Case IH and New Holland Agriculture, the two global agricultural machinery brands of CNH Industrial N.V., have been included in the 2017 edition of the AE50 Awards. Determined and administered by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE), the AE50 names the top 50 agricultural machinery product innovations to be presented each year.
New product introductions are ranked each year according to the criteria of innovation, significant engineering advancement and impact on the market served.
Case IH finishes off the year with five spots on the coveted list. The Rowtrac Carrier System for the Case IH Early Riser 2160 Rowtrac Front-Fold Planter represents an industry-first as the only towed-implement track undercarriage that is pivotable about three major axes, allowing the track system to be steered while it simultaneously rolls to follow terrain changes. The Auxiliary Alternator Automation on the Case IH Early Riser 2150 Front-Fold Planters is the first hydraulically driven auxiliary alternator drive system that uses smart technology to match electrical power generation with demand to minimize hydraulic flow requirements. The Tiger-Mate 255 Field Cultivator sets new agronomic standards for seedbed preparation with an enhanced shank assembly, split-the-middle sweep design and single-point hydraulic depth control. The Extended-Wear Rotor Inlet Transition Cone on the Case IH Axial-Flow 240 Series Combine is manufactured using a heat-treatment process that makes its steel even more resistant to the abrasion and wear that challenge modern combines when harvesting specific and more-abrasive crops such as rice. The 4400 Series Corn Head Stalk Roll Spirals design improves the harvesting capability of the corn head to ensure that all of the corn plant is processed and no corn kernels are left behind.
Four innovations from New Holland Agriculture were also recognized on the AE50 list. The IntelliBale ISOBUS Class 3 Tractor & Baler automation for New Holland Roll-Belt Series automates the tractor and baling control functions, reducing operator fatigue and fuel consumption and enables the baler to control the tractor’s forward motion, bale wrapping, bale ejection, and tailgate closing. The SmartTrax with Flex Technology for New Holland CR and CX flagship combines offers an alternative to traction tires to reduce ground compaction and improve operator comfort. The CX/CR Everest 20 leveling system is a stand-alone kit that converts the combine harvester from a standard combine into an expert hill-climbing machine, while providing the advantages of operator comfort and harvesting capacity. The T7 Heavy Duty Enhanced Engine Brake feature is designed to reduce the load imposed upon the tractor and trailed equipment’s brakes when decelerating or holding a speed while descending a gradient.
Case IH and New Holland Agriculture have worked closely over the years with ASABE in an effort to remain at the forefront of innovation and sustainability in the agricultural sector. Within CNH Industrial, the company continues to fly the flag for innovation in the agricultural sector through its Innovation Department, global network of R&D centers and agriculture brands, whose work promotes the furthering of new technologies, data driven information and sustainable farming solutions. One of the most recent innovation developments saw the company unveil its concept autonomous tractor technology through Case IH and New Holland Agriculture in August 2016 at the Farm Progress Show in Boone, IA.
