A factory-integrated crawler track is a key feature of Claas's new forage harvester
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The Claas Jaguar 960 Terra Trac hits the road
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Claas has become the first manufacturer to release a forage harvester with factory-integrated crawler track.
First revealed at last year’s Agritechnica expo, the new Claas Jaguar 960 Terra Trac has its manufacturer very excited.
“Claas first released Terra Trac for use in combination with Lexion combine harvesters in 1996,” Claas Harvest Centre product manager Luke Wheeler says. “This technology has revolutionised grain harvesting by significantly reducing soil compaction, improving driving comfort and improving field access.
“It is no exaggeration to say Jaguar with Terra Trac is set to redefine forage harvesting performance,” Wheeler adds.
Available in 635, 735 and 890mm track widths, the Terra Trac system, when combined with the tyre pressure adjustment system on the rear axle, will allow for improved field access and reduce damage to croplands and headlands, says the company.
The 635mm-wide tracks offer a contact area of 1.3m2, which is twice as much as the 800-size tyres.
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A close up of the crawler tracks
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“The intelligent headland protection system takes the Terra Trac concept to another level,” Wheeler says. “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.
“This results in the visible avoidance of damage to the grass cover by the shear effect when turning,” he adds.
Tests conducted by the Kiel University of Applied Sciences in Germany also revealed that soil pressure during headland turns is less than that exerted by a wheeled machine.
“Put simply, this technology means the harvester won’t sink into the ground when operating in difficult, wet field conditions,” Wheeler explains. “This makes the going so much easier for the harvester and the transport vehicles following it.”
Other features include the Jaguar’s extended chassis, which is extended by almost a metre in order to accommodate the tracked assemblies, which can oscillate 23 degrees upwards and downwards. Claas says this pivoted mounting systems allows the Jaguar to be operated in difficult conditions.
With a narrow transport width of 3.5m and a top speed of 40km/h, the Claas Jaguar 960 with Terra Trac is an impressive piece of machinery.
The Claas Jaguar 960 with Terra Trac will be available in Australia and New Zealand from 2019.
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