Top 5 Biggest Combine Harvesters

Our starter, the John Deere S690, is a representative of the most experienced manufacturer of agricultural machinery from our list. The expertise of the globally recognised green-and-yellow brand allows its combine harvesters to prove all the promises, given by the creators. It is designed to cope with heavy and dense crops in record time. The S690 is able to pick up an impressive transport speed of 40 km/h. While at the field, it brings into play such features, original for John Deere harvesters, as Active Terrain Adjustment to preserve top performance driving uphill and downhill, active concave isolation to maintain high throughput in tough conditions and the new Hydraulic Fore Aft Tilt Feeder-house to gather down crop.

The names of the German brands promise nothing less than top performance. And such a name as “Claas” sounds quite appealing to the ear of agricultural specialists.

The current benchmark in the Claas combine range is the Lexion 780. As it is stated, the model has been developed over 10 years and tested on 5 continents. So, it seems to have the potential of being an eco-friendly ‘commander-in-chief’ during harvesting campaigns. Apart from an environmentally advanced engine, the biggest Lexion features a 4D set-up for levelling the upper sieves when working on sloping ground. The system benefits from a third pair of rotor cover plates that open or close automatically in line with the pitch of the harvester. Besides, the fan speed and the sieve position are adjusted according to the machine’s moving up or downhill, to attain the optimum cleaning performance and avoid losses.

The Case IH 9240 combine harvester is a real source of pride for its creators. Being the most powerful and productive model, made by the reputable red brand so far, it leads the 240-Series. The series was added to the brand’s Axial-Flow® combine range last year. The Axial-Flow represents a single rotor technology, which became a significant breakthrough in 1977, and has been progressively improved since then. As of today, it is claimed to ensure careful threshing, minimum losses, delicate grain handling and excellent grain quality.

A distinctive technological asset, offered with the Case IH 9240, is the highest unload rate, which reaches 158.6 l/sec. This is the best result among all the harvesters in the market. Other manufacturer’s accomplishments include the updated engine cooling system and vacuum aspirated rotating wand on the stationary air screen that ensure optimum engine efficiency even while harvesting in high-debris areas.

And finally – the biggest, the most powerful, and on top of that, a member of the Guinness Book of Records as the most wheat harvested combine – all these epithets are about the CR10.90 from the range of New Holland combine harvesters.

To spread the weight of such a behemoth across the surface as evenly as possible, it takes advantage of a SmartTrax flexible track fitted with Terraglide suspension. The use of two pairs of hydraulic suspended rollers working independently to produce a silky smooth ride when harvesting is reinforced by a longer track length for a larger overall footprint for reduced field compaction and enhanced traction.

This exclusive 10-class harvester is an ideal purchase for large agricultural farms. There are no doubts of its top productivity after an amazing world record, set in August 2014 under real and not very favourable weather conditions. The CR10.90, equipped with a 13.7-metre draper header harvested 797.656 tonnes in 8 hours. The peak capacity reached 135 tonnes per hour, while the average result was 99.7 tonnes per hour.

As of 2020, the biggest combine harvester in the world is the Claas Lexion 8900 – the flagship of the 8000 series. Thus, by launching the most powerful combine harvester last year, Claas proved to be the market leader in Europe. The 790hp Lexion 8900 model features a brand new threshing system – APS Synflow Hybrid. Its technical solutions enable top separation efficiency, allowing to thresh out a higher per cent of grain. Featuring also an impressive grain tank, which is able to hold up to 18,000 litres and takes 100 seconds to empty, the Lexion 8900 underlines its superiority.