Hillco Technologies

Guide to Hillco Air Flow Systems

The Hillco kit will replace the stock intake on your Case IH or New Holland equipment. All airflow will be diverted through the pre cleaner top before it reaches your air filter.

Continue reading below to learn more.

Here’s a useful tool that you can use yourself to calculate the CFM requirements of your tractor or combine.

 

Resource Calculator

Every Hillco Air Flow kit will come with a pre cleaner top, extension tubing, brackets, fasteners and elbow
Maintaining proper airflow is more important this year than it ever has been. Diesel price, at the time I’m writing this, is sitting at 5.57 per gallon, the highest ever and likely higher by the time harvest comes around. High horsepower equipment needs to maintain proper airflow to keep horsepower and fuel efficiency at peak performance. This article will explain what the Hillco Air Flow System is, how it works, airflow requirements, and compatible equipment.

How it works

The Hillco kit will replace the stock intake on your Case IH or New Holland equipment. All airflow will be diverted through the pre cleaner top before it reaches your air filter. As the tractor or combine draws in air, the impeller housed in the pre cleaner spins at an extremely high RPM. Any airborne particulates that were destined to find their new home in your air filter are expelled through the discharge slot in the pre cleaner top. Clean air is left to be drawn into the engine, leaving only the smallest particles left for the air filter to mop up.

Air flow requirements

High horsepower diesel engines need a lot of air to maintain performance. A Case IH 8010 combine, for example, puts out around 400 horsepower. When engine RPM is 2100 the combine will be drawing 706 CFM (Cubic Feet per Minute) of air. When the turbo kicks in, HP bumps up to 450 and CFM increases to 1200 being drawn to the engine. The pre cleaner top size that you receive is dependent on the airflow requirements of your combine or tractor.

Here’s a useful tool that you can use yourself to calculate the CFM requirements of your tractor or combine. 

Resource Calculator 

Compatible equipment

Below is a grid of Case and New Holland tractors we carry AFS kits for. If you don’t see your tractor listed below, it doesn’t hurt to ask a question in the ‘Contact Us’ box below or give us a call. If it looks like your tractor air intake could fit a pre cleaner top we may be able to help you out.
Below are the flagship combines that have Air Flow System’s available to them. The difference between the high mount and the low mount kits depends on where your combine draws its air from. The kit with the corn screen is for those that use corn in their crop rotation. The large corn leaves will gum up the impeller of the pre cleaner, so an extra layer of protection is highly recommended.
*Keep in mind, Case IH had an update kit for the 7120 and the 8120 that converted them to a high intake. If your combine has the high intake, you will need a high mount kit for your combine.

What you get

Every Hillco Air Flow kit will come with a pre cleaner top, extension tubing, brackets, fasteners and elbow depending on your specific equipment (More on that later). An Installation manual is included and typically would take around 30 minutes to install. If ever you have any issues or questions about warranty, a Hillco Employee will be able to assist you over the phone or over email.

Do you need one?

That’s the big question. If your equipment is not having any issues keeping the air filters clean you probably won’t benefit from an AFS. However, if you are having issues and you’re looking for a zero maintenance, easy to install solution to your air cleaning problems, there is no more cost-effective option than a Hillco Air Flow System.
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Return on Investment Calculator

This calculator is designed to determine the return on investment for a Hillco leveling system equipped combine versus a non-leveling combine operating in sloping conditions.

Crop Type
Wheat       Corn and Soybean
Acreage Information

Crop Information

Enter your operation's statistics and estimates.
Wheat
Corn
Soybeans

Acreage / Slope Information

Estimate the percentage of total harvested acres that lay within the various slope ranges in your farming operation.
For all Wheat Acreage
See Slope reference chart
Percentage slope values must equal 100%
100%
Your Harvest Speeds and Machine Harvested Yield (MHY)

Non-Leveling Ground Speed in MPH

Enter the average harvesting speed for your non-leveling combine in the various slope ranges at the average yield entered in the Crop Information section above.

