New combines support sustainable farming
Read time: 4 minutes
Case IH’s 14th generation combines have been redesigned from the ground up to harvest many different crops for farms of all sizes, maximizing capacity and simplifying maintenance. Driven by the latest technology, they include cutting-edge connectivity which helps farmers to optimize output and do more with less
Multigenerational farms, whether it be four, five or six generations, look for equipment that can support sustainable agriculture. We sit in the cab and think about what a farmer is looking for.
The Axial-Flow® (AF) series of combines has been designed and engineered by farmers for farmers. At every step of the development process, Case IH listened to the opinions, experiences, needs and challenges of its customers. Farmers wanted more power, more intelligence and more versatility in their farm equipment. The result was the AF9 and AF10 — industry leading machines that improve efficiency, capture yields and reduce operating inputs such as fuel and labor. By making these innovative new combines more productive and less costly to run, they help make farming more sustainable.
The latest models are not only engineered to harvest over 108 different types of crops, but are also driven by an ecosystem of harvesting technologies and cutting-edge automation.
“Multigenerational farms, whether it be four, five or six generations, look for equipment that can support sustainable agriculture,” says Leo Bose, head of harvesting, application and livestock products at Case IH. “We sit in the cab and think about what a farmer is looking for.”
The recent launch of the AF9 and AF10 at the Farm Progress Show at Boone, Iowa (USA), opens a new chapter in close to fifty-year history of single rotary combines, allowing farmers to harvest more with fewer machines and lower outgoings. Bose estimates an AF model can offer overall cost savings of 10-15 percent compared to the previous 250s series, depending on crop type and conditions.
The Case IH booth at the Farm Progress Show 2024.
Having those options means customers and dealers can tailor that equipment precisely to their needs
Increased capacity and better technology
The benefits of these new combines start with the volume of crop farmers can harvest. The AF9’s engine is 634hp and the AF10’s is 775hp, giving them the power to maximize crop flow, while increasing speeds, taxing the machines less. The engines are more efficient, too, due in part to a fuel-saving design which reduced engine speed from 2100 RPM (revolutions per minute) to 1900 RPM.
Axial-Flow single-rotor technology means the rotors on both machines are 40% longer than the 260 series, offering increased throughput. The AF10 can carry huge headers, measuring up to 61 feet (eighteen meters) across. Only a decade ago, headers were typically only forty feet (twelve meters) wide.
The AF Series offers a grain tank with a capacity of up to 567 bushels and an unload rate of up to six bushels per second, the highest in the industry.
But it’s not just the size of these new models that sets them apart — it’s also the precision technology that makes farming more profitable and more sustainable. The AF Series includes dual Pro 1200 displays, plus Harvest Command combine automation and connectivity. At the push of a button, farmers can determine a harvesting strategy for maximum grain quality or grain savings. They can choose maximum throughput if they’re in a hurry to bring in a rice crop in the face of an incoming hurricane in Louisiana, for example. The machine automatically adjusts for cropping conditions, whether it’s spinning the rotor faster or opening and closing the sieve area.
RowGuide Pro™, which uses sensors on the front of the corn header, allows farmers to navigate waterways or gaps where there is no corn without having to stop or back up and realign.
Then there is the Cross Flow Plus™ self-leveling cleaning system, the only one of its kind in the industry, which has been enhanced for the AF series. It avoids spillage from the back end of the combine when on slopes of up to 13 degrees.
Some of the features on the AF series help ensure a better crop yield not only for the current harvest, but also for next year’s. The active track system, for example, prevents excessive soil compaction, which could require repeated tilling the following spring, a costly and time-consuming task.
Radar spread automation also helps prepare a better crop next season by ensuring even residue distribution from the back of the combine even with crosswinds.
The Case IH Axial-Flow 10 on the field.
A combine for every producer
The option of choosing between different-sized grain tanks, engine power and unload rates across the various models and then equipping them with a wide range of new headers means there is a suitable set-up for each customer.
In western Canada, on a large farm of up to thirty thousand acres, where the growing season is shorter and threshing and separating conditions are tough, farmers may want to go for a more powerful AF10 combine with more storage and processing capacity and a wider header.
On the other hand, on a farm of between two thousand and five thousand acres in the Midwest, with a longer harvesting window that allows for double cropping, the preferred choice may be an AF9 combine with a fifty-foot header.
“Having those options means customers and dealers can tailor that equipment precisely to their needs,” says Bose.
Increased versatility, capacity and efficiency all mean that a new AF series combine may allow farmers to use a smaller fleet of harvesters, which adds to overall cost savings.
It was no surprise that the launch of the AF Series at the Farm Progress Show in August attracted a lot of interest. Farmers marveled at hardware features such as the cleaning system or the new double display. But most importantly, they saw the impressive grain quality as the combine harvested a sample corn field at the show.
It’s early days for the AF series, but demand from Case IH dealers for 2025 models is promising. “They're asking for more,” says Bose.
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