Case IH’s latest sugarcane harvester, the Austoft 9000 series, has been unveiled in Thailand. The new series includes a raft of features to deliver next level productivity, performance and reliability. The new models are now available for customers South East Asia.
A new level of sugarcane harvesting performance and reliability has been revealed with the unveiling of the new Case IH Austoft 9000 series sugarcane harvester at an event in Nonthaburi province, Thailand.
The Austoft 9000 series, which is available in both wheeled and tracked configurations, delivers the power, performance and technology to help sugarcane farmers, harvesting contractors and mills tackle the challenges of an increasingly competitive global market.
The Austoft 9000 Series offers a more powerful engine, intelligent hydraulic system, plus a number of other innovations that allow for greater harvesting capacity at a lower operating cost.
The new machines are now available to order for customers throughout Thailand and South East Asia, with the first deliveries expected by the beginning of this year’s sugarcane harvest period.
“The latest Austoft 9000 series sugarcane harvesters will redefine the industry’s expectations of harvesting efficiency and performance, machine reliability and ease of operation,” said Michele Monzio, Case IH Asia Pacific Product Manager for Sugarcane Harvesters.
The now globally-known Austoft series name comes from the machine’s origins as the world’s first commercially-viable cane harvester, invented and sold by the Toft brothers in Australia in 1944. Since then, Case IH and its legacy brand names, played a major role in harvesting machinery product development for the sugarcane industry.
During the development process for the Austoft 9000 series, farmers from around the world provided feedback to Case IH on the design, to ensure it would live up to expectations in the field.
“The Austoft 9000 is the result of over 30,000 hours of field and bench testing,” Mr Monzio said. “Our focus was on further improving the reliability of the machine and reducing the total cost of ownership for customers,” he said.
“We are so proud of how we have worked with our customers to ensure the machines Case IH produces meet the needs of their operations in the most efficient and effective way,” Mr Monzio said. “Our customers deserve reliability and top performance and they want a machine that delivers a great return on investment for their business.”
The Austoft 9000 offers several technologies to increase efficiency in the field, including the renowned AFS® (Advanced Farming Systems) auto guidance system and a new telematics system that allows 4G connectivity on the machine. The Austoft 9000 cane harvester is also the first Austoft to offer this feature, allowing the operator to connect the harvester to the AFS Connect telematics portal, which offers tools for fleet monitoring, agronomic management and data management.
Other key features of the new Austoft 9000 include:
• A new 420hp engine and redesigned hydraulics system that provide from five to up to 10% higher harvesting capacity, 10% lower fuel consumption and 50% longer engine life
• Simplified access to machine components and a new bolted modular chassis to ensure enhanced serviceability
• Feed rate control that allows for the automatic adjustment of harvesting functions based on operating conditions, optimising fuel consumption and preventing ‘chokings’.
• Enhanced operator comfort with improved ergonomic design, more intuitive layout of commands and best-in-class cab visibility
“The new Austoft 9000 series retains the key features that have given the Austoft its pioneering reputation, but there’s also a raft of enhancements and technology advances that put the Austoft 9000 series in a class of its own,” Mr Monzio said.
“We are delivering a higher horsepower engine, on-demand hydraulics, better serviceability and improved reliability to minimise downtime at critical times of the season. Plus our data systems provide agronomic and machinery information to guide our customers with their decision-making,” he said.
“The Austoft 9000 is unique in the market, representing a new generation of our cane harvester. We are excited about the opportunities this will bring to our customers.”
