An innovative two-row cane harvester that was launched in Brazil in 2020 is now available to order in Australia.
John Deere's CH9 series has been found to be 1.5 to two times more productive than the company's single-row model, the CH570.
According to John Deere's global cane business manager Jesse Lopez, the CH9 series has been tested on Australian soil for the past two harvests to ensure the machine was ideally suited to local conditions.
"We have worked with Australian growers over the past two harvests to receive fundamental feedback, and to prove the CH9 series is designed to excel in the local environment," Mr Lopez said.
"As a company, we're committed to providing customers with machinery and technology to be the most productive, profitable and sustainable in the world, and the CH9 series is the perfect example of John Deere innovation meeting the needs of today's farmer."
The CH9 series was recognised at the AE50 Awards in 2021 for its innovative integration of two independent front feed systems and base cutters, allowing the machine to operate at a similar speed to a single-row unit, while maintaining the expected cane quality.
The CH9 series joins the CH570 to give growers the option to order the CH950 in a 1.4 metre to 1.5m row width, and the CH960 as a 1.7m or 1.9m unit.
John Deere production system manager Ben Kelly said the CH9 series was designed to support growers' desire to achieve lower production costs per tonne, with controlled traffic integration - for significant benefits to soil health.
Mr Kelly said the two-row system had achieved in excess of 1.5 times more harvesting productivity while reducing machine hours by 33 per cent.
"The CH9 series also benefit from increased fuel efficiency, with the larger fuel tank meaning the new machines can potentially be fuelled only once every 24 hours," he said.
"In order to address the challenges of this increased harvest volume and uneven row height, John Deere engineers developed RowAdapt technology, allowing the base cutters to float independently. Cane from the two rows then merges in the machine right after the plant is cut.
"The RowAdapt system, coupled with a wider 10-blade chopper and redesigned primary and secondary extractor, reduces billet losses by up to 50pc."
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The CH9 has a new 13.6 litre engine with 50pc larger displacement than the CH570 9L, and uses, on average, only 82pc of the maximum horsepower capacity.
Maintenance costs have also been reduced with new heavy-duty tracks and more wear-resistant components on the elevator.
As well as increased harvesting capacity, the machine is equipped to offer industry-leading precision ag technology with the inclusion of the new Gen 4 Monitor, 4600 CommandCenter, providing the operator with more interaction and intuitive use.
Mr Kelly said as global demand grows for more sustainable and productive food and fibre, one of the most exciting developments of the new CH9 series was its positive impact on soil compaction.
"The rebalanced CH9 series offers a wider base aligning the harvester's tracks directly in the centre of the rows, providing up to 60pc reduction in soil compaction as the machine only travels on every second interrow," he said.
"The reduced soil compaction and improved cut quality will also allow farmers to potentially increase the cane growth cycle from five to up to eight years."
