raised automatically, the cutter unit base lowered, the pick-up drive uncoupled and the scraper bottom allowed to run forward slightly. After the blockage is cleared, the trailer is automatically restored to a ready-to-operate condition.

4 Better throw
Wind and incline can result in straw and chaff being spread unevenly, particularly on combine harvesters with a wide cut width. Claas’s new automatic throw direction adjustment solves this problem. Two sensors on the lighting arms at the rear of the combine continuously monitor the side wind and incline. The measurements are passed to the system that controls the side adjustment of the paddles on the radial spreader, significantly easing the burden on the driver and improving the quality of work.

5 Grain quality monitored by camera
With the new Grain Quality Camera, now available for Lexion 770 and 780 combine harvesters, the driver can easily assess the quality of the threshed grain and decide whether to change the harvester settings. The images are evaluated by an onboard computer that calculates the non-grain components such as straw and chaff as well as the proportion of broken grains. These values are displayed as either bar graphs or real images, with areas of low grain quality marked in colour.

6 Automatic wet grinder
The Aqua Non Stop is the first fully automatic wet grinding unit for blades on loader-wagons and balers. It can grind up to 45 blades precisely along their contours, independently of wear. Interchangeable templates allow blade-types from 22 loader-wagon and baler manufacturers to be ground. Due to their optimal grinding and cutting angle, the grinding blades of the automatic wet grinder offer a precision cut and have a long service life.

Watch: Geringhoff wheat header at Agritechnica 2013