14 Follow us on @PrairieFarming Better Farming | November/December 2024 Farm Machinery ‘THE YEAR OF THE COMBINE’ Case IH celebrates their past while introducing new technology. By Leslie Stewart At the recent Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show, Case IH territory sales manager Robert Meier and his team brought together vintage and new equipment for producers to see the progress in some iconic farm machinery. While things have changed over the years, a central theme remains: Constantly innovating to ensure efficiency, productivity, and minimal yield loss. “This (2024) is the ‘Year of the Combine’ for Case IH,” Meier tells Better Farming. “We had the AF9 on the lot, and our flagship 8260 combine. Both new products. To contrast, I had the 1938 Case A-6 combine positioned between them.” The event was held in September in Woodstock, Ont. Before modern combines existed, harvest was an all-hands-on-deck affair. Many farmers had to hire outside help to get the crop off the field. Case engineered a solution that allowed farmers to work more independently: The 1938 A-6 Case combine. This pull-type implement hooked on to the back of tractors and processed the crop hands-free. The spring-balanced header had knife sections that shaved the ground and could harvest all commercial crops. It was adjustable with a lever so operators could adapt the machine for different tasks and field types. Reels brought the grain through the combine on a ‘continuous canvas’ by synchronizing with the movement of the combine as it drove through the field. The reel drive was equipped with an adaptable chain tightener so that you could change speeds without removing links. Once the crop was on the canvas, it was fed up to the cylinder to be threshed and moved through to the ‘bottom bouncing’ separator to remove the chaff. Farmers were impressed with the A-6 and saw potential in the machine. Indiana farmer Ralph Unger is quoted in company literature: “I have used the Case six-foot combine and am sure it is what the future farmer wants.” Unger was right. The combine is still an essential part of every harvest, and many things have evolved in the last 86 years since the A-6 hit the market. Combine technology has grown more sophisticated, accurate, and comfortable for the farmer. Case IH has been using and advancing Axial-Flow rotor technology for some 50 years. In 2024, they expanded their Axial-Flow combine lineup to include the single-rotor AF9 A 1938 Case A-6 combine next to a 2024 Case IH AF9 at the recent Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show. Paul Nolan photo
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