Claas is to offer its big 10.5m (34ft) Vario 1050 cutterbar on Lexion 580+ combines for 2009. This header is already an option for the Lexion 600 and has proved very popular, with 10% of all Claas combines sold for 2008 specified with it.

The company is also offering a new Business Pack high-tech package for Lexion 600 and 580+ machines. This includes Cebis yield mapping, fuel monitoring, crop book data and Claas’s Telematics performance monitoring system.

The latter was launched two years ago. As well as offering features like benchmarking, machine location and live yield monitoring, it also has a harvest efficiency analysis function that shows when and where the combine unloaded.

Claas says farmers using the system over the past two years have reducing idling time by 7%. One user increased his harvesting time by 8% and boosted the proportion of time when the combine was actually working to 81%.

The Tucano combine range, launched last year, also gets specification upgrades for 2009. Tucano 450 and 430 models will now come with a new straw chopper with more blades and better spread width control as standard. This will also be an option for Tucano 440 and 320 models.

For 2009, the Cebis monitor will come as standard with a new larger colour 160mm (6.4in) screen or optional 220mm (8.4in) with flash card reader.

Claas will also be offering its GPS Pilot auto steer as a factory fit option. It can be used with either the Egnos or Omnistar HP guidance systems or with RTK, depending on what level of accuracy is needed.