Record delivery of CLAAS LEXION combine harvesters

CLAAS Harvest Centre will deliver a record number of CLAAS LEXION combine harvesters to Australia in time for the 2021/22 harvest, swelling the size of its Australian fleet to more than 1000 machines.

CLAAS Harvest Centre Product Manager – LEXION, Steve Reeves, says almost 100 new machines will be delivered to grain producers and contractors over the next three months. “We are very happy with sales growth over the past decade, and particularly the successful launch of the new LEXION 8000/7000 series,” he says. “This is the biggest upgrade in the brand’s 25 year years and it’s effectively a new machine. Every aspect has been re-engineered to meet the needs of today’s grain producers.”

The LEXION 8000/7000 series delivers 10 percent more capacity than the previous 700 series thanks to its enlarged APS SYNFLOW HYBRID threshing and separation system. Grain holding and unloading capacity have also been significantly increased to a maximum of 18 tonnes and 180 L/second, respectively.

The 7600, 7700 and 8700 models are fitted with the reliable and super-efficient 12.5 L six cylinder Perkins 2206D engine, which delivers a maximum power of 461, 524 and 571 hp, respectively. The top-of-the-line 8800 model is equipped with a 15.6 L six cylinder Mercedes-Benz OM 473 LA engine delivering 653 hp.

All engines are equipped with DYNAMIC COOLING on-demand variable cooling system and DYNAMIC POWER advanced engine management system for even greater fuel efficiency. All models can be equipped with the proven 635, 735 and 890 mm TERRA TRAC tracked assemblies or wide diameter tyres (2.15 m front and 1.75 m rear) for maximum traction and comfort.

CONVIO draper fronts or VARIO variable cutterbars are available in 13.8, 12.3 and 10.8 metre operating widths.

On-board technology includes CLAAS’ award-winning CEMOS AUTO machine optimisation system, which continuously reviews and automatically adjusts the threshing, cleaning and separation settings for maximum throughput, grain quality and fuel efficiency. 

Steve says there are no plans to release the new CLAAS TRION series of medium-sized harvesters in Australia. “TRION replaces the very popular TUCANO series and brings CLAAS’ medium-sized offering into line with technology previously only found on LEXION, including CEMOS AUTO and TERRA TRAC,” he says. However, TRION is unlikely to get a start in Australia.

“We are constantly reviewing our product, model and configuration mix to ensure we can meet the current and future harvesting needs of our customers. We are quite sure LEXION is the right series for Australia because it has that extra capacity, a choice of wider draper or variable cutterbars, a larger grain bin and the dynamic engine cooling system.”

Steve says this season’s record delivery of new harvesters opens the door to a once-in-a-decade opportunity for medium-sized operations to cost-effectively upgrade to a pre-owned machine. “Purchasing a late-model machine is a smart way to boost the efficiency of your harvesting operations without tying up precious capital or cash-flow,” he says.

“All of these machines have been driven by professional operators and meticulously serviced by their local dealership. Many of these trade-ins have 1000 to 1500 separator hours on the clock and still have many years of harvesting left in them. Alternatively, LEXION is available in a straw-walker configuration for those operations that don’t require as the capacity of the HYBRID system but still want the technological benefits of new machine.”

Steve say high performance LEXION combine harvesters actually cost less to own on a per hectare or tonne basis than single rotor machines. “Put simply, LEXION allows you to harvest more grain per hectare, cover more hectares per hour and operate for more hours per day,” he says. “Even small differences in grain loss, throughput and fuel efficiency can easily add up to more than $100,000 over three, four or five years. These potential savings can be even greater once the ability to replace two single rotor machines with a single LEXION combine harvester or the opportunity to increase the size of your cropping operation are considered.”