New Holland claims the CR9090 is the highest capacity combine in the world.

New Holland's high-capacity
combine has Claas in its sights

THE teaser adverts for the New Holland CR9090 Elevation - including those within our own pages - urged the reader to "think biggest", but as New Holland's Director of Combine Development, Hedley Cooper, revealed at the harvester's launch, that was also the instruction given to the designers bringing the project to fruition.
"We had to adopt a completely new mindset in building this combine," he said. "We took a strong marketing approach that recognised the CR9090 was aimed at the top segment of the combine market that would only sell a few hundred units each year.
"It was developed with the most demanding farmers and contractors in mind, and we knew that we had to enter the market with the best solution - that meant performance without compromise in all crops."
To put the new CR9090 in context, New Holland is estimating the European (including Central and Eastern Europe) combine market for 2009 at about 10,000 units. The market segment the company's new combine falls into will sell about 500 units and New Holland plans to take 100 of these sales with the CR9090 Elevation.
And don't expect to see the bulk of the sales disappear into the former Communist Block - the CR9090 is a Western European machine with the greatest sales expected in France, Germany, Denmark and the UK.
"This combine is capable of averaging 70t/hr with spot rates significantly above that," Mr Cooper said. "To make best use of that level of capacity, the combine has to be used where yields will allow for maximum output."
So, what are ingredients that New Holland has poured into the machine that it claims to be the highest capacity combine in the world? Well, the CR9090 Elevation builds upon the proven qualities of the award-winning CR9000 range, but adds big features of its own including:
- a new 35ft Varifeed header;
- market-leading power of 591hp from Iveco's latest turbo compound engine;
- the biggest sieve area on the market of 6.5 square metres;
- the largest available grain tank with a capacity of 12,500 litres; and
- a 1,160-litre fuel tank to reduce the number of refuelling stops.
These enhancements, New Holland claims, result in the CR9090 Elevation offering a 10% increase in performance compared to the former flagship CR9080 Elevation, which was already a high-capacity machine.

Power to spare
The CR9090 uses the same 13-litre Iveco Cursor engine that powers New Hollands latest forage harvester and the T9060 tractor. Using turbo compound technology, it produces 544hp at rated engine speed and a maximum power of 591hp - 61hp more than the CR9080 Elevation.
The turbo compound technology - effectively a second turbocharger that provides extra power to the crankshaft - results in a 5% fuel saving when compared to a similar horsepower standard engine. Combined with the 1,160-litre fuel tank, it ensures the combine can work hard all day without stopping.
To match the cooling requirements of the engine, the CR9090 Elevation is fitted with 32% greater cooler capacity compared to the CR9080 Elevation, kept clean by new dual-rotary air screens. The combine's drivelines have also been up-rated to handle the additional power and torque.
Asked if he wouldn't have liked to boast the first combine with more than 600hp, Hedley Cooper - who is a former UK Business Director for New Holland - said it would have been nice from a marketing point of view, but could not be justified in engineering terms.
"This was the best engine for the job," he said. "It is perfectly matched to the combine for power, torque and to provide reliable power throughout the lifetime of the machine.
"It was tempting to break the 600hp barrier, but it wasn't necessary on this occasion. There's more than enough power to harvest, chop the straw and empty the grain tank all at the same time."

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The new Axial-Flow 7120 from Case IH.

Case IH reveals all-new
combine line-up for 2009

THE 2009 Case IH combine offering has been completely revised and now features six models. The new Axial-Flow 20 Series consists of the 7120 (maximum power 422hp), 8120 (469hp) and the 9120 (530hp), while the Axial-Flow 88 Series includes the 5088 (294hp), 6088 (335hp) and the 7088 (366hp).
The 5088, 6088, 7120 and 8120 all offer more horsepower than the models they replace. The 7088 is a brand new addition to the range, while the 9120 offers the same power output and performance as the Axial-Flow 9010 that was launched last year.
Engines apart, both the Axial-Flow 20 Series and 88 Series introduce new design characteristics to make these new combines easier to live with. One of the most noticeable features, which spans both the mid-range and flagship machines, is a new maintenance platform to the rear of the combine that gives easy access to all engine components. A built-in ladder, that can be pulled down to ground level, makes climbing up to the top of the combine both safe and convenient.
The combines also feature new, high-quality plastic side panels, made from renewable raw materials, that reduce operational weight and ensure a longer service life, but it's under the skin that the most important changes have been made. At the heart of the machines, for example, is the latest Small Tube Axial-Flow rotor developed by Case IH, which will be fitted as standard on all UK-specification 88 Series and 20 Series combines.
The result of more than 30 years of continuous development, the Small Tube rotor is more streamlined and compact than before, offering many advantages in the field. Compared to previous rotors it has a smaller diameter, increasing the space between the rotor and the concaves to allow more material to flow through.
The crop is now handled even more carefully and the quality of the straw has been improved without compromising on the proven Axial-Flow advantages of simplicity, versatility, capacity and grain quality.
In operation, the new rotor also results in reduced fuel consumption, despite the increase in performance and throughput. The use of advanced materials in the rotor head, intake and vanes and higher-strength rotor drive components, meanwhile, extend the service life and increase the reliability of the rotor system.
The settings for the new Small Tube Axial-Flow rotor can be adjusted to varying harvest conditions and crops at the touch of a button in the cab. The rotor speed can be precisely controlled between 220-1,200rpm, while sieve clearance and threshing gap are controlled automatically depending on the crop type selected. Due to the lightweight threshing and separation concaves, which are easily accessible and easy to change, these combines are suitable for every kind of threshable crop.
The Axial-Flow 20 Series now features a new, high-capacity feeder and a redesigned high-throughput transition cone. The conveyor chains are now spring-loaded, which ensures that the crop passes smoothly from the header into the rotor intake, where it is gradually accelerated up to threshing speed. This is said to offer increased durability over the previous design.
Also new on the 20 Series is an innovative high-performance chopping system equipped with 126 fixed blades (8120 and 9120), which ensures impressive chopping quality even at high straw flow rates. The 7120 combine is equipped with a modified chopping system with 63 fixed blades.

The 88 Series now includes the class seven 7088 combine that
offers similar output to the 7120, but costs £12,000 less.