New range of forage harvesters

John Deere’s new 7080 Series of self-propelled forage harvesters is designed for high capacity harvesting in a wide range of crops — from grass to maize or wholecrop, or short-rotation coppice for biofuels.

A full range of headers are available in addition to the standard 3m grass pick-up.

Available for the 2013 season, the range has seven models, from 380 horse power to 812hp.

The range’s new KernelStar multi-crop kernel processor is designed to raise productivity and forage quality for farmers from livestock to biofuel producers.

Its bevel disc design provides more intensive treatment of kernels, and improved material flow.

Visible improvements to forage quality in a wide range of crop conditions, and a significant reduction of over-length crop particles, are claimed.

Infinitely variable length of cut transmission enables operators to change chop length on the move.

Engine speed management includes headland and harvest fuel saver modes, proven to reduce fuel consumption by more than 18%. An 1,100-litre fuel tank will be standard on all models.

In addition to the basic range, i Series foragers will be equipped with precision farming technology.

This includes HarvestLab constituent sensing, which measures dry matter and other crop constituents.;

Other options on the new foragers include ProDrive hydrostatic transmission with full anti-slip control, automatic diff-lock and automatic park brake, AutoTrac assisted steering, and an automatic spout positioning system with nine settings.