A record of harvesting firsts
“The development of combines over the last 50 years has been sensational,” says Jim McNaught who was Chief Engineer of Massey Ferguson’s Harvesting Group during the 1970s. “No longer does the operator sit out in the open surrounded by dust and controlling everything manually but he is now in ‘dinner suit’ cleanliness operating all functions by push button.”
The roots of Massey Ferguson’s modern-day harvesting expertise reach back to the mid 19th century with the founding of the Canadian farm equipment companies, the Massey Manufacturing Company of Toronto and A. Harris, Son & Company of Brantford. When they merged in 1891, they were not only the two most successful farm machinery firms in Canada but also well established on the international trading scene, exporting their wide range of harvesting equipment worldwide.
Among the products on offer were binders, reapers, reaper-threshers, rakes and mowers. At the 1889 Paris Universal Exposition Massey’s Toronto Light Binder was awarded the distinction of the ‘world’s greatest harvesting machine’.
The success in this early period resulted from the company staying right at the forefront of farm technology and drawing into the family other firms that showed a flair for innovation. Among these was H V McKay Limited, Australia’s biggest manufacturer of farm machinery in whom Massey-Harris acquired an interest in 1930. Back in the 1880s, McKay had added a separating mechanism to the existing stripper harvester (a machine that stripped the heads of grain and threshed them with a beater), patented the machine and, thereby, effectively created a ‘combine harvester.’
Under the supervision of Massey-Harris engineer, the Australian-born Tom Carroll, came the development of the world’s first commercially-viable self-propelled combine harvester, the Massey Harris No 20. Dispensing with the need for draft animals or tractors, this all-in-one operation represented a major breakthrough in harvesting techniques. Its knife extended the full width of the combine’s front-end and the engine was ingeniously made to drive the internal mechanism and propel the vehicle – either together or separately. The machine (later in the form of a lighter, more compact model, the MH No 21) proved itself during the Second World War when Massey-Harris set up its Harvest Brigade of 500 combines which gathered thousands of hectares of grain as the ripening season moved northwards across America.
The development of the self-propelled combine continued throughout the 1940s and 1950s. One of the first models to appear under the new Massey Ferguson name was the MF 35 in North America – a small, low-priced machine for small- to medium-sized farms. In the mid-1960s, following the introduction of new MF 300, 400 and 500 models, Massey Ferguson claimed 18% of the worldwide market for combines.
Balers were also an important part of the harvesting range.
In the early 1970s, the Massey Ferguson Suretie knotter - as fitted to the MF 124 baler - was a significant development. Renowned for it reliability, the Suretie contained up to 30% fewer parts than most knotters. It accepted sisal and plastic twine and no field adjustments were required.
As with other farm machines, demand grew for greater capacity. Big round balers and big square balers were introduced in the early 1980s and mid 1990s respectively.
One of the major developments in combines was the addition of an enclosed cab to protect the driver from the elements and, in particular, the dust thrown up by the harvesting process. The first Massey Ferguson combine to boast a factory-fitted cab was a North American-built MF 750/MF 760 in the early 1970s. Integral cabs appeared on MF European-built models – the MF 500 and MF 600 – in the early 1980s.
In 1976, MF engineers headed by Jim McNaught developed the pioneering PowerFlow table – an innovation that is still making a difference on MF combines today. With PowerFlow, the crop is powered headfirst to the table elevator by means of rubber belts. This ensures an even feed into the machine and reduces table losses and machine blockages. The result is increases in output of up to 73% ha/hr in oil seed rape, for example. “The design was originally presented at a meeting of the Royal Society of Engineers and received the Silver Medal at the UK’s Royal Show,” adds Jim McNaught. “The fact that farmers are still appreciating the benefits of the unit demonstrates that it has definitely proved to be worthy of this award.”
Combines continued to get bigger and bigger. In 1972, the MF 760 combine was one of the largest combines of its day and was used in Europe with 24ft (7.3m) tables. In the late 1970s, an MF 760 set the standard for harvesting 100 acres (41.6 ha) in a day’s work. The MF 760 was superseded in the early 1980s by the MF 860 where engine horsepower had risen to a massive (for the time) 184 bhp driven by a Perkins V8 engine. In 1984, the Cascade Separator (which caught the grain that would otherwise have fallen to the ground and returned it to the machine via an elevator) was introduced on the MF 850 and MF 860. This could increase standard capacity by 10%.
In 1986, two rotary models – the MF 8560 and MF 8590 - were launched which employed a large rotor rather than a cylinder and straw walkers. At 14 ft (4.2 m), the latter had the longest rotor on any rotary model to this day. With the rotary launch, MF became the only company in the world at that time to offer both rotary and conventional combine technologies in the high capacity sector.
As we have seen with tractors, electronics took combine development to a higher plane in the early 1990s and set the scene for precision farming techniques. Again, Massey Ferguson was in the vanguard. Datavision (initially known as Daniavision) was the first in-cab interactive information display. Then in 1991, Massey Ferguson introduced the first yield-mapping system on its combines. Using GPS satellite navigation, Datavision and the highly-accurate Yield Meter (which used a radioactive isotope to measure the mass of crop passing through the grain elevator) farmers were able to track the amount of crop produced in each area of their field.
Other developments have included Automatic Table Height Control which allowed the combine table to hug ground contours and maintain a constant cutting height, and Constant Flow which keeps the combine fully-loaded in different crop densities by sensing the load on the cylinder and electronically varying the combine’s forward speed.
Combines and balers forge ahead
Backed by massive investment, with its latest harvesting machinery ranges Massey Ferguson is successfully harnessing its long-term experience to the very latest developments and techniques. Today, there is unparalleled focus on the harvesting machinery sector.
The current impressive global range includes the Activa, Beta and Cerea ranges together with the MF Rotary and the MF 3640/MF 5650 combines capable of tackling a huge variety of crops in the diverse conditions of world markets.
The latest range of all-new MF 2100 Series large square high- density balers is another result of this investment. Up to 30% more capacity is available from the flagship MF 2190.
The development of its harvesting business is a core focus of parent company, AGCO’s strategy. In a recent move, the company acquired a 50% stake in the Italy-based Laverda S.p.A for the manufacture of mid-range combines which includes the Activa and Beta models.
In keeping with Massey Ferguson’s long tradition of innovation, engineers are now working on a brand-new model which cleverly combines both rotary and conventional technology.
Ends
About AGCO
Founded in 1990, AGCO Corporation (NYSE: AG) (www.agcocorp.com) is a global manufacturer of agricultural equipment and related replacement parts. AGCO offers a full product line including tractors, combines, hay tools, sprayers, forage, tillage equipment and implements, which are distributed through more than 3,000 independent dealers and distributors in more than 140 countries worldwide. AGCO products include the following well-known brands: AGCO®, Challenger®, Fendt®, Gleaner®, Hesston®, Massey Ferguson®, RoGator®, Spra-Coupe®, Sunflower®, Terra-Gator®, Valtra®, and White™ Planters. AGCO provides retail financing through AGCO Finance. The company is headquartered in Duluth, Georgia, and in 2007 had net sales of $6.8 billion.
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