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The latest brochures, stories, photos, videos and other current information on the people and products of CLAAS.

CLAAS Products:

CLAAS LEXION Outperforms the Competition – Hands Down

During the 2021 Farm Progress Show in Decatur, IL, a class 8 CLAAS LEXION combine ran against a number of competitors during in-field demonstrations and had an impressive showing -- even against combines with larger size classifications. In fact, in this side-by-side comparison, the LEXION retained more grain than its closest competitors.

All major manufacturers ran their combines side-by-side in the same field:

  • Class 8 LEXION 8600TT with a 12-30c corn head
  • Class 9 Fendt Ideal 9T from Agco with a 16 row corn head
  • Class 11 John Deere X9 1100 with a 16 row corn head

Jeff Gray, CLAAS Region Product Supervisor, Central Region, demonstrated the CLAAS APS SYNFLOW HYBRID threshing and separation system during the challenge.

“We can achieve a high-level of efficiency and throughput without the added horsepower of a larger class size, due largely to the design of our combines,” Gray explains. “That starts by pre-separating the crop up front. We can actually separate up to 30% of the crop prior to the crop hitting the threshing cylinders.”

What Does That Mean in Real Numbers?

The LEXION saved nearly twice as much grain as the John Deere X9 1100, which adds up to $1,125 per 1,000 acres at a $5 cash corn price. The LEXION saved more than eight times compared to the Fendt Ideal 9T combine – $8,425 per 1,000 acres.

The Methodology

Representatives from each manufacturer set and operated their respective combines, each making three separate passes per day and windrowing all crop residue. Losses were calculated from the first two days of demos with the John Deere GoHarvest app using whole kernel counts only. CLAAS representatives checked a six-square-foot area at the midpoint of the field, collecting three separate passes per combine each day, and then averaging the results from each day. The manufacturers had the opportunity to assess the crop prior to the demonstrations, so the CLAAS LEXION 8800TT and corn header were set to account for the varied crop conditions. This reduced crop loss in the header while avoiding over threshing the wetter, spongier cobs.

LEXION Settings Provide Advantages

In comparison, the John Deere X9 maintained just under 0.5 bu/acre loss, however the amount of broken kernels found in the windrow showed the aggressive nature of the X9 threshing, leading to more damaged kernels than the CLAAS LEXION. In turn, the Fendt Ideal 9T losses were high in comparison. With a considerable amount of grain left on the ground behind the combine throughout the demonstration runs, the combine was unable to match the excellent grain handling of the CLAAS LEXION and suffered over eight times the total grain loss.

Gray attributes the impressive outcomes to the CLAAS APS SYNFLOW HYBRID system, which allowed Gray, the operator, to maintain a slower threshing speed to gently thresh the wetter corn without breaking cobs or grain. It also prevented overloading the cleaning shoe while increasing rotor speed for higher centrifugal force in the separation process to fully separate the corn from the cob.

To learn more about this side-by-side comparison, read our competitive comparison.

To watch Jeff Gray's in-cab interview with RFD TV at the Farm Progress Show demo, click here.

 
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