(OMAHA, Neb.) CLAAS of America Inc. gains recognition from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) for ground breaking industry innovation. For the sixth consecutive year, CLAAS received awards showcasing their capacity to deliver product and systems technology that advance agricultural engineering.

The AE50 awards program honors 50 companies or products for innovative engineering in the areas of agriculture, food and biological systems. Products are judged on specific criteria; they must provide the most profound technology in their industry, improve user safety and benefit producers by saving them time, money and labor.

2010 Awards were presented for the following CLAAS products:
LINER 4000 – Operating on such a large scale, the LINER 4000 takes raking to a whole new level. With a 49 ft. 2 in. working width, this center delivery 4-basket rake not only moves in the field but on the road. Traveling in transport position up to 31 miles per hour, the LINER 4000 features a transport axle supported with a pressure accumulator. The swath guard automatically switches from transport to work position and vice versa. It folds with a simple touch of a button and reduces to 12 feet for transportation height so no tine arms need to be removed. Maintenance has never been so simple – there’s no need to grease each tine arm individually because the arms run in an oil bath and have triple bearing support for the heavy duty arms.

DISCO 8400RC PLUS – Designed to maximize efficiency and speed, the DISCO 8400RC PLUS is impressive both in size (working width) and in the technology for faster dry down. The 27 ft. 3 in. triple mower allows for high capacity harvesters to mow and condition crops like alfalfa and clover without damaging the leaves, keeping nutritional content at its peak. The new roller conditioner is simple and unique to CLAAS. The bottom roll is driven and in turn, drives the top roll through its intermeshing design – a simple power transfer concept that eliminates gearboxes and drive shafts. The rolls are spring-loaded and the gap and pressure settings are adjustable. The segmented rollers also allow for low cost replacement – only the 12 in. segment of the roll
needs to be replaced versus the entire roll.

Operators can also harvest faster with less wasted time in and out of the cab with the new CLAAS Active Float hydraulic flotation system. With one touch operation direct from the cab, it gives operators the ability to adjust mower flotation and change header pressures for various field conditions. Because of the independently adjustable float, operators have the option of different float pressure on side hills – good news for those who work on hills as the side shift of the mower is eliminated. The flotation system quickly adjusts and helps reduce fuel consumption while Active Float also reduces ash content.

ORBIS 900 Header – The ORBIS 900 is a row independent head that can cover 30 feet(12rows/30”) of corn, milo and forage sorghum in a single pass providing growers with greater fuel efficiency and less time spent in the field. The new ORBIS 900 head allows high horsepower CLAAS forage harvesters to maximize their capacity. The grower now has the ability to harvest significantly more tons of corn per day than the ORBIS 750 or other 10-row (25 ft.) heads. The drive system with low starting torque sets a new benchmark compared to other heads in the industry. It’s uniquely engineered with a V-shaped crop flow that funnels the crop smoothly from the head into the forage harvester. Large drums on the end transport crop to the center and create a windrow effect for the crop to enter the forage harvester, resulting in higher chop quality and increased fuel efficiency. The drums keep the outside rows on each end away from the uncut neighboring rows giving growers less cob loss. Standard Auto Contour adjusts the head up and down and the new suspended frame geometry automatically neutralizes lateral tilt. This gives the grower the ability to adapt to the topography of the field providing the greatest versatility of harvesting in crop and terrain.

PU 380 PRO Pick-Up Head – The PU 380 PRO offers a pick-up width of 12’ 6” with the standard quick coupler providing easy connection and operation on the JAGUAR forage harvester. Featuring lateral contour for better ground following controlled from the cab, the pick-up pivots independently from the main frame of the head offering a smoother ride, greater crop pick-up as it quickly adapts to ground contour and reduces movement of the feeder housing.

What’s truly unique is how the PU 380 PRO is built. The heavy-duty gear box along with the ratchet style auger clutch proves to be stronger with a longer life than a conventional friction clutch. CLAAS has also formed and welded the auger tube into a spiral and widened the auger tube with short flighting for more strength and balance. Replaceable tines, camshaft arms, wear strips on the auger and paddles and the ability to replace the floor and intake assures harvesting uptime. Also equipped with the proven roller crop press, it lends a hand by smoothing out lumpy windrows, increasing the capacity of the JAGUAR up to 10%. In turn, you reduce your time spent in the field and gain ground during the essential time of harvest. Tine bars are “U” shaped for maximum strength and durability and equipped with CLAAS engineered tines – the thickest tine in the industry – with a curve at the endpoint allowing a better pick-up of light, thin crops. The PU 380 PRO has excellent flotation capabilities virtually over any terrain and gauge wheels positioned directly in line with the pick-up teeth to prevent digging.

CLAAS of America Inc. offers a wide variety of technologically innovative hay tool, baler, self-propelled forage harvester and combine harvester products to provide growers optimum performance in the field. These products are designed by a dedicated engineering staff located at numerous worldwide factories focused on the production and design of harvesting equipment. The design, performance and reliability of this equipment have made CLAAS an international market leader. For more information, visit www.claasofamerica.com.