Know How / Combines This is your go-to area for everything related to combine harvesters. We offer tips for keeping old combines running well, how to select a new machine and all the specs and prices for the UK market. Latest combine articles COMBINESJohn Deere S7 combines get more power and updated cabSingle-rotor S7 combine harvesters from John Deere have been treated to a host of updates, including new engines, cabin and residue management systems. Power ranges from 402 to 533hp (436… COMBINESNew Holland unleashes biggest-ever combine – the CR11New Holland has pulled the wraps off its highest capacity combine harvester yet, which it hopes will leave the competition choking behind its chaff spreader. Dubbed CR11, the machine has… COMBINESNew Holland introduces its highest capacity combine yetThe battle to build the highest output combine harvester is hotting up, with New Holland set to launch its biggest machine yet. Details are still thin on the ground, but… HARVESTMake the most of your combine’s yield data this harvestWhat to do with your harvest data? Despite many growers being awash with historical data from combine generated yield maps, only a small minority are using this data to its… COMBINESUltimate Guide to buying a combine 2024There are few machine and model updates for this year’s Ultimate Guide to combine harvesters – but there are some subtle changes to the tables themselves to make some of… COMBINESDriver’s view: Claas Trion 750 rated after two seasons' workThe launch of the Trion combines two years ago represented one of the biggest-ever shake-ups of the Claas range. Slotting between the high-output Lexions and late-of-this-parish Tucanos, they promised something… COMBINESBrace of John Deere X9 combines gobble 170t of wheat an hourIn its quest to build the highest-output combine harvester on the market, John Deere came up with a machine that was also the most expensive. Commanding a heady starting list… Combine reviews and testsSee all Driver's view: Deutz Fahr 6090Vital stats Six straw-walkers| 310hp Deutz engine| 7m Biso VX header| 8,500-litre grain tank| Made in Croatia A bit of background How has it performed? Likes & gripes Farm facts… Driver's view: Sampo Rosenlew 3065Vital stats Six straw-walkers| 210hp Sisu engine| 5.1m header| 6500-litre grain tank| Made in Finland A bit of background How has it performed? Farm facts Small fields and high rainfall… COMBINESDriver’s view: Robert Floyd’s 1989 Laverda 3850 combineA 1989 Laverda 3850 has been the combine of choice for Worcestershire mixed farmers Robert Floyd and James Kent for the past 13 years. The Italian-built harvester cuts about 80ha… COMBINESDriver's view: John Roberts’ Massey Ferguson Activa 7240We get the lowdown on the Massey Ferguson Activa 7240 combine run by Shropshire farmer John Roberts. Farm facts Napley Farm, Market Drayton, Shropshire Size 135ha Soil Sandy loam Crops… Farmers review Case, Claas and Deere combinesTwo years ago we picked seven different makes of two-year-old combine and got a warts-and-all report from their owners and drivers. We’ve repeated the exercise again this year to see… COMBINESBrace of John Deere X9 combines gobble 170t of wheat an hourIn its quest to build the highest-output combine harvester on the market, John Deere came up with a machine that was also the most expensive. Commanding a heady starting list… COMBINESDriver's view: Peter Booth's Claas Tucano 320We get the details on Angus arable farmer Peter Booth’s Claas Tucano 320 that replaced a near-identical model in 2017. See also: Combine add-ons can help slash spread of weed seeds… MACHINERYCombine users give their verdicts two years onTwo years ago we picked seven different makes of two-year-old combine and got a warts-and-all report from their owners and drivers. We’ve repeated the exercise again this year to see… Driver's view: John Deere S690iVital stats Single-rotor threshing| 617hp Deere 6-cyl twin-turbo| 10.7m (35ft) header| 10,600-litre grain tank| Made in USA A bit of background How has it performed? Likes & gripes Farm facts… Combine buyers guide 2014Tweaks and upgrades rather than major new model introductions characterise combine developments for the 2014 harvest. Click on each manufacturer to see their specifications. Case IH Claas Deutz Fahr John… Driver's view: Claas Tucano 440A bit of background How has it performed? Vital stats Farm facts Until 2000, MF red had been the colour-scheme of choice at the Cousins’ family farm in Essex. But… COMBINESDriver's view: Mathew Caudwell’s John Deere W540iWe get the lowdown on the John Deere W540i combine run by Lincolnshire farmer Mathew Caudwell. We find out why his chose the JD W-series and how it has performed… Combine buying advice Ultimate guide to buying a combine 2023 Buying alternative combine headers - the options Guide to buying a used hill-sider combine Tips for buying a quality used combine on a £40,000 budget How Kent farmers saved £33,000 on buying a new combine What to look for when buying a used combine What costs to consider when increasing combine capacity Driver's view: Greenshields Agri's 13.7m MacDon FD2 header Combine guidesSee all MACHINERYTop tips to keep your combine running in the wetAugust invariably delivers a spell of bad weather, so we’ve put together 20 top tips from the experts on how to ease the flow of damp crops through the combine.