There are a lot of buttons and controls in today’s techy world. This is not the Nintendo era, where you have one joystick and two buttons to get Mario or Luigi past the haunted castle and lava pits.
It’s the same in the tractor, right? Just because Tractor Operator X decided he liked the hydraulic controls in a certain order doesn’t mean it’s handy for everyone else. So why not let the tractor driver decide which buttons perform which functions? Why couldn’t the tractor driver program the joystick, levers and even the readout screen?
Well, now the driver can.
There was plenty of new iron presented at the National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville, Kentucky, this year, but not all of the rollouts involved iron – at least not directly.
Customizable functions
New Holland’s Genesis T8 has opened up customizable options for the in-cab experience with nine “hot buttons” that can be reprogrammed into 120 different functions. Each operator can reprogram the settings to individual taste, and the computer system will remember the user’s settings. Want to see the camera on the front hitch? Program a button. Want to reassign a lever? It’s not “hard-wired” to a specific hydraulic hookup, so assign the hydraulic function of your choice.
And don’t forget your neck kinks. Instead of turning your head to view the tractor console, the Genesis T8 now has this located where it should have been all along: directly in front of the steering wheel on the steering column, just like in your car.
Tired of toggling to see different readouts or cameras from the implements you’re pulling? Now you can split the 12-inch view screen to view two at once.
The Case IH AFS Connect Magnum Series tractors also rolled out programmable hot keys and added multiple USB plugins.
While at least 10 years ago everyone had this level of functionality in mind, it’s finally a reality. It’s like coming of age from the flip phone to the smartphone (version 10 where all the bugs are worked out already). Luigi and Mario never had it so good.
Connectivity
Likely the most important change in equipment upgrades at this year’s show is: Equipment manufacturers finally have used ISOBUS capability as the standard. This lets your new tractor talk to your old equipment of any make or model, which was a real dilemma in the early technology days.
Split bales
Also big on the scene at this year’s show was the HD Twin 40 baler by the same company who brings you Bale Band-It (although only the prototype was available for viewing). Small bale improvements seem to be the hot ticket for innovation in 2018-19.
This baler creates the normal 80-pound bale but split-ties each bale into two 40-pound bales. Just clip one set of strings (on the 80-pound bale) and you’re left with two individually tied 40-pound bales – ideal packaging for the horse hay customer. The plunger force was increased 76 percent to deliver the same bale density as a large square bale. With in-house manufacturing, orders are being taken on the HD Twin 40 baler for fall 2019 delivery.
Check out more big and small equipment rollouts and improvements from the National Farm Machinery Show.
Kubota
B2301 tractor
Benefits:
- 22 gross horsepower
- 17.5 PTO horsepower
- Non-Tier 4 regulated – hydrostatic transmission
Mitas
Super Flexion Tire
Benefits:
- Developed specifically for high-horsepower tractors
- Flexible ultra-strong sidewalls allow low inflation pressures for high load-carrying capacities
- Maximum traction
Gehl
RT185 track loader
Benefits:
- 1,850-pound operating capacity
- 69.9 horsepower
- 178 foot-pounds torque
- Seat-mounted pilot control system
Horsch
Maestro RC1630
Benefits:
- Increase planting efficiency by 20 to 40 percent compared to traditional planters
- Hydraulic down pressure on row units to stabilize and maintain accurate seed depth placement at higher speeds
- Weight transfer system spreads weight of the planter across the entire toolbar
- ISOBUS control system for integration into different VT monitors and software programs
- Electric motor-driven seed meters and singulation system for placement accuracy
LS Tractor – XG3025
compact tractor
Benefits:
- 24.4 horsepower
- PTO horsepower 19.2
- Synchro Shuttle transmission
- Hydrostatic power steering
- Hitch lift capacity 1,808 pounds
Kinze
4700 Planter
Benefits:
- Blue Vantage display, Blue Drive electric drive and true depth down force
- Three-section frame with 15 degrees of tool bar flex up and down for ground contact (36-row capacity)
- 30 degrees of wing flex (15 degrees up and 15 degrees down)
- 120-bushel bulk seed fill capacity with hydraulic weight transfer
- 600-gallon liquid fertilizer tank (optional)
Shoule – Rock Monster
RM 8090
Benefits:
- High dumping height of 90 inches
- Can dump in motion
- Bucket capacity 126.77 cubic feet
- Picking width 80 inches
- Minimum rock diameter 2 inches; maximum rock diameter 24 inches
Shurco – Service truck
power kits
Benefits:
- Connector power kit
- Heavy-duty two-way connector socket
- Heavy-duty two-way conductor plug
- Jumper cable kit
