New Holland has started 2012 where it left off in 2011, by confirming its status at the forefront of the agricultural industry with five FIMA technical innovation awards. The jury awarded an outstanding innovation award (Novedad T’cnica Sobresaliente), to the SynchroKnife central header drive. The four technical innovation awards (Novedad T’cnica) went to the Intelligent Trailer Braking system, Smart Key technology, the Braud 9090X Olive harvester and the Steering-O-Matic Plus system for the TK4000 range of crawler tractors.
’I am exceptionally proud of these awards and I consider them a fitting testament for New Holland in 2012.’ Stated Franco Fusignani, Head of New Holland Agriculture ’They represent the key two strengths of our brand, our people, who have shown unswerving dedication and our commitment to developing state of the art technology, which improves the efficiency, productivity and sustainability of the world’s farmers.’
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SynchroKnife central knife drive: increased harvesting uniformity, comfort and quality for combine headers
New Holland has revolutionised the way headers are powered with the SynchroKnife drive technology. The single, centrally mounted gearbox with double knife drive ensures perfect lateral weight distribution for more uniform stubble height, as well as significantly reducing knife stress and vibration for increased reliability, reduced costly down-time and an improved operator experience. Located under the header floor, the edge of the uncut crop is now fully protected from potential snagging caused by bulky side-mounted knife drive gearboxes.
Intelligent Trailer Braking System: best in class road safety and stability
The Intelligent Trailer Braking system automatically manages and equalises the braking force exerted on the trailer in relation to that of the tractor for best-in-class road transport safety and stability in all conditions. When slowing with the transmission or the exhaust brake, the trailer brakes are modulated so that the trailer deceleration perfectly matches that of the tractor. Consequently, overall tractor and trailer braking distance almost matches that of the tractor alone, consigning jack-knifing to the history books.
Smart Key: improved operator and fleet management
The Smart Key enhances farming productivity and profitability. Each operator has just one personal Smart Key which remembers their driving preferences and which the fleet manager, via a unique access code, activates for only certain machines, up to a maximum of 40. Moreover, machine functions, such as top speed, can be pre-defined for operators and individual operator productivity and efficiency can be analysed courtesy of telematics. A key expiry date for machines on contract-hire can also be set.
Braud 9090X Olive harvester: enhancing harvesting efficiency by up to 20% improves Super Intensive Olive operations’ productivity
New Holland, together with growers, has developed the pioneering new Braud 9090X Olive harvester. The unique shaker frame, with dedicated front/middle and rear rollers, packages the tree before and after shaking for optimal harvesting. The 3D picking head adapts to each individual tree and guides and clamps the foliage for smooth crop flow, and a patented secondary shaker system is used for tree-top picking, where the highest quality olives are found. This system offers significant benefits in terms of harvesting efficiency, with over 95% of olives harvested at a constant forward speed of approximately 2kph, which means olives are picked at their optimum ripeness.
Steering-O-Matic Plus system: exclusive technology that enables one-handed drive engagement and steering
TK4000 crawler tractors are fitted with New Holland’s patented Steering-O-Matic Plus system with Full Drive. Steering-O-Matic Plus is the industry-leading technology that allows operators to engage drive and to steer with just one hand, as opposed to the traditional two lever, two hand configuration. This intuitive system controls forward and reverse movement, together with directional changes and clutch engagement with just one lever. This unique, innovative simplicity offers significant improvements in terms of safety, increased productivity and ease of operation, as the operator can manage the hydraulic controls with their other hand.
Four AE50 awards for Engineering innovation
New Holland innovations were also recognised on the other side of the Atlantic, with four prestigious AE50 awards, presented by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE). The T8 series was recognised for outstanding operator comfort and operational versatility alongside the T9, thanks to the largest row crop frame in the industry. The SynchroKnife central knife drive for combine headers and the MowMax II, independent modular disc cutter bar on the Durabine disc mower conditioner, only available in North America, were also recognised.
