USED MACHINERY: When launched in 2003/04, the Case IH AFX 8010 was the first of an all-new generation of Axial-Flow combines. It was later joined by the 7010 and 9010 in 2007 and 2008, prior to all three being replaced by the ‘20’ series in 2009. James de Havilland reports
Case IH could have been accused, with some justification, of letting Axial-Flow development slip. By the time profi got its hands on one of the first AFX 8010 models in Europe (profi 7/04), the then highest output Axial- Flow was the 2388 Exclusive. At a rated capacity of up to 40t/hr, the 2388 was outgunned by its main rotary competitors; in effect, Case IH had fallen behind in the race for outright performance.
Axial-Flow investment, however, had not ceased completely, and output certainly wasn’t the sole future design focus back in the factory in Grand Island, Nebraska. Since its launch in 1977, the Axial-Flow concept had been steadily maturing, the AFX rotor first seen back in 2002 marking a step change in the potential output of the combines. Of equal importance, Case IH had, almost year on year, made the machines a lot more ‘northern hemisphere’ friendly, with improved capabilities in high yielding cereals, damp crops and ‘green’ straw. The ‘tangled plait’ swath once associated with the single horizontal rotor design had also been addressed; a modern Axial-Flow treats its straw in a more sympathetic fashion. So, before we even get going, a little bit of a summary. An AFX 8010, the seventh generation of combine based on the Axial-Flow concept, is a well-sorted machine. Sharing the cabin, transmission, chassis, grain tank, sieve pan and header with its yellow CNH sibling, New Holland, the AFX 8010 also uses other proven parts. In brief, even the earlier 8010s, though modified, should now be a safe buy.
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