Massey Ferguson 9530 Rotary Combine

Machinery manufacturers have given a sneak preview of the kit they will have on show at the Agritechnica show in Germany on 13-19 November. Massey Ferguson will be showing the latest version of its full rotary combine (main picture), called the MF9530 Fortia. However it’s mainly destined for France and Germany as well as Eastern Europe. No UK launch date has been set as the company is concentrating its UK firepower on the big hybrid 9280 machine (which has a conventional threshing drum but two rotors for secondary separation) and is selling well in the UK. Power on the Fortia comes from an 8.4 litre Agco Sisu Power 398hp SCR engine with a single axial rotor which is 700mm in diameter and 3.56m long (which, incidentally, MF claims is the longest in the market).

Amazone Amapad

A new link-up between Amazone and Japanese GPS giant Topcon has prompted the launch of the Amapad Isobus terminal. This 12.1in colour touchscreen allows you to move different displays around and minimise or maximise them quickly according to what operation you’re doing. The company also has a series of what it calls AgApps, software applications that you can load on to the unit much like you would on a smartphone. These include items like WindControl, which allows a fertiliser spreader to automatically compensate for the influence of wind, a high-tech Headland Control system that uses a new boundary spreading system and a Smartfill app for sprayers that tells you exactly when you need to fill up.

Claas Forager Dynamic Power

Fuel costs are even higher in Germany than the UK, So it’s no surprise that machinery companies are working hard to reduce consumption. Claas has just announced that it is shifting from Mercedes engines to MAN ones on the big Jaguar 970 and 980 foragers. It’s also dropping the twin-engine format in favour of a single 884hp V12 engine on the top-of-the-range 980 and a 775hp V78 version on the 970. It has also introduced the Dynamic Power engine output system across all Jaguar models. This automatically derates the power output when a load sensor on the engine detects that the crop is lighter. In fact it can drop power output from 775hp to just 330hp, with obvious benefits to fuel consumption. Other technical highlights include auto chop length and rear-view camera.

Pottinger Torro Autocut

Pottinger has apparently had a lot of success with its auto-knife sharpening system on the big Jumbo forage wagons, with one-third of buyers opting for it. So it has now made it available for the smaller Torro wagons too. The grinder sharpens all 39 knives in situ in just 3 minutes. Pottinger reckons that having sharper knives cuts diesel use by 15% and pays for the extra cost of the system in about two years. It adds that many contractors now do a full sharpen first thing in the morning, followed by a partial sharpen halfway though the day.

Same Deutz-Fahr 6190 and L730

Same Deutz-Fahr says that Agrotron M tractors will now be called the 6 Series, with one powershift model and one CVT for each model. It’s also added the 193hp Agrotron 6190, a relatively light and manoeuvrable machine that comes with either a powershift or a CVT. There’s also a new Agrotron L730 with 220hp 7146cc engine and full powershift transmission. Interestingly, there’s also a new cab coming for CVT models that will have completely new controls and a big new Topcon monitor plus a replacement for the existing chunky joystick.

John Deere Direct Drive

John Deere has an interesting new Direct Drive feature on its 6R models that combines a stepless transmission with a powershift. A bit like the Audi dual-clutch system, it has three ranges and eight speeds that are shiftable under full load. The clever gearbox design ensures that the next gear up and down from the one you’re in is already in position. Main advantage is lower fuel consumption. Other news is that there will be a 6210RE model with electric power that’s on tap when the tractor is moving as well as stationary. The big 9R and 9RT (tracked) tractors have also been upgraded with Stage IIIB low-emission engines and new, bigger, CommandView II cabs.

Case-IH Magnum CVX

Main news from Case-IH is the impending arrival of the new six-model Magnum CVX range with CVT transmissions and a top model that packs 419hp – the most powerful standard-format tractor on the market. The 143-176hp Maxxum EP (Efficient Power) range is also being launched with SCR low-emissions engines and Puma models are being upgraded with new engines. Two upgraded ranges of Axial-Flow combines (the 130 Series and 230 Series) are also being launched.

Krone Bigpack Baler

Among a mass of new Krone products was the Big Pack HighSpeed big baler, which the company says gives 20% more output thanks to faster packer system and piston plunger, beefier packer and feeder arms and a larger diameter knotter. Options for the HighSpeed include sensors that show the average moisture content of the bale being made, a bale weighing system and a bale tagger that leaves a machine-readable tag on the bale which holds information on bale weight, moisture content, time and date it was made and GPS position in the field.

JCB 550-80

JCB will have several new machines at Agritechnica. One of the key ones is the big new 550-80 Loadall which is aimed at the growing German demand for heavy duty loaders to handle maize silage destined for on-farm biogas plants (of which there are now more than 5000). However it’s also likely to appeal to UK farmers wanting a full-size 8m height, 5t lift machine. Power comes from a 145hp engine and the tear-out force is a substantial 6650kg. JCB will also show a smaller version of the TM220 wheeled articulated loader called the TM180. It’s a 1.8t, 4.5m machine.