Watch: John Deere launches its updated automated S-series combines

In a ripe, healthy crop of winter wheat, John Deere Limited unveiled the S700 series of combines for the 2018 season, an update from the S600 series launched in 2012.

In a low-key but impressive demonstration, the 617hp 40kph rotary tracked machine purred up and down the field carrying its 35ft draper table with little effort from the 13.5-litre PowerTech engine. The tracked machine left a tidy but dense sward of straw for the following John Deere square baler. This is a machine with serious output that had the two waiting 20ft trailers full in no time. If anything, its 14,100-litre tank was a bottleneck on a machine with this kind of capacity.

The technology on this machine is as impressive as its size. According to Jonathan Henry, MD of John Deere Limited, the company has spent a lot of money making its machines more user-friendly with new machine improvements such as Interactive Crop Adjustment 2 (ICA2) and Machine Sync. This system monitors grain sample quality using heavily protected cameras and adjusts the threshing components of the combine.

These are mounted on the grain and tailings elevator to automatically monitor and adjust the combine’s concave, fan and rotor speed. The feed from these cameras can be seen on the armrest mounted 10” GSD 4600 screen.

The upshot of this is the combine is making the changes every couple of seconds that the operator might make less frequently as the crop or weather conditions change throughout the day. The clever cameras can even identify cracked grains. An independent study conducted by Göttingen University claims a 20% increase in capacity when this is installed on the machine.

In the cab, the new commandpro joystick is also fitted with up to seven individually programmable shortcuts. This joystick was previously only available on the 6230R and 6250R tractors. The 10” colour touchscreen display has similar functionality to a smartphone or tablet.

Swiping left or right unveils yet more and more sub-menus, with an infinite amount of adjustments possible on every aspect of the machine. Those settings that are most important and used most frequently can be given priority on the home page to avoid confusion.

This same screen is used for camera feed display. A nice feature on the armrest is space for a mobile phone and two USB charging points.

On the machine we saw operating was a 735D draper header. These will be available in conjunction with the traditional auger-type 600R and 600X headers we are used to seeing. They are not common in Ireland but something John Deere wants to push.

The model we looked at was more than capable of feeding the wheat head-first into the four-strand feeder house. Bear in mind the sun was beating down on this crop and the wind was whistling through it in the large open field with grain moisture averaging 16%.

The clouds of dust rising from the rear of the machine only made for a more impressive sight. At the rear of the header above the belt was a 20in diameter auger that was designed to feed tall crops such as oilseed rape into the middle.

As the crop falls to the knife, this auger makes sure it ends up in the tank. It is claimed the biggest advantage of the 735D draper header is quicker feed-in, reduced weight and increased forward speed, something that was not lacking on the day.

In the cavernous grain tank were three force sensors. These weigh the grain in the tank by measuring the force on each one over hundreds of tank loads and calibration data taken during development. It was claimed their accuracy only improves the more grain goes through the machine.

To make sure the combine is kept running and not waiting for trailers, John Deere’s machine sync allows the combine to communicate with similar technology-enabled tractors to basically call them to the combine for unloading. When this is activated, the combine driver can also control the proximity of the trailer in relation to the combine via the touchscreen on the armrest.

Control

Essentially when the system is engaged on the combine and tractor, the tractor driver relinquishes control of his machine to the combine driver. Through a wireless router, the system can control up to 10 machines in a single network within a mile radius. Guidance maps can also be shared between machines within this radius.

In an effort to reinforce their parts delivery service and give farmers reassurance in their after-sales support, Chris Wiltshire of John Deere Limited stated that if vital parts for a combine are not delivered within 24 hours, the company would provide a back-up combine free of charge. This is on the proviso that the 2010 or newer combine has undergone an expert check and all parts are of John Deere origin. A strong claim no doubt.