Claas hits a Jaguar milestone

The origin of the Jaguar self-propelled forage harvester dates back to 1969, when Claas bought German machinery manufacturer Bautz. Bautz manufactured mowers, tedders and rakes. Soon after this, Claas bought Speiser, which had developed a tractor-drawn forager for harvesting grass and maize.

Claas began the production of its own self-propelled forage harvester series 46 years ago with the Jaguar 60 SF. The 60 SF was first unveiled in June of 1973 and was powered by a 120hp engine.

At the time, a niche was beginning to appear in the market for the design and manufacture of self-propelled foragers as mounted and trailed harvester units were beginning to reach their performance limits, while the increase in maize production that began in the late 1960s in Europe required more productive harvesting technology.

Two years later, in 1975, Claas introduced the 213hp Jaguar 80 SF which had a number of significant upgrades. These included the ability to separate the chopping cylinder and the intake roller, a discharge blower and an automatic guidance system. The range was soon expanded with the introduction of the 70 SF.

Jaguar 600 series

The next generation of Jaguar was introduced eight years later in 1983. It comprised four models, including the 690, 685, 680 and the 675. This new series introduced a number of new features such as an accelerator in the chute, a corn cracker for maize and joystick control of all the main functions.

With over 7,000 units manufactured, this series made Claas the market leader in Europe. Five years on, the SL and MEGA range brought the Jaguar offering to six models, with engine outputs from 215hp up to 354hp. Some new features included a V-type drum and staggered knives.

Jaguar 800 series

The Jaguar 800 model series made its debut in a small-scale pre-series production in 1993. This larger series of forage harvesters had power outputs from 310hp up to 481hp. The big change in this series was the positioning of the engine.

The engines were fitted transversely behind the steering axle, enabling direct-drive systems with better power transfer and reduced losses. It also provided a better supply of cooling air and easier access to the interior of the machine. This configuration set the standard for forage harvesters, which is still used in all machines today.

Due to the drive axle loading, it made it possible for the first time to fit an eight-row maize header. An accelerator was placed directly behind the corn-cracker which sped up the flow of chopped material.

A special variant of the Jaguar 800 model series was called the Field Shuttle. It went on sale in 1997. This machine was based on a Jaguar 880 and was available in a trailer version (FS 880 T) as well as a container version (FS 880 C).

The logistics concept meant that operators could hitch conventional lorry trailers to the Jaguar, or mount a container. In this case, the crop transfer process took place at the end of the field, to avoid the transport vehicles having to drive on to the field.

None of these machines made it to Ireland or the UK. They were mainly used in countries such as France and Denmark on large-scale grass-drying plants where pallets were formed.

Jaguar 900 series

Claas reached yet another milestone in 2001 with the launch of the Jaguar 900. With a rated 605hp, this was the company’s largest forager to date. The 900 featured a completely redesigned cab, where all the main functions could be easily adjusted and monitored via a terminal.

The 2003 season witnessed the launch of the high-speed Speedstar version, which came with a top speed of 40km/h. Claas soon added to its range with the launch of Green Eye in 2005. This forager had a power output of 623hp and came with numerous innovations for greater efficiency and user convenience.

Jaguar 900: the next generation

The next big step in the Jaguar story came in 2007 with the introduction of the 900 series. The new models were equipped with a wide range of engine outputs, a new engine control system, continuous moisture measurement, the Cebis system and a new V-MAX chopping cylinder with a shorter chopping capability.

The Autofill automatic filling system was introduced in 2009 while the Dynamic Power system, which matches power output to demand, was introduced in 2011.

The current Jaguar 800 series was launched in 2014, followed in 2017 by the latest 900 range featuring an infinitely variable front attachment drive, an enhanced crop flow system and a new chassis concept. Claas launched a world-first in 2018 with the Jaguar Terra Trac. This is the first forage harvester to feature a factory-integrated crawler track system. Claas also introduced the new 626hp 880 specifically for the Irish and UK market in the autumn of 2018. To date, a number of these 880s have been sold this year in Ireland.