Claas reveals mid-range Tucano combine updates

Combine models don’t go for long these days before getting an update, thanks partly to the relentless requirement to improve the cleanliness of their exhausts.


So it is with Claas’ Tucano, which was launched back in 2008 and is now at the front of the queue to get some updating.


See also: Claas launches new mid-range Tucano combine harvester


Model numbers stay the same, other than the 570 Hybrid, which takes over from the 540.


Headers


Until now, Claas’ widest header was the V1200, launched in 2009. However there’s now a V1230 model that gets an extra 300mm of width. It’s aimed at farmers using controlled traffic farming (CTF), who need a bit of overlap.


The new header has a split reel and a linear-driven knife instead of the traditional wobble box. Also, there are now six auto-contour bands instead of four.


Claas-770-header


At the same time, the current Vario 900 and 750 models have been replaced with the 9.3m Vario 930 and 7.7m 770. Main changes, says Claas combine specialist Tom Pine, are increased forward-backward movement for rape crops – -10cm to +60cm now, compared to -10cm to +20cm before – even with rape plates in place.


Side-knives can now be fitted without resorting to tools. Once they’re connected, the hydraulic pump automatically gets the drive ready for action. There’s a lower cost mechanical-drive Cerio header option now, too, and intake auger diameters have expanded to 660mm.


Combines


Power is up by 8% on all models except the 440, courtesy of new Tier 4 Mercedes engines. Grain tanks are also a bit bigger, with the old hand-cranked type replaced by an electrically operated side-opening lid.


The familiar up-and-out style of discharge auger has been replaced by a Lexion-style turret-type that swings across to fill the trailer. The change apparently gives an extra 30% of height, which is good for clearing increasingly high trailer sides, allows longer augers to be fitted and neatly eliminates four annoying daily grease nipples.


Tank unloading times have been cut from 75 litres/sec on the old models to 105 litres/sec for the 570/450/440 and a zippy 90 litres/sec for the 430/420/320. So the three biggest models, for instance, dump a whole load into the trailer in less than two minutes.


Other changes include drawing air through the rotating radiator screen so that fewer dust particles get to the new dual-filter system. So filter cleanouts should be weekly rather than daily.






















































2015 Tucano model range


Model


570


Hybrid 450


440


430


420


320


Threshing mechanism/width


APS/1,580mm


APS/1,580mm


APS/1,580mm


APS/1,320mm


APS/1,320mm


Conventional/1,320mm


Grain separation


RotoPlus


6 straw walkers


6 straw walkers


5 straw walkers


5 straw walkers


5 straw walkers


Grain tank (litres)


9,000


9,000


8,500


8,000


7,500


6,500


Discharge speed (litres/sec)


105


105


105


90


90


90


Engine output (hp)


354


313


286


286


245


245


Cab


Improvements in the cab include the ability to change the concave gap electrically from the Cebis monitor, marking a welcome end to the business of hauling a stiff lever up and down. In fact the concave is hydraulically pre-tensioned and opens as the pressure increases before returning automatically to the set working gap.


Claas-multicontroller


Other changes, says the company, are a reduction in cab noise, a bigger window in the grain tank, a refrigerator box and bottle holder. Central lubrication is now an option, as is a reversing camera.


The 570 hybrid now has a drum speed that can be infinitely adjusted from 480-920rpm, whereas the outgoing 470 had just six pre-set drum speeds. There’s also the ability to close the first and second concaves independently of each other, which should help in damp conditions, and the changeover from swathing to chopping (previously tediously manual) now gets some electro-hydraulic assistance.

Tired of the hassle of finding reliable contractors for your farm?

Imagine a revolutionary solution that puts a thousand machines in your pocket!

Discover how