John Deere 7050 Series Self-Propelled Foragers Offer Intelligent Solutions 09/11/07

New levels of power, ‘intelligent’ technology and productivity are offered by John Deere's 7050 Series self-propelled forage harvesters, which will be available for the 2008 season.

The new range will line up as follows:

Designed for high capacity harvesting in grass, maize and wholecrop, this latest range continues to use Deere’s unique infinitely variable length of cut (IVLOC) transmission to enable operators to change chop length on the move.

In addition to the basic models, six new i Series machines will be equipped as standard with an integrated ‘intelligent’ package of precision farming technology. This includes the HarvestLab dry matter sensor, GreenStar 2600 display, Harvest Monitor and Harvest Doc software, StarFire iTC receiver with SF1 signal (offering +/-30cm accuracy for yield mapping), and new AutoLOC.

AutoLOC provides automatic adjustment of the length of cut depending on the dry matter content of the crop being harvested, based on settings programmed in by the operator on the in-cab GreenStar display.

The precise length of cut required from the standard 40 knife drum can be dialled in from the driver's seat, in 1mm increments from 6 to 26mm (approximately 1/4 to 1in). For even greater flexibility, optional 48 and 56 knife drums offer adjustable cut lengths from 5 to 22mm and 4 to 19mm respectively.

This unique system allows the operator to adapt to different crop conditions within the same field and keep the machine running at optimum levels for peak performance. It also provides contractors with the ability to tailor their service to individual customer preferences, and to vary, monitor and record output not just from farm to farm, but from field to field or even trailer to trailer.

Combining HarvestLab with Harvest Monitor and Harvest Doc means the user can record yield and moisture data for transferring to an office computer, which can then form the basis of yield and moisture maps, as well as comprehensive operational, crop management and traceability records.

The information provided on the cab display can also be used to control silage additive applicators for variable rate application, and enable the operator to select machine settings to produce the optimum feed quality from the crop being harvested. In addition, the farmer knows precisely the total amount of silage dry matter in the clamp to plan for future feed rations.

The versatile HarvestLab sensor can also be removed from the forager spout to allow it to be used for stationary feed analysis of different forage ingredients.

Horsepower increases of up to 11 per cent are generated by a new fuel efficient John Deere PowerTech Plus Tier 3 engine – 9-litre on the smallest 7250 model, and 13.5-litre on the 7350 to 7750 machines – with similar exhaust gas recirculation and variable geometry turbocharger technology to that featured on the company’s latest 30 Series tractors. The top of the range 7850 model continues to use the same Cummins 15-litre Tier 2 engine as before.

Options on the new foragers will include the ProDrive hydrostatic transmission with full anti-slip control, automatic diff-lock and automatic park brake, AutoTrac assisted steering and a new automatic spout positioning system with nine settings. Additional specification improvements include a roller blind to reduce crop build-up at the feed intake and reduce the need for cleaning and maintenance.

All the new foragers are designed to take the award winning Kemper four, six, eight and 10 row (3 to 7.5m) rotary maize headers, in addition to the standard 3m grass pick-up. These include the new eight row (6m) Kemper 460 Champion, a large drum, row independent maize header which is designed to handle very tall plants and difficult, laid crops to reduce harvesting losses.

For undulating ground, a new optional automatic header control is available for the Kemper range, featuring active management of header height and tilt using information from sensors on the header feelers.

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