During harvest, Kevin Knapp gets to hear comments from customers about how their Case IH Axial-Flow® combines perform in the field. Read his comments to find out why this is one of the favorite parts of his job, and tell us what you like best about your Axial-Flow combine!
When our customers buy a new Case IH Axial-Flow combine, they are given the opportunity to attend one of the numerous training events we hold around the country. Then in the fall, we go out and see how those machines perform in the field, and we listen to what customers have to say.
One of the most popular features I’m hearing about is the independent cross auger control system on the 230-series combines. This system allows operators to empty out the unload-tube auger while there is still grain in the tank. That makes for more gentle start-ups when they begin unloading again, and it reduces the amount of weight in the tube, which can cause stress on the whole system while it is hanging out there on the side of the combine until the next time the cart comes around.
In conjunction with that feature, customers are raving about the higher unload rates: 4 bu/second on the 7230- and the 8230-model combines and 4.5 bu/second on the 9230 model. These increased rates allow the grain carts to be more efficient in the field and reduce the amount of ground they are compacting in the fields.
Yet another feature of the Case IH Axial-Flow combine that new owners love is the multiple-pass threshing and 360-degree centrifugal-force separation. This results in:
- More complete, gentle threshing
- Increased grain separation
- Less damage to fragile kernels
- Smooth, uninterrupted crop flow
- Reduces horsepower demands
- Decreases fuel use
- Reduces wear on threshing components
Customers like our Case IH draper headers, too. Every year, we sell more of the Case IH 2162 TerraFlex™ flexible cutterbar draper header heads that really make soybean harvest a lot easier. Farmers are getting more done during the hours that they’re harvesting, and they’re able to harvest longer hours during the day because of the even, head-first feeding that we get with the draper head as opposed to the auger heads. This head also has:
- Flex-linkage for softer ground pressure
- Center-mount design
- High center opening for unobstructed crop flow
- New hydraulic knife drive to optimize ground speeds
- Large-capacity inboard mounted motors
- Sealed draper roller bearings
- Reversible drapers with V-guide tracking
Our customers put a lot of value in knowing we’re out there talking to them on a day-to-day basis and they appreciate knowing the entire Case IH network is working on their behalf.
Editor’s Note: Like most Combine Product Specialists, Kevin Knapp gives numerous presentations during the summer months – sometimes as many as four or five a week. He enjoys visiting with customers and is proud to represent Case IH in northern Illinois, northern Indiana, northwest Ohio, and all of Wisconsin and Michigan.
