New Holland Fiat India, part of Case IH Global, the world’s leading manufacturer of farm machinery, announced the launch of its new sugar cane harvester Austoft 4000. Designed specifically for small and medium sized landholdings, the versatile machine represents an innovative solution that sets industry standards in the sugar cane business.
This new harvester aims to meet the specific needs of Indian farmers especially in the states such as Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh. In addition the machine is expected to boost the agricultural mechanization in the Indian sugar cane business through increased output at a lower cost.
The Austoft 4000 is a compact harvester, the overall dimensions are smaller compared to conventional models, designed especially to make it possible to streamline the harvesting process in sugarcane fields that use reduced four feet row spacing. The Austoft 4000 represents the pioneering spirit of Case IH. Working in four feet rows, this machine is narrow enough to harvest one row without compacting the root zone of the adjacent cane row. As an additional benefit, due to machine' width, tires do not run over cane stubble with no damage of ratoon crop.
Powered by a 170 horsepower engine, and weighing about seven tons, the Austoft 4000 is capable of efficiently harvesting 60 tonnes per hour. Built for maximum performance, the Austoft 4000 demonstrates its versatility by harvesting both four and five feet plantations. As such, the Austoft 4000 is suitable not only for areas where mechanization is starting but also for already mechanized countries. This unit is an ideal solution for farmers who have light soils to plant at four feet and at the same time who can still reap benefits of mechanization, realizing a significant gain in crop's productivity.
The light Austoft 4000 possesses outstanding maneuverability and has an excellent base cut resulting in reduced cane loss. The base cutter of the Austoft 4000 has been developed to enable the machine to cut flush at ground level, thus collecting the bottom part of the sugarcane which is usually left by manual labor. Featuring the innovative billet technology, the chopping mechanism on board not only helps in cleaning cane trash, but also unloads cane billets directly into trolleys, therefore reducing labor and without the need for extra equipment to load the cane.
The Case IH Austoft 4000 can be used to efficiently remove tops which can be easily baled for animal feed. Likewise, cane trash left by harvester can be quickly collected by balers and transported to cogeneration/
Thanks to its billet technology and overall features of this machines, subsequent operations of land preparation are quicker and more efficient if compared to more traditional equipment or manual methodologies. The time between harvesting and sowing is minimized with higher yields for farmers, better productivity and quality in terms of the canes collected and savings in terms of equipment, fuel and labor dedicated to these operations.
This easy to use and reliable machine represents an unique solution for farmers who want to capitalize on strong sugar pricing with an unmatched cost-benefits
Austoft 4000 sugar cane harvesters embody technological innovations that provide excellent cane quality to the mill, while keeping costs low and ensuring excellent productivity.
Austoft 4000 is also being introduced in Africa, South East Asia and China.
Case IH draws on over 50 years of expertise and recognition in the sugar sector around the world, making it the leader in production and sales of equipment for mechanized sugarcane harvesting with the largest product offering in the industry.
A full range of tractors in the 35 to 75 horse power segment are produced for the domestic market at the New Delhi plant. Additionally, the plant distributes a complete range of imported agricultural equipment including versatile balers which can also be used to efficiently bale cane stalks and other agricultural equipment for any farmer' needs.