- Extension cables
Camso – CTS high speed
track system
Benefits:
- 100 percent bolt-on track system for combines
- Integrated final drive system
- Similar road speeds to wheeled combines
- 36-inch track width, 64.1-inch track height, 114.2-inch track length
Weego – Crankenstein
portable jump starter
Benefits:
- 1,200 cranking amps and 5,000 peak amps for 12-volt systems
- 600 cranking amps and 5,000 peak amps for 24-volt systems
- 80 percent lighter than comparable lead-acid jump starters
- Operating range of -28 to +140ºF
Yanmar – Brahma diesel
UTV
Benefits:
- Base canopy, semi-cab or full-cabin models available
- Ground clearance 12.2 inches
- Heavy-duty front bumper with winch mount
- 10.6-gallon fuel tank
- 1,000-pound bed capacity
Kuhn – Dominator 4856
tillage
Benefits:
- 18-inch shanks: spring reset subsoil and/or HD spring reset chisel
- 10-foot-6-inch to 19-foot-6-inch working widths
- Reverse-tandem disc conditioner
- 9-foot coulter gang spacing
- Soil conditioning reel with mechanical down pressure
Krone – Big X 1180 forage
harvester
Benefits:
- V12 engine design
- Sustained engine output during chopping 818/1112 (kilowatt/horsepower X Power)
- OptiMaxx 350 roller conditioner (with 2-inch-larger diameter than OptiMaxx 250)
Kubota
M7 Gen 2 Series tractors
Benefits:
- Semi-power-shift transmission
- Turbocharged diesel engine with selective catalytic reduction (exceeds Tier 4 regulations)
- LM2605 front loaders
- Z-bar linkage for mechanical self-leveling and single-lever hydraulic valve quick coupler
Duo Lift – Mounted
grain bag roller
Benefits:
- Now mounted for mobility
- 92-inch length, 58-inch top width, 45-inch bottom width, 49-inch height
- Hydraulic drive motor; requires one hydraulic remote outlet for two hoses
- Rolled bags will be approximately 36 inches long x 36-inch to 48-inch diameter
- Accommodates a 250- to 300-foot grain bag in one bag roll
Kubota – PS20
skid-steer seeder
Benefits:
- 72- or 86-inch widths
- Bi-directional seed cups
- Quick-attach mount and three-pount hitch standard
- Floating packer wheels
Kuhn – 10-Bale
Accumulator
Benefits:
- 14-by-18-inch bales
- 23- to 44-inch-long bales
- 70 inches wide by 96 to 132 inches long
- Updated linkage on the back gate
- Manufactured in-house in Ohio
RhinoAg – Twister 30
Series rotary cutters
Benefits:
- Domed deck designed to reduce grass buildup
- Full-length skids and tapered side skirts reduce gouging
- New suspension and driveline designs
NDY Manufacturing
Center fill ladder extension
Benefits:
- Use for JD 1770 and 1775 planters
- Works while in transport and planting positions
- Easily folds when not in use
- Multiple positions for different heights
Land Pride – RC4715
Rotary Cutter
Benefits:
- Requires 50 to 250 horsepower
- 15-foot working width, 15-feet-10-inch overall width
- Cutting height 1 1/2 to 16 inches
- Parallel pivot axle for improved holding power on hills and inclines
- Single-wing mowers are designed specifically for roadside mowing
Deutz-Fahr – Small-frame
6130 and 6140 tractors
Benefits:
- 126 and 136 horsepower, respectively
- Power shift or CVT transmission
- Selection of cabin and control layout
- Front-end loader by Quicke availability
Shoule – SLN G4
Land Leveler
Benefits:
- Articulated left tandem or double articulated tandems
- Five sizes – 16-, 18-, 20-, 22- and 24-foot models
- Posts for laser receiver and GPS receiver
- Transport kit
Shurco - Electric Farm
Swing Gate
Benefits:
- Remote gate opening with the SMART3 app (Android phones only)
- 12-volt battery powered
- Solar panel included for convenient battery charging
- Open and close gates up to 18 feet wide
McFarlane – Incite 5151
tillage
Benefits:
- Synchronized wing folding
- Working width of 51 feet 3 inches
- On-the-go hydraulic adjustment of disc gang angles
- Hydraulic height adjustment from disc blades to 8 inches above
- Finishing options include both three- and five-bar harrows
- Horsepower requirement 410 to 600
Bierman – Hydraulic
wheel dolly
Benefits:
- Lifting action with two-stage hydraulic pump
- Two roller tables to enable rotation of wheel alignment
- Adjustable retaining arm
- 4- to 6-inch caster wheels
- Maximum load capacity: 3,800 pounds
TUM - T264 subcompact
tractor
Benefits:
- Engine horsepower 24.4
- PTO horsepower 18.3
- Indirect fuel injection
- 1,534-pound hitch lift capacity
Danuser – Python Wire
Winder and Wire Unroller
Benefits:
- Connects to 2-inch receiver hitch
- Convenient rebar and T-post straightener for fencing repair
- Built-in wire tensioner cleats for stretching and holding wire
- Controlled spinning to prevent backlash
- Angled frame gives additional 9 1/2 inches of ground clearance
Calmer – Chopping
Stalk Roll
Benefits:
- 12-bladed chopping stalk roll
- “Open window” feeding chamber
- For the John Deere 600 and 700 series corn heads
- Chops wet, dry and even green cornstalks
Westendorf
Stack Saver II
Benefits:
- Eliminates bales that stick with push-plate design
- For round or square bales
- Heat-treated forged steel
- Stabilizer spears to keep bale from spinning
