CLAAS JAGUAR with TERRA TRAC wins gold medal for innovation

Tracked system for forage harvester received top accolade at the annual SIMA Agribusiness Show in Paris last week

CLAAS’s tracked solution to counter soil compaction in forage harvesting applications has impressed a panel of agricultural experts at the SIMA trade show, which in turn awarded the company with a gold medal for innovation.

A total of 27 medals- two gold, five silver and 20 bronze- were handed out to manufacturers which have come up with impressive solutions to advance the agricultural industry.

According to the panel of judges, CLAAS’ TERRA TRAC system on its JAGUAR forage harvester has been successful in protecting soil structure in forage harvesting applications, unlike other tracked systems on the market.

CLAAS’ TERRA TRAC system was initially launched and used in conjunction with its LEXION combine harvesters back in 1996, but has since been applied to its forage harvester range in recent years, giving birth to the JAGUAR 960 TERRA TRAC in 2017.

According to CLAAS Harvest Centre Product Manager for CLAAS JAGUAR, Luke Wheeler, the JAGUAR 960 TERRA TRAC is the world’s first forage harvester to be fitted with a factory-integrated crawler track assembly.

“This technology has revolutionised grain harvesting by significantly reducing soil compaction, improving driving comfort and improving field access,” he said.

The system is available in track widths of 635, 735 and 890mm.

The key point of difference in the TERRA TRAC system, according to CLAAS, is the intelligent headland protection system.

“During turning, the support rollers in each track unit are pushed down hydraulically and the front drive roller is raised, effectively reducing the contact area by about a third,” he said.

“This results in the visible avoidance of damage to the grass cover by the shear effect when turning.

“Testing conducted by Kiel University of Applied Sciences in Germany has shown that the soil pressure during headland turns is less than that exerted by a wheeled machine.”

Combined with the tyre pressure adjustment system on the rear axle, TERRA TRAC allows improved field access and reduced damage to croplands and headlands.

“Put simply, this technology means the harvester won’t sink into the ground when operating in difficult, wet field conditions,” Wheeler explained.

“This makes the going so much easier for the harvester and the transport vehicles following it.”

The chassis has been extended by almost a metre in order to accommodate the tracked assemblies, which can oscillate 23 degrees upwards and downwards.

“This pivoted mounting system allows the machine to be operated in even the most difficult conditions,” Wheeler said.

“The extended wheelbase also allows significantly larger maintenance compartment and improved accessibility to the corn cracker.”

JAGUAR 960 with TERRA TRAC also boasts a narrow transport width and a top speed of up to 40 km/h.

“Even with the wide 890mm tracks, the machine remains within an external width of 3.5 metres making it very straightforward to license for use on public roads,” Wheeler said.

CLAAS churns out 40,000th JAGUAR

In another milestone for CLAAS, its 40,000th JAGUAR forage harvester just rolled off the factory floor, cementing the JAGUAR’s position as the world’s best-selling forage harvester.

The range was first introduced back in 1973, and has seen a myriad of evolution and changes to its current advanced state today.

The milestone machine, fittingly a top-of-the line JAGUAR 960 TERRA TRAC, features a stunning ‘big cat’ decal on its side panels and will be deployed as a demonstration machine throughout Europe this summer.

Some industry-leading and award-winning features in the JAGUAR today include the AUTO-FILL, DYNAMIC POWER control, CEBIS operating system and V-MAX chopping cylinder.

Today, CLAAS offers 12 models across the 900 and 800 series, all of which can be used with the DIRECT DISC cutterbar, the PICK UP grass front and the ORBIS corn header.