… COMBINESUltimate Guide to buying a combine 2024There are few machine and model updates for this year’s Ultimate Guide to combine harvesters – but there are some subtle changes to the tables themselves to make some of… COMBINESUltimate guide to buying a combine 2023New and improved models at the top and bottom end of the performance spectrum characterise the changes in this year’s Ultimate Guide to combines – along with the arrival of… COMBINESGuide to buying a used hill-sider combineTrue full body levelling on combines is not just a nice-to-have feature – for some farms it’s essential. And although the additional cost when buying new isn’t as much as… MACHINERYCompare tractors and combines with our buyers guidesFarmers and contractors looking to take several options into consideration when choosing a new tractor will find the new specification and price guide published on FWi this week a useful… COMBINESVideo: Claas launches biggest-ever Lexion combineClaas has just won the most recent hand of combine manufacturer Top Trumps after it launched its most powerful Lexion machines yet. The headline-grabbing flagship 8900 is the biggest in the… HARVESTMake the most of your combine’s yield data this harvestWhat to do with your harvest data? Despite many growers being awash with historical data from combine generated yield maps, only a small minority are using this data to its… TECHNOLOGYSimple guide to telematics and performance monitoringOf all the key machines on an average arable farm, the combine is king. It’s the most expensive piece of any machinery – top-of-the-range machines can hit the £400,000 mark… COMBINESUltimate guide to buying a combine 2022After something of a stop-start harvest that for numerous growers involved cutting crops new to their rotation, manufacturers and dealers are looking to sign up customers for combines delivering additional… COMBINESCombine buyers guide 2018Combine makers around the globe have been rebuilding and updating their ranges ahead of next year’s harvest. With that in mind, our Combine buyers guide 2018 (PDF) contains the specs and… Combine buyers guide 2014Tweaks and upgrades rather than major new model introductions characterise combine developments for the 2014 harvest. Click on each manufacturer to see their specifications. Case IH Claas Deutz Fahr John… COMBINESLancs engineer modifies mint Claas and Deere combine fleetFew combine harvesters leave a contracting business in better condition than when they arrived, but that’s usually the case for the cosseted examples run by Lancashire outfit A Johnson Agricultural… VideoSee all COMBINESVideo: Orkney contractor converts his combine to tracksFarming on the Orkney archipelago in the north of Scotland throws up challenges unlike anything on mainland Britain. The biggest of those is the weather – the Gulf Stream brings… Video: Harvest 2015 filmed from the skiesBefore lashings of rain brought combining to an abrupt halt, Farmers Weekly hit the road with a high-definition drone to capture some aerial highlights of this year’s harvest. We started… COMBINESVideo: Claas launches biggest-ever Lexion combineClaas has just won the most recent hand of combine manufacturer Top Trumps after it launched its most powerful Lexion machines yet. The headline-grabbing flagship 8900 is the biggest in the… MACHINERYClass Lexion 770 user's view[fwi_vidyard code="L-sGxm5SjRhWSED0nBHmvQ"] John and Tom Hawthorne are one of the first in the country to run the new Lexion flagship 770, equipped with a 40ft Vario header. Emily Padfield went to see how… Combine insights and practical adviceSee all MACHINERYTop tips to keep your combine running in the wetAugust invariably delivers a spell of bad weather, so we’ve put together 20 top tips from the experts on how to ease the flow of damp crops through the combine.… COMBINESMachinery Milestones: History of the combine harvesterThreshing machines were an international success story for British manufacturers, and the companies involved became global leaders, but the combine harvester market proved a far harder nut to crack. Britain’s… COMBINESUltimate Guide to buying a combine 2024There are few machine and model updates for this year’s Ultimate Guide to combine harvesters – but there are some subtle changes to the tables themselves to make some of… COMBINESUltimate guide to buying a combine 2023New and improved models at the top and bottom end of the performance spectrum characterise the changes in this year’s Ultimate Guide to combines – along with the arrival of… COMBINESVideo: Orkney contractor converts his combine to tracksFarming on the Orkney archipelago in the north of Scotland throws up challenges unlike anything on mainland Britain. The biggest of those is the weather – the Gulf Stream brings… COMBINESRetrofit fire suppresion kit could save combinesIsolated in an air-conditioned capsule at the front of the machine, combine operators are usually completely unaware when there’s an inferno slowly building behind them. By the time they do… COMBINESGuide to buying a used hill-sider combineTrue full body levelling on combines is not just a nice-to-have feature – for some farms it’s essential. And although the additional cost when buying new isn’t as much as… MACHINERYCombine fires: Why do they keep happening?Combine fires are far from a new phenomenon. From the earliest petrol-powered Masseys to the latest tracked Claas Lexions, they are all capable of succumbing to the destructive forces of… HEADERSBuying alternative combine headers - the optionsBuying a new combine rarely involved much discussion about header options when there was no choice other than to decide what width to hook on the front. But that has… Exotic and unusual harvesters: Sugar caneThe earliest sugar cane harvesters date from the 1920s and a single machine could replace up to 100 labourers. In Australia, mechanical harvesters first appeared in the 1950s and were… MACHINERYCompare tractors and combines with our buyers guidesFarmers and contractors looking to take several options into consideration when choosing a new tractor will find the new specification and price guide published on FWi this week a useful… HARVESTMake the most of your combine’s yield data this harvestWhat to do with your harvest data? Despite many growers being awash with historical data from combine generated yield maps, only a small minority are using this data to its…