BP uses the combine to harvest ryegrass. “It is an exceedingly difficult crop to harvest. You must harvest with an extremely high drum speed and a closed concave. This specific combine consists of a double rotor, which means that the separation of the grain and the waste material is incredibly good. After that, the material does not simply fall onto the sieve.
It first falls on a plate that moves it forward and then places it at the end of the sieve. Thereafter, the material flows over the entire area of the sieve to ensure the cleanest possible seed. Presently, there is no other combine in the market that can do what the Ideal combine does,” says BP.
According to BP, new technology is only effective when it is user-friendly. “The combine’s systems are very simple and easy to understand, and AGCO’s technical specialists provided the necessary training so that we can optimally use all the functions,” says BP.
Robbie Hall, Marketing Manager ofAGCO Africa, explains that the combine is the market leader due to its unique design. “The engineers at Fendt redesigned the combine from scratch to meet the requirements of the modern farmer. A lot of changes have been made to put these combines at the leading edge of efficiency and ease of operation. This is truly the ideal combine – hence its name,” says Robbie.
The Fendt Ideal Series has various unique features that put these combines in a class of their own.
These include:
- Dual Helix Rotor System: The 4,83 metre-long rotors are the longest in the market, and this length effects better separation and a more efficient threshing action. The feed drum is directly connected to the rotor, which means that the rotor speed is automatically adjusted to the load.
- Ideal Balance Return Pans: These plates give a better sieve action. After the material is threshed by the rotors, it is pulled forward and then moved over the full area of the sieve, which works more efficiently. The plates work effectively on slopes with an incline of 12 degrees, without the need to adjust the combine.
- The unloading system: The combine has a huge 17,100-litre tank capacity and a 210 litre per second unloading rate. This limits standing time because the transfer wagons Harvest cleaner with the brand-new Fendt Idealbrand-Ideal need fewer trips to unload the combine. Because the combine’s capacity and unloading speed are so high, there are hydraulic locks inside the grain tank that control the unloading speed. The augurs inside the unloading tube are balanced so that the machine does not shake unnecessarily, causing stress on wearing parts in the combine.
- The caterpillar tracks are available in 762 mm (30 inches) or 914 mm (36 inches) width. The width of the caterpillar tracks give better stability with heavy wheat or maize headers and helps a lot with good weight distribution and less soil
- compaction.
- The inside of the cabin is equipped with colour screens and satellite guidance and has Ideal Harvest, which allows the combine to choose all its settings automatically. The combine “learns” and adapts according to the conditions in which you harvest. The cabin is also equipped with Wi-Fi that can be connected to your iPad from anywhere in the world to enable you to see exactly what the combine is doing and how it is done.
- On the models equipped with caterpillar tracks, and on the Ideal Class 10 combine, Ideal Drive can also be installed in the cabin. With Ideal Drive, the Ideal combine has no steering wheel, but two control arms that control all the functions of the combine. Research proved that the operator uses 70% less effort with Ideal Drive handles than with an ordinary steering wheel, and therefore the operator does not get exhausted so quickly and can work longer periods. Fendt Connect is downloaded onto your phone and enables you to see everything that can be measured in the combine. The dealer also has access to this information and Fendt Connect allows the dealer to inform you when it is almost time to perform maintenance work on the combine.
- The 12,4-litre MAN engine is known for its high-power delivery at low revolutions, with the top of the torque curve already starting at 1 400 revolutions per minute. This ensures that the combine has more than enough power and uses less diesel.
All parts are already in stock at AGCO’s head office and parts warehouse in Kempton Park, and there is also a standby combine (9T) available to help out in the event of a breakdown that cannot be fixed quickly.
Werner Nel, Managing Director of JWL Agricultural Services who is the local AGCO dealer in the Wakkerstroom area, talks more about the after-sales service: “Even if you have the best product in the world, it will be to no avail if you cannot support it with the necessary after-sales service.”
The after-sales service is not only the responsibility of the local agent, but also includes support rendered to the agent by head office. “As an agent, I have direct access to the spare parts and information from head office. The shorter the path to the solution, the less waiting time for the farmer, and that is what we are striving for. We want to make sure the farmer’s equipment should be down as little as possible and be productive and profitable all the time.”
Fendt also recently launched their dealer network at the AGCO head office. The following well-known agencies have been appointed as Africa’s first Fendt agents:
- BHBW – Bothaville, Free State
- BHBW – Hoopstad, Free State
- Drakensburg Agricultural Services (DAS) – Winterton, KwaZulu-Natal
- JWL Agriculture – Ermelo, Mpumalanga
- JWL Agriculture – Standerton, Mpumalanga
- OVK – Bethlehem, Free State
- Tradestuff – Hartebeesfontein, Northwest
- Valtrac – Parys, Free State
For more information on Fendt Ideal Combines, please contact Frans Cronjé at 066-581-7505 or Frans.Cronje@agcocorp.com or go and see for yourself at your nearest friendly, helpful dealer.
