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144 pictures from the tour (56K beware):
http://lefebure.com/farming/2009/march/
What a fantastic experience. I would definitely recommend this tour for anyone that has some seat time in a red machine.
We also had a “class” to cover some of the changes and general info about the manufacturing process. I took some notes:
There are approximately 1150 employees at G.I. The Production line only runs 1 shift, and they work until they complete however many machines they plan on for the day. In this case, they planned to build 26 machines (22 red, 4 yellow). There are also people that do fabrication of parts, and some of those departments will run around the clock.
The new 88 series (5088, 6088, 7088) now uses the same header hook up as the 10 and 20 series do. For those of you that want to buy a new combine, but keep your older headers, you can get the old style face plate for the new 88 series combines. I don’t believe you can get that faceplate as a factory option, but it can be ordered through parts. We were told that it is a rather expensive thing, and somewhat involved to swap out due to the different electrical and hydraulic couplers. Also, be aware that it will reduce the amount of tilt that field tracker can move. Normal is 5 degrees either way, and the old face plate will restrict that to only 4 degrees each way.
The 88s have a larger fuel tank of 250 gallons (up from 194). This is good, because these new engines burn more fuel, and we couldn’t get a full day of use out of our 2588 on one tank last fall.
The 88s now have a 2 speed header option that can increase the header speed by 15%. It is located on the front of the feederhouse, and is manually changeable. It is just two sets of gears with a spline that you can slide from one set to the other. If you order a corn head for the older 2300 or 2500 series, they come with a 2 speed gear box on the header. The heads for the 10 and 20 series (and the new 88s) don't have that gear box on the header.
The 88s now have electronically adjustable sieves. You can open them on the go, but you don’t want to close them on the go. The reason is that when you close them, they actually open all the way, close all the way, then open to where you want them.
The 7088 has an option of an in-cab electrically open/close hopper. The hopper does have to be empty to fold it due to the clean grain auger moving with the hopper cover.
New reverser which is a lot simpler than the previous one.
88s still use the same rotor and cage as the 2388s/2588s.
88s have a 15% larger clean grain elevator. The intake and output were both updated, and the top boot now moves up and down when adjusting chain tension. It will stay correctly spaced from the yield monitor sensor, so that doesn’t have to be recalibrated either.
Front axle on the 88s was moved forward 4 inches for better weight balance with heavy headers. Rear axle was moved back 5 inches (total of 9 inches longer wheel base). However, the rear axle now uses an offset kingpin design, allowing the machine to have a tighter turning radius that the 2588s did. This should also allow it to pick up a heavy header without any rear ballast. Target is a 60/40 weight distribution.
The cab air filter on the 88s is a better design than before. It pulls air from up by the top of the cab, so it should remain cleaner for longer.
There are 3 seat options – regular cloth, cut and sewn cloth, and the cut and sewn red leather heated seat.
There are 3 lighting packages – standard halogens, 2 HIDs, or 6 HIDs.
The 5088 has two lift cylinders of 2.5 inch diameter, and the 6088 and 7088 have two 3” lift cylinders. I think they said that will pick up a 12 row corn head. I think there is also an option to add a third 3” cylinder for really heavy headers. (I’m not certain I have this right).
The 20 series come with two 3” lift cylinders, and the 8120 and 9120 have an option for 3.5” lift cylinders. If you have a 12 row chopping corn head, you’ll want the larger cylinders. The smaller ones will do it, but you’ll probably have to turn up the system pressure.
The track option is only available on the 8120 and 9120. The 7120 doesn’t have enough extra HP to run them. The majority of the track parts are the same as is on the STX QuadTrac, except for the main mounting piece. The final drives come with the tracks, so no transmission gear ratio changes need to happen. A track machine can be swapped to wheels, and a wheel machine can be swapped to tracks. You CANNOT put your STX QuadTrack on blocks and use those tracks on the combine due to the final drives and how they mount to the axle. Turning radius and road speed are the same on tracks as on wheels.
Kudos to Titan Machinery and CNH. They both did a great job.
