Mid-range combines that offer best of both worlds
Mid-range combines that offer best of both worlds
With no fewer than 16 machines available across five
ranges – New Hollands combine line-up now benefits
from the Belgium-built CS series. Andy Moore finds
out what the latest combines have to offer growers
KEEPING a low profile from press and public, New Holland has unveiled a two-model combine range which will be commercially available next year.
Enter the five straw walker CS540 and the six straw walker CS640, a pair of combines designed to bridge the gap between the manufacturers entry level TC and long established TX range.
"The CS combines are aimed at those wanting a simpler spec, lower cost combine than a TX or CX model but with more refinement than a TC machine," says New Hollands Nick Townsend. "The CS series inherits existing elements taken from the TC and TX combines and the latest technology of the new CX range."
New Holland says the key development of the CS range,is its Opti-Thresh system which features a concave with an increased wrap angle.
Greater concave coverage around the drum provides the CS540 and CS640 with threshing areas of 0.86sq m and 1.04sq m respectively. This compares with 0.79sq m for the five walker TC combines.
"The concave has an 85í section and a further 36í element which can be manually folded away from the concave to reduce threshing aggression," he adds. "This facility is ideal for threshing delicate crops such as peas or beans or to preserve straw quality required for baling if straw is dry and brittle."
Adjusted by a two position lever, Opti-Thresh also reduces the amount of short straw landing on the sieves to improve grain cleaning capacity.
For those wanting greater threshing performance, CS models can be fitted with a second Multi-Thresh concave and Rotary Separator.
On the grain cleaning front, the combines employ a Cascade sieve, the first section of which includes an upper element with a steep slope so grain can fall further and receive an extra blast of air from a large diameter cleaning fan. The area on the sieves receiving airflow is 4.54cu m on the CS540 model and 5.44cu m on the CS640 machine.
Both models can also be fitted with a self-levelling cleaning shoe designed to maintain cleaning performance on slopes up to 23í.
At the business end, the CS640 has the option of 17-24ft wide headers, while the CS540 can have cutting widths between 15ft and 20ft.
Providing 1150 cuts/min, the header features hydraulically operated lateral float and optional Autofloat is available to enable the table to follow ground contours in both planes.
Grain tank capacities for the combines are 7000lt and 7800lt respectively, while the unloading rate for each model is put at 72lt/second.
The CS models are also equipped with an independent chaff spreader which allows chaff to be spread on its own or directly into unchopped straw.
Chaff can also be spread separately with the straw chopper engaged or incorporated in the main stream of chopped straw for better distribution.
In the cab, operators should not be disappointed when driving CS combines. Both models borrow the Discovery Plus cab from the latest CX range and retain the existing multi-function lever and control console from TX models.
An integral part of the drivers armrest, the console has controls for drum and fan speed adjustment, while the multi-function lever looks after all header movements and forward and reverse directions.
"One of our customers tested the CS640 with a 20ft header in a 3.25t/acre wheat crop and found it was capable of harvesting 30t/hour," says Mr Townsend. "When tested against two TX68s with 24ft headers, the combine managed to keep up, although with 72hp less engine output, the CS640 was slower when combining on slopes and in heavier crops."
And the all-important price? New Holland expects the CS range to be 8-10% less than TX and CX models. *
Combine specifications
CS540 CS640
Engine 238hp 258hp
No of walkers five six
Grain tank 7000lt 7800lt
Headers 15-20ft 17-24ft
Overall Width 3m 3.3m