Slope Reference Graph
Wheat
Corn
Soy

Reduction in Machine Harvested Yield (bu/acre)

Estimate the reduction of Machine Harvested Yield (MHY) for each slope range if you were harvesting at the speed you entered for 0-3% slopes. (The calcultor will then project expected reductions in MHY for each slope range at your previously estimated ground speeds.)

You may opt to enter the test data which was determined by actual field testing by Hillco (based on 5 mph harvesting speed).

Reduction in MHY is used in these calculations rather than field loss. Reduction in MHY is a more accurate guage of combine harvesting efficiency because it can be determined by actually weighing the harvested yield rather than estimating the amount of yield lost to the ground.

Use test data or your own
Corn
Soy
Your Combine and Header Information
Enter your expected combine harvesting efficiency. Typically a combine operates at approximately 70% efficiency. If the Total Annual Separator Hours calculated below look too small you may want to decrease the combine efficiency. If the Total Annual Separator Hours calculated below look too large you may want to increase the combine efficiency.
Wheat head width in feet
Corn head width in feet
Flex header width in feet
Combine Field Efficiency (Typically 70%)
(Must enter value other than 0%)
Your Operational Costs
This total should include additional cost of benefits and taxes. If you wish to include the grain cart operator's cost add the hourly wage to the combine operator hourly labor costs.
Combine Operator Labor Cost (per hour, including taxes and benefits)
Combine Fuel Cost

If you wish to include added grain cart fuel add hourly grain cart fuel usage to the combine fuel usage.

Combine Fuel Consumption (Hourly - Typically 11-13 gph)

Cost per added separator hour usually runs approximately $180 per hour for new combines to $30 per hour for older used combines. If you don't want to consider the added benefit of lower separator hours enter $0.

Cost Per Separator Hour
(How much does your combine devalue for each added separator hour of use?)

Use example prices below or obtain a quote from your local dealership.

List price examples for leveling systems used on John Deere combines:
Leveling System Model 2955S for -- 9560-70 STS combine dual tire, w/ Hillco Leveler Installed = $42,960.00 List Price

Leveling System Model 2970S for -- 96-97-9860-70 STS combine,dual tire w/ Hillco Leveler Installed = $42,085.00 List Price

List price examples for leveling systems used on Case-IH combines:
Leveling System Model 2800 for -- 2577-88 combine, dual tire w/Hillco Leveler, Installed = $42,210.00 List Price


See examples or call your local dealership for a quote.
(On Leveling System Financing)

Enter the number of years (from 1 to 5, whole number) for the desired calculation period.

Market value at the end of 5 years regardless of the length of the calculation period.

Used in net present value calculation

Cash Flows (Totals for Calculation Period)
Positive Cash Flows
Labor Savings
0
Fuel and Lubcriation Savings
0
Increased Income from Machine Harvested Yield
0
Residual Value of Leveling System (At end of Calculation Period)
0
Increased Combine Value Due to Reduced Separator Hours
0
Total Positive Cash Flows
0
Negative Cash Flows
Leveling System Cost (Total Principle & Interest Payments)
-0
Remaining Principle Balance On 5 Year Note
-0
Leveling System Maintenance Cost (Annual 2% of Purchase Price)
-0
Total Negative Cash Flows
-0
Total Net Cash Flow (Positive - Negative)
0
Investment Analysis
Total Average Annual Separator Hours (without leveling system)
0
Total Average Annual Separator Hours (with leveling system)
0
Average Annual Separator Hour Savings
0
Total Separator Hour Savings as % of Total Separator Hours
0
Average Payback Period (in years)
The length of time it takes for an investment to recover its initial cost.
0
Total Net Present Value of Cash Flows
NPV compares the value of a dollar today to the value of that same dollar in the future, taking inflation and returns into account.
0
Internal Rate of Return
The internal rate of return (IRR) method allows you to consider the time value of money. It is the interest rate that is equivalent to the dollar returns you expect from your project. Once you know the rate, you can compare it to the rates you could earn by investing your money in other projects or investments. Usually a business owner will insist that in order to be acceptable, a project must be expected to earn an IRR that is at least several percentage points higher than the cost of borrowing, to compensate the company for its risk, time, and trouble associated with the project.
0