-Lance
http://lefebure.com/farming/2009/march/
What a fantastic experience. I would definitely recommend this tour for anyone that has some seat time in a red machine.
We also had a “class” to cover some of the changes and general info about the manufacturing process. I took some notes:
There are approximately 1150 employees at G.I. The Production line only runs 1 shift, and they work until they complete however many machines they plan on for the day. In this case, they planned to build 26 machines (22 red, 4 yellow). There are also people that do fabrication of parts, and some of those departments will run around the clock.
The new 88 series (5088, 6088, 7088) now uses the same header hook up as the 10 and 20 series do. For those of you that want to buy a new combine, but keep your older headers, you can get the old style face plate for the new 88 series combines. I don’t believe you can get that faceplate as a factory option, but it can be ordered through parts. We were told that it is a rather expensive thing, and somewhat involved to swap out due to the different electrical and hydraulic couplers. Also, be aware that it will reduce the amount of tilt that field tracker can move. Normal is 5 degrees either way, and the old face plate will restrict that to only 4 degrees each way.
The 88s have a larger fuel tank of 250 gallons (up from 194). This is good, because these new engines burn more fuel, and we couldn’t get a full day of use out of our 2588 on one tank last fall.
The 88s now have a 2 speed header option that can increase the header speed by 15%. It is located on the front of the feederhouse, and is manually changeable. It is just two sets of gears with a spline that you can slide from one set to the other. If you order a corn head for the older 2300 or 2500 series, they come with a 2 speed gear box on the header. The heads for the 10 and 20 series (and the new 88s) don't have that gear box on the header.
The 88s now have electronically adjustable sieves. You can open them on the go, but you don’t want to close them on the go. The reason is that when you close them, they actually open all the way, close all the way, then open to where you want them.
The 7088 has an option of an in-cab electrically open/close hopper. The hopper does have to be empty to fold it due to the clean grain auger moving with the hopper cover.
New reverser which is a lot simpler than the previous one.
88s still use the same rotor and cage as the 2388s/2588s.
88s have a 15% larger clean grain elevator. The intake and output were both updated, and the top boot now moves up and down when adjusting chain tension. It will stay correctly spaced from the yield monitor sensor, so that doesn’t have to be recalibrated either.
Front axle on the 88s was moved forward 4 inches for better weight balance with heavy headers. Rear axle was moved back 5 inches (total of 9 inches longer wheel base). However, the rear axle now uses an offset kingpin design, allowing the machine to have a tighter turning radius that the 2588s did. This should also allow it to pick up a heavy header without any rear ballast. Target is a 60/40 weight distribution.
The cab air filter on the 88s is a better design than before. It pulls air from up by the top of the cab, so it should remain cleaner for longer.
There are 3 seat options – regular cloth, cut and sewn cloth, and the cut and sewn red leather heated seat.
There are 3 lighting packages – standard halogens, 2 HIDs, or 6 HIDs.
The 5088 has two lift cylinders of 2.5 inch diameter, and the 6088 and 7088 have two 3” lift cylinders. I think they said that will pick up a 12 row corn head. I think there is also an option to add a third 3” cylinder for really heavy headers. (I’m not certain I have this right).
The 20 series come with two 3” lift cylinders, and the 8120 and 9120 have an option for 3.5” lift cylinders. If you have a 12 row chopping corn head, you’ll want the larger cylinders. The smaller ones will do it, but you’ll probably have to turn up the system pressure.
The track option is only available on the 8120 and 9120. The 7120 doesn’t have enough extra HP to run them. The majority of the track parts are the same as is on the STX QuadTrac, except for the main mounting piece. The final drives come with the tracks, so no transmission gear ratio changes need to happen. A track machine can be swapped to wheels, and a wheel machine can be swapped to tracks. You CANNOT put your STX QuadTrack on blocks and use those tracks on the combine due to the final drives and how they mount to the axle. Turning radius and road speed are the same on tracks as on wheels.
Kudos to Titan Machinery and CNH. They both did a great job.
-Lance
