Trident from Case IH Wins Product of the Decade Honors

By CropLife IRON|January 22, 2021

Since 2007, CropLife IRON magazine has annually asked its readers to vote on their favorite example of IRON through its Product of the Year competition. This program nominates five or six products from the current calendar year and then asks readers to vote for their favorite one.

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The Trident 5550 combination applicator features an optional New Leader NL4500T G4 Edge variable-rate dry nutrient applicator and a new level of precision dry-product application.
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From left: Case IH’s Ken Lehmann, CropLife IRON’s Eric Sfiligoj, and Case IH’s Mark Burns with the Product of the Year trophy in 2017.
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The NL4500T G4 Edge uses patented precision spinner technology to spread dry product faster, wider, and more consistently.
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A combination unit, the Trident 5550 can be converted from a dry to liquid application configuration.
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The Trident 5550, pictured with its liquid system applying in a crop field.
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A variety of tire options help support operating over three seasons in a variety of ground conditions, crop types, and sprayer or spreader configurations.
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Since 2017, Case IH has made a few changes to its original Trident 5550 unit. In addition to the 1,400-gallon product tank on older models, newer Tridents can be fitted with a 1,600-gallon product tank.

But in 2020, however, because of the COVID-19 pandemic largely wiping out most in-person trade shows, CropLife IRON instead asked its readers to weigh in on their favorite products from the 2010s decade (from 2010 to 2019). So for one month during the late fall, the magazine received more than 550 votes for the 11 products (one year had featured two products that tied in vote totals) over this 10-year time span. In the end, the leading vote-getter ended up being the 2017 winner – the Trident 5550 from Case IH.

Related: View Past Product of Year Winners

“It’s a big honor for us to be awarded the Product of the Decade,” said Mark Burns, Marketing Manager for Application Equipment for Case IH, accepting the virtual award via a Skype call during mid-December. “We really appreciate it!”

Many Features

In receiving this award, Burns cited the many features that made the Trident 5550 a Product of the Year winner in the first place. The No. 1 on the priority list for Case IH, he said, was to design a true combination applicator from the ground up. “A combination applicator that takes several employees the better part of the day to convert isn’t a true combination applicator,” Burns said.

The Trident 5550 combination applicator also features an optional New Leader NL4500T G4 Edge variable-rate dry nutrient applicator and a new level of precision dry-product application. “The NL4500T G4 Edge uses patented precision spinner technology,” Burns said. “It spreads dry product faster, wider, and more consistently.”

Another unique feature of the Trident 5550 is its dual wheel set-up. “Compaction is a big concern these days,” Burns said. “A larger footprint on the ground can help make wet fields more accessible and reduce soil com-paction.” According to the company, the Trident 5550 combination applicator is the first applicator featuring factory-available duals in row crop tire sizes. A variety of tire options help support operating over three seasons in a variety of ground conditions, crop types, and sprayer or spreader configurations, Burns said.

Since 2017, Case IH has made a few changes to its original Trident 5550 unit. In addition to the 1,400-gallon product tank on older models, newer Tridents can be fit-ted with a 1,600-gallon product tank, Burns said. “We’re also updated the autoboom height control in the Trident to the XRT system,” he added.

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