When it comes to big, flexible tables, Winnipeg’s MacDon headers are one of the Prairies-made industry leaders
CNH and MacDon now have an agreement that allows MacDon to distribute its new lineup of FD2 flex draper headers through CNH dealers around the world, excluding South America.
The agreement comes into effect early this year, with deliveries expected to begin in 2023 as more FD2 headers become available.
During the transition phase in 2022, customers can purchase New Holland 880CF or Case IH 3162 draper heads, but these will be phased out in most markets, including North America, in favour of MacDon’s FD2 draper header series.
Luiz Antonio Manfroi is the global manager for headers at New Holland and said CNH and MacDon once had a passive relationship but then CNH decided to develop its own draper headers.
“But right now, due to the penetration MacDon has in the market, their top edge technology on draper headers and our objective to grow globally in this segment… they approached CNH and we accepted this opportunity to partner and be able to distribute their product throughout our dealer network,” Manfroi said.
The agreement is an opportunity for both companies to gain market share by offering a combination of MacDon headers and CNH combines to more markets through a single dealership.
Leo Bose from CaseIH said MacDon is a powerhouse when it comes to draper headers and the ability to offer its products with CNH combines through one network will benefit customers.
“I would say the expertise and the products that they (MacDon) offer gives us our best in class harvesting packages for our customers, and that really goes back to our core fundamentals of Axial-Flow,” said Bose.
“In fact, we’re celebrating 45 years of Axial-Flow history and heritage this year since the inception of the single rotor design.”
He said customer support and service won’t change. MacDon customers will continue to be supported through MacDon’s service and support network, which will now include CNH dealerships.
“From a branding recognition, when I look at that red header on that red combine, that’s what you immediately see, and then you know you have all the attributes to the FD2 series,” Bose said.
Compared to previous models, the new FD2 FlexDraper offers 20 percent more capacity, made possible by an increase in cutting speed, deeper deck and increasing the width options up to 50 feet.
The increase in speed comes from changing the geometry of where the sickles pass the guards, and by making the knife speed up to 15 percent faster compared to previous MacDon draper headers.
“The combination of increasing the sickle speed slightly and the new geometry gave us up to 30 percent more cutting speed in all types of conditions,” said Russ Henderson, product manager at MacDon.
The high-speed system comes with two kinds of guards; longer pointed guards that protect the knives from rocks in lower crops, and a stubbier guard that cuts cleaner and works well in canola.
“In order to increase the speed, you have to have a better drive system. You have to have a machine that can manage the vibration because when you’re throwing a big piece of metal back and forth, you have to be able to manage all those components to have something that’s reliable and lasts a long time,” Henderson said.
The changed geometry of the sickles includes a wider taper at the back with an overall increase in length of the section that provides 25 percent more cutting surface.
The FD2 also has more flex compared to previous models, up to 17 inches on either end of the header.
“The combination of making the decks deeper with 50-inch drapers as opposed to 42, and that’s the side drapers, allowed us to increase the geometry of our flex system,” Henderson said.
“This allowed us more range, to be able to get up to 70 percent more on our triple reel machines.”
The Contour Max wheels system launched with the FD2 can be adjusted from the cab and it helps keep a consistent stubble height while cutting from one to 18 inches of height in crops including canola.
Other additions helpful to straight-cut canola are the vertical knives that come from the factory, not the aftermarket.
The ShatterGuard Reel Positioning comes standard on all FD2 models and was designed to help with bushy crops like canola. It allows the reel to be set further back on the header to prevent crop shatter on the ground.
