This decade, mix harvesters have develop into considerably bigger and extra highly effective – and again in 2016 the Ajuria idea, designed by Alberto Seco and revealed within the pages of iVT, predicted this development. Now, Seco has returned to the design to replace it for a brand new period
When the primary model of the six-wheel Ajuria mix harvester idea was revealed within the March 2016 challenge of iVT, just a few combines have been accessible within the Class 10 class (at the moment outlined as exceeding 680hp). Again then, photos of Class 10 prototypes beneath testing might be discovered on the web, for instance an enormous, huge and lengthy John Deere harvester. There have been additionally some footage of a pink machine with big rubber tracks that gave the impression to be a brand new Massey Ferguson.
One yr later, AGCO unveiled the primary models of this Excellent Sequence constructed within the former Laverda plant at Breganze, Italy. The pink color had been become excessive gloss black to serve the three AGCO manufacturers: Massey Ferguson, Fendt and Challenger. By then the New Holland CR10.90 Elevation was additionally launched, with
a most energy of 653hp, because of its FPT Cursor 16 engine.
The most important headers offered by the OEMs have been the 13.10m (45ft) mounted on the North American Massey Ferguson 9895, Case IH Axial-Move 9240 and New Holland CR10.90. A substantial grain tank of 14,448 litres (410 bu.) was fitted within the Case IH and New Holland fashions. And, as a dimension associated to the dimensions of the threshing techniques, the Massey Ferguson Delta 9380 was fitted with twin rotors of 4250mm size.
All these specs have been exceeded by the Ajuria idea mix with a 850hp energy unit, a 16,500-litre grain tank and headers from 50-60ft.
Assembly the design problem
In 2016, the Ajuria high-performance mix (which takes its title from a Spanish OEM that made agricultural equipment within the first half of the twentieth century) tried to fulfill an iVT Design Problem based mostly on the next query: “What impact would including no less than one further axle to a historically two- axled machine have on its design, dimensions and efficiency?”
The addition of an additional pair of wheels to a mix harvester would permit for the event of a higher-performance machine, supporting huge hundreds as a result of big header, grain tank and threshing system. The entrance bogie axle drive system would erase the necessity for twin tyre mixtures on a typical single entrance axle. This configuration would additionally make an extended system doable, ultimate for successfully managing all of the straw provided by the broader header.
The rubber tracks had considerably improved efficiency on huge combines for the reason that introduction of the caterpillar system (which have been first developed for the Challenger farm tractors) on the Lexion vary of combines by Claas.
Nevertheless, the launch of the brand new AGCO Excellent opened the door to creating larger techniques with completely different configurations. Since 2017, the dimensions of mix harvesters has stored rising to develop a correct market of Class 10 combines, and rubber observe techniques have been instrumental to deal with huge hundreds on the entrance axle.
They’ve offered harvesters with even distribution of weight with diminished floor stress and improved tractive effort. Thus, the Ajuria II Sequence Class 10 idea mix has been fitted with a pair of rubber tracks.
A high-performance market
How would the ideas of 2016 stand in in the present day’s market? All OEMs have elevated the dimensions of grain tanks exceeding 16,500 litres and the brand new Case IF AF11 mix has reached a capability of 19,980l (567 bu.).
The previous Ajuria mix had an excessively lengthy cab, and now, it has been diminished for the tracked mannequin to go away extra room for an even bigger tank.
To extend headers width as much as 18m (60ft), the CNH group enlisted McDon, a provider of specialized headers. For the Ajuria mix, the previous 50-60ft headers had been designed as foldable models to facilitate the transport of the mix with out dismounting the header.
Ajuria’s threshing and separation system, which consists of a set of transversal concave and threshing drums and two counter-rotating diameter rotors, is the usual configuration for the present Class 10 combines market, with twin rotors measuring beneath 5m in size.
The Ajuria II Sequence idea harvester retains the foldable centred unloading auger, over the grain tank, to supply really versatile grain unloading throughout the mix permitting the unload in direction of either side.
A brand new handy entry to the cab has been designed for either side by way of twin ladders that may be positioned on longitudinal or transversal path to supply two other ways of entry to the cab.
This text first appeared within the iVT Off-Freeway Annual 2025 which is offered to learn HERE
