For John Deere harvest equipment, it's a double launch this fall.

There's something new in yellow and green harvest machinery. This fall marks a rare moment for John Deere in that it is launching a new combine series and a new header platform at the same time. The new 60 series harvesters include STS, CTS and Walker machines, with two new models, the 9560 STS, a 265-horsepower machine and the 9860, a 375-horsepower combine, the largest ever built by John Deere.

Designers and engineers for the 60 series are quick to point out that plenty of thought has been given to the feedback they get from John Deere combine owners. Some improvements include an easily adjusted 17-degree fore/aft tilt on the feederhouse, which allows proper positioning of the platform, regardless of tire size. For operator convenience, there is a single-point header hookup. The unit houses all the electrical and hydraulic connections for the header, and pulling the lever to engage them also engages the bottom header latch pin. The folks at Deere say this makes for a 75 percent reduction in the time it takes to hook up the header.

9760 STS and 9860 STS machines come standard with a high capacity unloading system, which moves grain out of the tank at 3.3 bushels per second. To do that, they're built with a 17-inch diameter auger with a wider flighting pitch. That means moving more grain with less steel-to-grain contact and less mechanical damage. And the unloading auger is 22.5 feet long, making it adaptable to a wide range of unloading situations.

Inside the cab, the operator can choose from preset factory crop setting for rotor threshing speed, concave clearance, cleaning fan speed and chaffer and sieve openings. Operators can also enter customized settings for all these variables and change them on the go. A new moisture sensor is also available.

These machines are powered by 6.8 liter, 8.1 liter or 12.5 liter John Deere PowerTech engines.

Improvements in the feederhouse, shoe-cleaning capacity and fan systems make for increased capacity over older models.

Headers
The 600 series harvest platforms were released with the 60 series combines for a reason: Increased combine capacity calls for better header performance. John Deere claims a 30 percent improvement in productivity compared to the older 900 series.

Included in the 600 series is the 635 HydraFlex (pictured), a 35-foot flexible platform. It's compatible with the 9760 and the 9860 combines. The HydraFlex float system provides consistent cutting height no matter the ground condition via a hydraulic float system--hydraulic cylinders attached to the cutter bar. They are controlled from the cab.

As with the new combine designs, engineers looked earnestly to comments from John Deere customers. One thing customers wanted was quick hookup and detachment. To achieve that, the design implements the single point electrical and hydraulic hookup mentioned above as well as a single-point drive-shaft connection. Attaching a header to the combine can all be done within a few feet from the cab ladder. No more walking around the header for drive-shaft hookup.

The new headers feature a 4-inch double-cut knife--a way to double cutting surface and increase cutting capacity without having to increase the cutterbar speed.

For more information: www.johndeere.com.