Case IH’s new tech-laden AFS Connect Magnum series cuts downtime
Forget your standard tractor, Case IH says its new AFS Connect Magnum series features groundbreaking levels of technology. This is how it works.
WHEN Case IH unveiled its Autonomous Concept Vehicle four years ago, it signalled where the ag machinery industry was heading.
The ability to remotely control and monitor a vehicle opened up new possibilities for operators and dealers alike.
Fast forward four years and Case has implemented that technology in its Magnum series that is about to land in dealerships across the country.
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The high-horsepowered Magnum series has been updated with the high-tech Advanced Farming Systems (AFS) precision technology that Case says features levels of connectivity operators haven’t had before.
Case IH high-horsepower and sprayer product manager for Australia and New Zealand Alyx Selsmeyer says the Magnums now have a completely new operating system and the cab has been entirely redesigned, while the tractor itself has had several aesthetic changes, such as a new bonnet and new LED headlights.
“The main objective was to give the customer data – data that they can use to watch their tractor, or their fleet, or their entire farm remotely,” Alyx says.
“Data they can use to improve their yield, improve their equipment portfolio.
“The other thing that is going to be huge for Australia is reducing downtime.”
At the moment, if something breaks down on a farmer’s tractor, a technician has to come out from the dealership and potentially drive a few hours just to get to the property. They may not even have the parts they need when they get there.
“With the AFS Connect, you can give the tech a call and they access your screen remotely,” Alyx says.
“They can figure out what’s wrong with your machine and make changes to your screen and push software updates, remotely, so you can get going a lot faster.”
Historically, she says, customers haven’t been using their data to the fullest extent, but there are many things they can do with data that can significantly increase profits and yields.
“From a data perspective the big thing in Australia is being able to monitor your workers, because farm labour has always been hard to come by in Australia. And you don’t always get consistent workers that you can trust year after year,” Alyx says.
“If you can monitor them remotely, see how they’re running the machines, and be able to attribute that data to that operator then you can see who your good ones are, who your marginal workers and potentially adjust things from it.
“Potentially, you can see where you’re going to have all the wear parts, and which units, and you can give them tips on how to run them better, fuel efficiency, etc.”
From a servicing perspective, if the technician is able to see exactly what’s wrong with the tractor remotely they’re going to be able to get everything when it comes to parts or a proper software update earlier or faster and therefore reduce downtime. “If it is just a software update we can push that to the tractor remotely,” Alyx says.
The AFS Connect portal allows producers to precisely manage their farm, fleet and data via GPS from a desktop or mobile device anywhere, while securely transferring data to and from the cloud.
They then have the freedom to share selected agronomic data with third-party partners of their choosing.
Through AFS Connect, owners or dealers can see exactly what an operator is seeing on the AFS Pro 1200 display in the cab; dealers can meet maintenance and service needs remotely and wireless updates to the operating system can be installed.
Once a technician has been granted access, that doesn’t mean they have access to the tractor in the future.
The machine has to be on, and the operator has to be sitting in the machine and call the technician over the phone. They have to request access and the operator has to accept it on the monitor.
Matthew Davey, a broadacre farmer whose family works 1600ha near Kadina in South Australia, put a 340hp AFS Connect Magnum to the test late last year.
“We had it for about 10 weeks and put 250 hours on it and used it everywhere we could,” says Matt, who owns a Magnum 260 and Steiger 500 Quadtrac. “We put a fair few hours on it with a Massey Ferguson mower conditioner, so we got to play with a lot of the cool features in it.
“It predominantly did all our spraying with a Hardi 10,000-litre 48m boom, and that put it to good work.”
Matthew says he was impressed with how he could set up the multi-function handle that allowed for a more intuitive set-up based on his preferences.
“Just being able to customise all the buttons to do all the different things — we even had one to answer the phone so I didn’t have to take my hands off the control to answer the phone if someone rang,” he says.
“You can set the functions on the armrest however you want. With the mower — there’s also two hydraulic functions on the multi-handle — we had all the hydraulics that we needed for the mower that were all on the handle and did not have to take our hand off it at all.
“There’s a lot of good tech in it for farmers and the connectivity for the dealers to help diagnose issues from their office.
“There’s a lot of stuff that should really help farmers increase their productivity. They can get as much as they want out of the tractor, or just use it as a basic tractor.
“We couldn’t fault it.”
The AFS Connect Magnum series will be available in Rowtrac (track and wheels) and four-wheeled configurations and will ultimately cover the entire range of full-size Magnums, from 250-400hp comprising more than 23 models. The tracked units will be 310-400hp models, while wheeled machines from 250-400hp.
Tracks go on the rear axle only on the line-up, providing the best combination of manoeuvrability and traction.
Set it up to suit you
Matthew Davey says he was impressed with how intuitive the AFS Connect Magnum was when set up for the operators’ preferences.
“The one thing we found is it’s as basic as you want a tractor or customisable as you want a tractor,” he says.
“People who really want to get in and start to use all the features, they’ll love it — we loved it. I was a bit sad when they took it away.
“One of the features we didn’t get to use that looks really good is for steerable rear axles — normally when you want to reverse you’re meant to lock the steering axles so they don’t go off kilter.
“On the Magnum, there’s an option on the screen where you can set up an automatic lock, so when you chuck the tractor into reverse, you tell it which remote locking system is on and it will automatically lock the hydraulic axle on the trailed implement.
“That means you can have anyone in chaser bin, or a baler, and they don’t have to think about manually locking the rear axle before they’re going to back up.
“So if you put less experienced operators in there you’re not too worried about them.”
Case IH AFS Connect Magnum
Manufactured: USA
Engine: FPT 8.7L
Cylinders: 6
Max Power: 435hp
Max Torque: 1850Nm
Rated engine power: 396hp
Boost power: 39hp
PTO Speeds: 540 and 1000 as standard equipment
Tier: 2
Driving modes: Powerdrive with APM (Automatic Productivity Management) or CVT
Transmission: Powerdrive or CVT
Fuel Capacity: 757L
Hydraulics: 224l/min standard optional 282l/min
Lift capacity: 9025kg
Max. hydraulic flow (L): 282l/min (optional)
LxWxH (mm): 6284 x 2388 x 3440
Wheelbase (mm): 3155
Linkage capacity: 9025kg
Weight: 16,786kg (shipping weight)
Price: Magnum 400 starts at $451,737 (+ GST)
Magnum 200 starts at $291,175 (+GST)
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