Claas harvesting kit gets upgrades for 2018

Claas is introducing some really nice new technology to its combine range for next season, from a new display to very useful links between existing systems to make for a better finished job and driver experience.

A new 12in screen

The high-resolution colour 12in screen incorporated into the new Cebis mobile makes it easy to monitor machine status thanks to clearly structured data and intuitive touchscreen operation. The combine harvester silhouette which appears in the main area of the screen continuously displays the settings for all the main functional areas of the combine, such as rotor and fan speed, grain moisture and grain tank fill level. The image from the grain-quality camera also appears on the screen, enabling the operator to monitor crop quality at all times, while the evaluation carried out by the camera helps the Cemos auto-cleaning system to optimise grain cleanliness. In addition, the operator can use two simple slide controllers on the screen to set the optimum balance between grain cleanliness, straw quality and throughput.

Integrated cockpit

In the lower area of the screen is the ‘cockpit’ which displays the cruise pilot status. This includes the forward speed, feeder housing throughput, tonnes per hour and engine load. The system also shows the factor that is limiting performance under the current operating conditions. Instead of using Cebis, the operator can also adjust all parameters of the cruise pilot functions from the new Cebis mobile. Menu navigation for the adjustments required is identical in all three assistance systems.

Cemos automatic

The integrated Cemos automatic covers all the operator assistance systems which ensure optimum machine performance despite highly varying operating conditions. These include auto-seperation for automatic control of residual grain separation, auto-cleaning for automatic adjustment of the cleaning process and auto slope which adjusts the fan speed when the machine is working on a slope.

Cemos Dialog

The proven Cemos dialog for machine monitoring is also fully integrated into the new Cebis mobile. This feature is always active in the background, permanently monitoring all work processes, analysing the data and prompting the driver if the machines potential is not being utilised to the full. A message appears on the Cebis mobile screen and the driver can view a suggestion for optimising the settings simply by tapping the screen. Alternatively, the operator can also actively access the Cemos dialog functions from the Cebis dialog screen to view suggested optimisations for a specific operating range. Again, the suggestions displayed can be accepted or rejected simply by touching the screen.

These upgrades will be will be available in all Lexion 700/600 models for next harvest and are some very nice operator aids to make the long harvest day more comfortable and productive

On a recent trip to Germany, Claas revealed some upgrades to its big square balers, some mechanical improvement to help make maintenance and operation easier and more reliable and some nice technology bits to help both with output and record keeping

Bale weighing

Integrated bale weighing is a function that will appeal to all farmers and contractors who want to keep a close eye on bale quality during the baling operation. Using scales fitted in the bale ramp, the actual weighing process takes place automatically as part of the formation of each bale, so that there is no delay in the baling operation. Bales can be weighed at vehicle speeds of up to 20 km/h and the maximum measurement value error under normal working conditions is +/-5kg.

Smooth and efficient invoicing

The driver can read the individual bale weight directly from the Isobus control terminal display in the cab. In addition, all bale weights are saved according to job or area. This is valuable supporting data for the contractor when billing the customer.

When using the Claas telematics system it will also be possible to use the bale weight data to generate the total area yield and the yield distribution by individual field, showing the bale location and the individual bale weights, along with the bale moisture level.

High-end lighting system

As an option, the QUADRANT 4200, 5200 and 5300 models can be fitted with a new high-end LED lighting system, consisting of seven additional high-quality lights. These lights are fitted on key operating components of the baler, for example at the drawbar, on the flywheel, on the feed rake and at the end of the bale chamber, ensuring user-friendly operation and maintenance when working at night.

Quadrant 4200 with pull-out knife drawer

A new optional feature for the Quadrant 4200 is the pull-out knife drawer that has already proven its value as standard equipment in the Quadrant 5200 and 5300 models. Being able to simply pull out the knife drawer dramatically reduces the time required for knife cleaning or to completely change over the knives – from one hour to around 15 minutes.

Weighing of big bales is not a new idea but the ability to then add this info to GPS maps of the areas and track straw yield and moisture on the move is very useful for the machine operator and for the farmers.

The new lighting system is a huge improvement and will be a good help for those late-night maintenance and repair jobs.