Customer stories

Axial-Flow simplicity stands out for Howlong producer

27 Feb 2014

​Hard-working broadacre farmer Peter Baker – with dad Barry and brothers Richard and Paul – recently acquired two new Case IH Axial-Flow® 9230 combine harvesters for the summer season.

Belgium, the family’s 2000-hectare property just outside of Howlong in New South Wales, is currently producing around 700 hectares of maize (corn) and lupin seed. In winter, wheat, canola and barley flourish.

“Last harvest, we had a demonstration of the Case IH harvesters and were pretty impressed. So when our local dealer got us a great deal on the two Axial-Flow combines, it was an easy decision,” Peter says.

Peter and his team also attended the Combine School at the Case IH headquarters at St Marys in western Sydney NSW – a unique opportunity for owners to learn how to get the most out of their larger combines.

“That was great – we learned how to set up and familiarise ourselves with the machines.”

The Axial-Flow combine harvesters offer farmers superior power, efficiency and comfort throughout the season. And the intuitive design simplifies harvesting.

“The harvesters have been terrific; we’re extremely happy. The cab is really comfortable and it’s so simple to operate – you can just jump in and start harvesting.

“My teenage son drives it for most of the harvest. I can walk away and leave him to it, which I couldn’t do with other machines,” Peter says.

Case IH dealer O’Connors in Corowa supplied the harvesters, which have so far done around 250 hours in the field. Both harvesters were fitted with 45’ 2152 Draper Fronts, 16' 3016 Pick Up Fronts and Case IH AccuGuide™.

​“The harvesters have been terrific; we’re extremely happy. The cab is really comfortable and it’s so simple to operate – you can just jump in and start harvesting."

​“The Axial-Flow is ideal for producers like Peter, because it adapts to many different crops so easily. It’s really easy to set up and maintain the settings, so you can go harvesting without changing much. Plus, it produces an excellent quality sample with minimal grain loss,” says Phil Penny, O’Connors Sales Manager.

The innovative redesigned cab also sets new industry standards in convenience, comfort and operator ergonomics. It offers:

  • A slim Multifunction Propulsion Handle, putting the most commonly used controls in fingers’ reach and providing more flexibility during the challenging chaser bin fill process
  • Upgraded right hand console, with simple ergonomic controls and adjustable display
    iPod connectivity
  • Portable electric refrigerator stored under the instructor’s seat, to keep food and drinks cool on hot summer days

These exclusive features combine with an AFS Pro 700 display for yield monitoring and machine and guidance control in the cab. And to save time, operators get in-cab control of the grain tank extensions and inclined delivery auger – standard in all models.

Harvest and transport speeds are also increased, thanks to the new heavy duty drive system. Advanced ‘Increased Flex’ tyre technology provides a 15 per cent larger tread footprint. This means less soil compaction, a higher load carrying capacity, longer tyre life and better traction year-round.

“And because they have fewer moving parts than other machines, the harvesters are virtually maintenance free and less expensive to maintain,” Phil says.

Certainly, the Axial-Flow provides producers like Peter with everything they need to get the most out of the summer harvest – and beyond.


Download Word Document Download Image Download Zip archive