Growers looking to buy a high-capacity AGCO Ideal combine from Fendt, or Massey Ferguson dealers for the 2022 harvest can include a Geringhoff draper header for the first time.

Previously available only in a separate transaction, the all-in-one package has been facilitated by a co-operation agreement between AGCO and the German header specialist so that dealers can quote for the combine and front end equipment in one go.

It gives growers streamlined access to the Geringhoff TruFlex Razer draper header as an alternative to AGCO’s own Power Flow table, which has a fixed extended knife position and a series of belts bridging the gap to the gathering auger.

There are 9.2m, 10.7m and 12.2m sizes suited to the Ideal combine, so the TruFlex Razor header in 10.7m and 12.2m sizes has no advantage in terms of working width.

But it does have a hinged frame enabling it to adapt to an uneven field surface when cutting laid or low-growing crop types, as well as draper gathering belts instead of an auger to cope with large crop volumes and realtively high working speeds.

The articulated frame is constructed in three sections of equal width with a rigid Schumacher knife system. There are 1.04m wide conveying belts drawing material to a 2.2m central intake belt and a 620mm diameter feed-in drum, the height of which is set manually to suit different crop volume.

Hydraulic drive to the lateral belts can be adjusted from the cab to match forward speed for a smooth flow of material, and the centre belt speed is also adjustable – manually on the header – to suit crop flow volume and speed.

Vertical side knives are available for oilseed crops and a 350mm diameter full-width auger with manual height adjustment can be added to keep tall and bulky crops from boiling over the backplate.

As a further measure to gather as much rapeseed as possible, the TruFlex header is also available with Geringhoff’s Variable Integrated Air System (V-IAS). This creates an upward flowing air curtain from just behind the knife designed to blow shed seed on to the draper belts.

In oilseed rape trials, this system can reduce losses by 32% compared to the same header running without the air system, and by 47% when compared with a conventional rigid header with fore-aft adjustable knife.

AGCO has also introduced some detail updates for the flagship Ideal combines for the 2022 harvest, including refinements to the cleaning system of the Ideal 9 – the second most powerful machine in the four-model line-up – designed to improve presentation of grain and lighter material.

Together with an increase in surface area subject to cleaning airflow, the changes are said to improve overall sample cleaning efficiency and effectiveness.

All Ideal combines are pure rotary machines, employing either one (Ideal 7), or two (Ideal 8 to 10) rotors with a horizontal rasp bar dedicated threshing section followed by a separation with steel fingers agitating and propelling the spiral crop mat.

Automated settings optimisation is available with the optional IdealHarvest system, which uses a multitude of sensors to monitor all aspects of the combine’s performance.

A graphic representation of crop flow through the combine helps operators keep an eye on adjustments and their effects, and this can be duplicated on an iPad to reserve the main display for powertrain and other information.

The Connect telematics data system for Ideal combines is also now available on AGCO’s straw walker machines to enable growers to analyse aspects of their harvesting operation, collect information such as yield and moisture, gather information on combine performance and allow selected data access by dealers to pro-actively monitor faults and service requirements.