Contractors across the UK and Ireland have been impressed with New Holland's FR9000 Series forage harvester and the quality of the maize sample it produces. Replacing the FX Series, the all-new five-model FR9000 range offers greater capacity than its predecessor and its advanced crop processor ensures a high quality of harvested crop.
"Our FR9080 demonstrator ran very well in maize and produced an excellent sample," said Jonathan Batey, driver for contractor Arthur Ritchie. "I really noticed how quiet it was compared to our FX50 and how much more powerful. But the fuel consumption was only up marginally, from 15 to 16 litres per acre, despite covering 60 acres per day in the FR9080 as opposed to 40 acres per day in the FX50."
Ian Gate, sales manager from New Holland dealer Lloyds in Carlisle explains why the FR9000 creates such as a good sample. "The FR9000 forager uses a more advanced crop processor to crack or mark the maize grains as they are processed. This less aggressive milling ensures the husks of the grains remain, which slows their passage through the cow's rumen. The cracked grain is digested over a longer period and more nutrients are extracted."
The FR9000, recently crowned Machine of the Year by the German Agricultural Society (DLG) at the Agritechnica show, has proved itself during its demonstration programme. "With a limited number of machines available, it was important to get maximum exposure of the FR9000 with customers in both the UK & ROI. The Agritechnica win underlines the great feedback we've had from operators working in grass and maize," said Symon Bradney, New Holland product specialist.
The FR9000 forager's crop processor and Variflow system can be altered between its two-position settings in less than two minutes by one operator without tools. This in-field flexibility enables grass, maize or wholecrop to be harvested in turn without delays from extensive setup changes. "Swapping from grass to maize used to be a half-day job," explains contractor Arthur Ritchie "but now it takes just minutes and a few levers to move between crops."
The FR9000 Series comprises five models from 424hp to 824hp and features the largest cutter head in the industry, up to 15% bigger than the competition. Operators can carefully control the chop length and quality using the HydroLoc™ feed roll drive system and the wide crop processor, which has been designed for efficient kernel cracking and maximum crop transfer. The adjustable large-diameter rolls have a saw-tooth profile to optimise processing and the strength of the kernel cracking can be carefully controlled.
The new Variflow™ system reduces the power required for the blower by maintaining the speed of chopped crop as it is transferred from the cutterhead to the blower, enabling the crop to continue its momentum. The crop is sent from the blower in a concentrated jet, which ensures accurate control and good compaction in the trailer.
