John Deere has launched a new line up of C-Series air carts, including tech updates to the popular C650 and C850, to ensure producers of all sizes, and those with Control Traffic Farming (CTF) requirements, can optimise seeding performance.
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Unveiled at Commodity Classic in Houston, Texas, the new models encompass a range of capacities and configurations, while offering reduced maintenance and improved seeding accuracy.
John Deere production systems manager Ben Kelly said operations of all sizes would benefit from the new air cart technologies and multiple machine formats.
"The C650 and C850 are proven in local conditions and will now come with a suite of technological upgrades that will further enhance performance," Mr Kelly said.
"To complement this, the range of capacity and configurations offered by the new additions to the line up will now, more than ever before, allow customers to match their cart to their farm's needs."
The new C-Series model numbers, capacities, configurations and tank splits include:
- C350L/C350T: 12,333 L (5,638/6,695 L), leading and trailing
- C400L/C400T: 14,095 L (1,761/5,638/6,695 L), leading and trailing
- C500L/C500T: 17,619 L (6,695/3,171/7,752 L), leading and trailing
- C550L/C550T: 19,381 L (1,761/6,695/3,171/7,752 L), leading and trailing
- C650L/C650T: 22,905 L (1,761/9,162/4,581/7,400 L), leading and trailing
- C850T: 29,953 L (1,761/9,162/4,581/14,448 L), trailing only
Reduced maintenance costs with new corrosion-resistant AccuRate meters
The C-Series air carts feature AccuRate electric meters, constructed of stainless steel and composite materials, creating a corrosion- and wear-resistant system that stands up to seed treatments and abrasive granular fertilisers, to deliver a marked saving on meter maintenance costs.
The new AccuRate meter bank contains up to eight individually controlled meters per tank. With the ability to change the speed and volume of each meter, customers can now run higher-resolution prescriptions and have the ability to change the rate of product by each meter, allowing up to eight-times more precise seed metering.
"Meanwhile, Curve Compensation gives the ability to slow an inside meter down for the inside-of-a-turn and speed the outside meter up for the outside-of-a-turn, leading to consistent rate delivery across the entire drill as you seed around trees and curves," Mr Kelly said.
"The individually controlled meters also have the ability to stop each meter rotating instead of only closing the gate, which eliminates the potential for seed damage and seed dumping when turning on and off sections."
Save time and effort with new calibration and blower automation
To help farmers make the most of short seeding windows, the C-Series air carts feature two calibration features - the new industry-exclusive EZCal system and the trusted ActiveCal.
The EZCal system is a push-button calibration process that is completed before seeding and is now up to 75 per cent faster than the previous manual bag process. It can save more than 100 walking steps and eliminates the need to crawl under the cart during calibration, while ActiveCal ensures the meters remain calibrated throughout the day if product properties vary while you're seeding.
"The value of EZCal is getting you in the field faster with an accurate calibration starting point," Mr Kelly said.
"This is complemented by ActiveCal which allows you to calibrate throughout the day from the cab as conditions or product density change. You don't need to worry about over- or under-metering."
In addition, all new C-Series carts feature blower automation whereby the operator can set a target blower speed from the cab, ensuring consistent air flow as conditions change throughout the day.
"This level of automation reduces fatigue by allowing the operator to focus on the seeding task at hand, so that a quality job can be completed every time, regardless of operator experience," Mr Kelly said.
The C-Series carts under 20,000L are completely new with big features.
The needs of producers who require efficiency and productivity in smaller air carts have also been catered for in the new C-Series line.
The under 20,000L air carts feature the same meters, tank scales and calibration system as their larger counterparts, with the additions of a low-profile hopper with more than double the filling space of current models; a new conveyor/auger that allows the hopper to stay in one spot while filling all four tanks, and fills up to 75pc faster than the current conveyor; and the G5e cart-side display that reduces calibration time by eliminating trips between the tractor cab and the cart.
"We understand each operation has its own set of unique requirements and that has been integral to the design of the new C-Series," Mr Kelly said.
"Whether you need large or small, leading or trailing, the C-Series can help operators achieve accuracy, cost efficiency and ease of use - for peak performance in the paddock."
