Geringhoff service log, entry 10-26-11. I received a message from a Geringhoff sales representative for the North Eastern United States. His name, Erik Quanbeck. His mission? To evaluate and support the new Elite Series of corn heads placed in his territory. Here is Erik’s account of his travels:
This past week we were able to travel the East Coast with Jorg Romberg (Geringhoff Factory Support), Larry Stone (Director of field operations, Geringhoff USA) and myself. It was a follow up visit to check out the new 2012 Geringhoff Elite Heads which had been placed in service by our dealer Hoober, Inc.
The first stop was at the Ken Lester Farm near Middletown, Delaware. Ken has been presented the unwanted challenges of harvesting downed corn due to the path of destruction left by hurricane Irene. He was however able to harvest using his NS830 with the optional end row augers just installed this Fall. Looking to improve productivity, he had ordered a new Northstar 1230 for his Case IH 7010 combine. He was excited to be one of two corn growers on the East Coast chosen to receive the new Geringhoff Elite head which included the new ICF (Integrated Crop Flow) system. Because it had been kept out of the field due to rain, he had not had the opportunity to try the new Elite NS1230 with ICF.
Making the best of a rainy day, Jorg, Larry and I went to work to make sure everything was adjusted correctly and ready to go to the field. The dealer had done a great job during setup and made this a fairly easy task. We checked points such as feederhouse angle, ICF sweeper and end row auger speed, auger height, gathering chain position and even set him up for a free trial of the Headsight product, Foresight which allows header height sensing when operating the head basically on the ground. We said our goodbyes and traveled to the next farm.
We arrived at Thompson Farms in Shrewsbury, PA later that afternoon, only to find more rain! John Thompson is the proud owner of the first Geringhoff Elite Folding Rota Disc delivered to the East Coast and has had the opportunity to run it for about one week. He purchased the new RD1230F Elite to replace his 2005 RD1230F which has harvested 6+ seasons of corn.
Dave at Thompson Farms is the combine operator and he is the first to mention that he was very satisfied with their old head and didn’t see any reason to trade for a new one. He has recently had a change of opinion! He says that having the new features such as the end row augers, ICF sweeper and hydraulic deck plates that adjust from both sides make his job even easier! His exact words were “I don’t know why anyone would buy anything other than a Geringhoff Folding Rota Disc”.
Thompson Farms utilizes the Rota Disc in their corn growing program on approximately 2400 acres. By harvesting with the Rota Disc, they begin the stalk decomposition process immediately at harvest which allows a lower cost No-Till planting program which has produced exceptional yields for over 6 years! They are also challenged with conservation plans which protect highly erodible soils on the hills of their southern PA farms. They credit the Rota Disc with controlling erosion on those farms and building organic matter especially where growing continuous corn.
Finally, Friday presented us with beautiful weather and an opportunity to shoot some action video of the 2012 Geringhoff Elite in the field. As I was filming, Jorg Romberg and Larry Stone began their journey to Indiana to visit another satisfied Geringhoff Elite Owner.
Here is the video from that day. One thing you will notice is the unique look to the ICF Sweeper. This is a prototype sweeper fitted for a folding corn head. It covers the middle 4 rows and lowers into the head to allow for an uninterrupted fold. This allows you to have the 40-50% reduction in combine hours the ICF Sweeper offers, without sacrificing the ability to fold the head for transport.
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