Based on the media release from New Holland, the company is making a statement with the new CR Combine Harvester series. The company reports at 15 percent boost in productivity for the line and gentle handling that keeps grain crackage as low as 0.2 percent. And the new combines feature the Harvest Suite Ultra Cab with more glass area than previous models.

When New Holland launched the first CR - and in Canada the CX - series of combines the company made a bold styling statement. The new CR series continues that form with the new design. In addition, machine capacity is rising with the most powerful CR ever launched - the CR 10.90 Elevation.

The biggest new CR Series combine from New Holland comes with a 653-hp engine.

The company has changed model designations as well to a series that better highlights the combine classes offered. The harvester market has worked lately to denote engine horsepower and harvest capacity using the class system of model designation. New Holland joins with model numbers that now start at with the CR6.90 and finish with that top level CR10.90 Elevation.

In a media release announcing the line, Dan Valen, New Holland North America cash crop equipment segment manager, cays the new CR Series is "the culmination of 40 years of Twin Rotor technology. It offers the best of New Holland's smart harvesting technologies: Twin Pitch rotors, Dynamic Feed Roll, SmartTrax rubber tracks, Tier 4B EcoBlue Hi-eSCR engine technologies - all working together to allow producers to harvest in a new dimension."

He adds that all these technologies are tied together with the Harvest Suite Ultra Cab.

More power

The CR Series of machines have more horsepower than ever from 401 hp of the CR6.90 to the 653-hp engine in what the company calls the "flagship CR 10.90 Elevation." The engines are all Tier 4B - also called final Tier 4 - with the company's ECOBlue Hi-eSCR tech. This is true for all but the CR9.90 Elevation which features a Tier 4A ECO Blue engine with SCR Technology.

Top 10 tillage and planter trends of the year
Find out about the newest technologies being adopted by the tillage and planter manufacturers

The CR10.90 also gets power from a machine awarded Diesel Engine of the Year - the Cursor 16 with common rail diesel technology. The ECO Blue technology also delivers fuel savings for lower operating costs and there's plenty of range too with a 340-gallon fuel tank in the CR8.90, CR 9.90, CR9.90 Elevation and CR10.90 Elevation machines. They also have a faster unload speed of 4 bushels/second so you're maximizing harvest time. The company is claiming a 15 percent boost in productivity.

Harvesting system

The CR line relies on the New Holland Twin Rotor technology which the company continues to refine and is designed for high-capacity harvesting. The Dynamic Feed Roll offers on-the-go mechanical stone protection for higher capacity and feeding the rotors faster and more smoothly while keeping stones out. That means less stopping or hesitation. And new serrated blades on the roll are gentle on the crop, too.

The Twin Pitch rotors can raise productivity as much as 10 percent in damp conditions. And the company says switching from small grain/corn configurations to harvest rice is easy. Adjustable rotor vanes require less power in high-volume crops and deliver high capacity.

SmartTrax rubber tracks are optional on all models in the new CR line.

Redesigned operator platform

Working with customers, New Holland is launching the new Harvest Suite Ultra cab focused on operator comfort - and Farm Industry News will check that out when we get a look at the machine later this summer. According to the media kit, the 131 cu. ft. cab is larger than its predecessor and the interior layout is entirely redesigned for better comfort.

The new force-based CommandGrip multifunction handle is designed to make it easy to fine-tune harvesting speed to optimize performance.

Tracking combine operation gets help from the 10.4-inch IntelliView IV color touchscreen monitor. And the monitor is fixed on rollers so you can change its position for most comfortable operation. And an optional second display is available so operators have the maximum amount of information available.

The new cab also has more glass with 68 sq. ft. and a sloping flower that meets the front windscreen for improved visibility. And the design gives you a clear view of the header.

The new machine also has a new lighting package for late-night harvesting, and an unloading auger light for precision unloading. Four rear work lights also light up the work area.

Here's a look at the line: