September 01, 2010

RACINE, Wis. - Case IH launches the new, much-anticipated 3020 flex head, developed to handle a wide range of field conditions to increase field time, and improve productivity and grain savings.

"Due to wet and muddy harvest conditions last year, producers across North America lost valuable field time and struggled to get their crops off the field," says Kelly Kravig, Case IH Product Planning Manager for Combines and Headers. "Case IH put a great deal of consideration into designing a flex head that captures more grain, and  helps maximize field time and productivity whether field conditions are soft and muddy, or dry and compact."

The 3020 sets itself apart from competitive flex heads with the Case IH-exclusive cutterbar design that positions the flex head as close to the ground as field conditions require, and is light enough to float over the most adverse conditions. This is possible due to the TerraFlex™ flotation system, which uses a flexible, no-friction torsion block, to increase or decrease cutterbar pressure. Varying the amount of pressure the cutterbar places on the ground allows it to skim across the soil and gather crops, regardless of soil condition. The TerraFlex system distributes cutterbar ground pressure evenly across the entire width of head, resulting in a consistent cut and flotation in the most extreme field conditions. Other flex heads may have decreased performance because of their inability to maintain consistent ground pressure across the full header width.

"It can be challenging for harvest equipment to efficiently capture crops, or even get into the field in wet conditions. The TerraFlex cutterbar flotation system on the new 3020 flex head, makes it possible to easily set cutterbar pressure to ensure it floats over the ground, even in the most challenging residue and soil conditions. And, for the ultimate in convenience, an optional in-cab flotation adjustment is available" Kravig points out. He explains that the cutterbar also has poly skid shoes, which assist with the cutterbar flotation over wet, sticky crop residue and soil. "It's like putting plastic skids on the bottom of chair legs so they slide across floors easily when you want to move them," he says.

The cutterbar also features three-inch knives with heavy-duty knife guards to provide peak cutting efficiency in the toughest conditions, like green stem soybeans. In addition, the 3020 flex head features a six bat reel with pick-up fingers and stainless steel pans and auger trough, which work in tandem to ensure that soybeans flow smoothly through the flex head and combine. The auger is 26 inches in diameter with auger fingers that run the entire length of the auger to ensure smooth, consistent crop feeding. The auger fingers have a built-in Case IH exclusive rubber ring around each finger so if a finger snaps, the rubber ring holds the finger in place so it doesn't fall out of the auger and cause damage to the combine.

The 3020 flex head is equipped with new, poly dividers that effectively divide the crop and guide it to the cutterbar.  For tall, tangled crop conditions, an optional long divider is available. "Our customers asked for a reliable divider that is easy to set and doesn't run down crop. The new dividers on the 3020 header deliver on these requests," explains Kravig.

The 3020 flex head is available in 20, 25, 30, or 35-foot flex head sizes. For the 2011 flex head models only, Case IH will offer a special dealer-installed kit for in-cab hydraulic adjustment of the flex head tension.

"Case IH meets increasing productivity demands by increasing the capacity of its combines and harvesting equipment. By simplifying the fundamentals, we were able to build a flex head equipped to keep pace with the performance and productivity demands farmers need," states Kravig.

Case IH is a global leader in agricultural equipment, committed to collaborating with its customers to develop the most powerful, productive, reliable equipment - designed to meet today's agricultural challenges. Challenges like feeding an expanding global population on less land, meeting ever-changing government regulations and managing input costs. With headquarters in the United States, Case IHhas a network of dealers and distributors that operates in more than 160 countries. Case IH provides agricultural equipment systems, flexible financial service offerings and parts and service support for professional farmers and commercial operators through a dedicated network of professional dealers and distributors. Productivity enhancing products include tractors; combines and harvesters; hay and forage equipment; tillage tools; planting and seeding systems; sprayers and applicators; site-specific farming tools and utility vehicles.Case IH is a brand of CNH (NYSE: CNH), a majority-owned subsidiary of Fiat Group (FIA: MI).

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For more information, call 1-877-4CASEIH or visit us on the World Wide Web at http://www.caseih.com/na.