AGCO’s 9350 DynaFlex Draper Header Wins 2021 Davidson Prize

Autonomous technology saves time, eliminates errors, and improves farming performance by allowing operators to connect and disconnect the header without leaving the cab.

AGCO Corporation, a global leader in the design, manufacture, and distribution of agricultural machinery and solutions, announced that its 9350 DynaFlex draper header, with AutoDock header docking system for Fendt Ideal combines, has been awarded the prestigious 2021 Davidson Prize for agricultural engineering excellence.

Kevin Forth, AGCO senior tactical marketing manager, said:

“The Davidson is among agriculture’s highest engineering honors, and AGCO is immensely proud of this recognition from ASABE and AEM. The Dynaflex with AutoDock is a perfect example of AGCO’s intentional development of smart solutions that are designed from the ground up with farmers’ needs in mind”.

The 9350 DynaFlex draper header with AutoDock header docking system is a 50-foot flexible header with the industry’s first automatic system for efficiently attaching all mechanical, electrical, and hydraulic connections of the header to the Fendt Ideal combine. AutoDock allows operators to connect and disconnect the header without leaving the cab of the combine, a necessary first step on the way to future total automation of the harvesting process.

The Davidson Prize is awarded by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) and the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) to their three top-scoring AE50 winners that represents the best of each year’s new products. The DynaFlex, along with seven other AGCO products, was awarded an AE50 award in November 2020.

Darrin Drollinger, executive director at ASABE, said:

“AGCO’s DynaFlex Header with AutoDock represents the diversity of agricultural engineering that continues to bring advanced technology and exciting improvements to the marketplace. J.B. Davidson would be amazed at how advanced farm equipment has become”.

Barry O’Shea, AGCO vice president and product line leader, upon accepting the award on behalf of AGCO, said: “This is AGCO’s first Davidson Prize and we’re very proud of the honor. It’s the result of a tremendous amount of work by many dedicated people at AGCO, but it began with input from our farmer-customers and we’re very happy to provide them with a solution that makes their jobs easier and more productive”.

Consistent with AGCO’s deep focus on the farmer, the AutoDock was inspired by voice-of-customer surveys and interviews, designed to uncover specific customer needs and develop solutions that address them. AutoDock was developed to reduce the time farmers spend hooking up and disconnecting their headers, which the new product now handles in five seconds. The system also recognizes the specifications of the header and can automatically configure combine settings, such as header dimensions and sensitivity settings for header height control. Safety features provided by the system’s autonomous capabilities mean that operators can configure the header without climbing in and out of the cab, docking and undocking may be performed without assistance, and driveline and hydraulic connections are accomplished automatically. These advantages reduce time-consuming chores, eliminate errors, and improve farming performance.

Curt Blades, senior vice president of Agriculture for AEM, said: “We’re excited about the advancement of ag engineering and the positive impacts it has on farmers’ ability to work more efficiently”.