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 COMBINESUltimate guide to buying a combine 2027A difficult harvest has left some growers with little appetite for a big machinery bill. Where underwhelming yields have squeezed returns, replacing a combine becomes a harder decision: keep an… COMBINESMassey Ferguson ramps up combine spec packagesSelected optional equipment is being included as standard on a limited run of Massey Ferguson Next Edition combines. All told, MF says Activa S and Beta Next Edition buyers get… COMBINESMid-range Agco Ideal combines get performance upgradesAn increase in separation area for the mid-range models in Agco’s Ideal combine range builds on the cleaning performance upgrades introduced on all four variants for this year’s harvest. It… 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… TECHNOLOGYHow to get ultra-accurate RTK guidance for £1,100Once the preserve of the generously acred, ultra-accurate RTK guidance is now a financially viable option for farms of a princelier scale thanks to fit-it-yourself kits powered by open-source software.… COMBINESDriver's View: Guy Walker rates Lexion-like Claas Trion 760A gnat’s doodah is about all that now separates the top Trion from the lowliest Lexion in Claas’ combine line-up. The two ranges were drawn closer than ever last summer… WORKSHOP SKILLSTop tips for combine maintenance, repair and storageHaving cut his teeth at hire firm APH in the mid-1990s, Ben Painter knows a thing or two about CNH combines. Three decades on, he’s still in the game, keeping… Combine reviews and testsSee all Driver's view: Massey Ferguson DeltaVital stats Twin-rotor hybrid threshing| 509hp Sisu 7-cylinder engine with AdBlue| 9.2m header| 9,500-litre grain tank| Made in Italy A bit of background How has it performed? Likes & gripes… 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… 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… COMBINESVideo: It's coming - Massey's huge 650hp Ideal combineClaas and New Holland might reign supreme in European harvesting circles, but Agco is hoping to knock them down a peg or two with its highest output and most sophisticated… COMBINESDriver’s view: Ed Layton’s John Deere T5 600 HillmasterThe first examples of John Deere’s five-walker T5 combines rocked up on farms this harvest, offering more output and greater levels of refinement that the T500 machines they replaced. Most… COMBINESNew Holland’s monster CR11 combine notches 100t/hourNew Holland has edged ahead in the perpetual race for grain harvesting supremacy with its highest output and most expensive combine yet. The CR11 is reckoned to be good for… 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 Deere CTS 9780i combineA large output when crops are at their driest was key for Dorset farmer James Reed. After doing his research, the hybrid arrangement of the John Deere CTS was the… Driver's view: Case Axial Flow 9230Vital stats Single-rotor threshing| 571hp Fiat 12.9-litre engine with AdBlue| 10.7m (35ft) header| 12,330-litre grain tank| Made in USA A bit of background How has it performed? Likes & gripes… COMBINESOn test: Combine reversing cameras – which is best?Clobbering the back of your combine harvester against an oak tree or backing over the boss’s pickup is no fun whatsoever. So the addition of a rear-view camera to keep… 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… Double cutterbar combine can boost outputs by 15%An unusual double-cutterbar combine header being used by a Midlands farmer is claimed to be able to boost harvester output by up to 15%. Nick Fone explains how. For the… Combine buying advice Ultimate guide to buying a combine 2026 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: Ed Layton’s John Deere T5 600 Hillmaster Combine guidesSee all WORKSHOP SKILLSTop tips for combine maintenance, repair and storageHaving cut his teeth at hire firm APH in the mid-1990s, Ben Painter knows a thing or two about CNH combines. Three decades on, he’s still in the game, keeping… COMBINESOn test: Combine reversing cameras – which is best?Clobbering the back of your combine harvester against an oak tree or backing over the boss’s pickup is no fun whatsoever. So the addition of a rear-view camera to keep… 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 2020With this year’s combining season well and truly put to bed, it’s time for some growers to look ahead and consider their combine requirements for harvest 2020. We detail the… 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… COMBINESUltimate guide to buying a combine 2021Increased capacity potential with more sophisticated powertrains promising lower running costs are common themes among new combine harvesters listed in this year’s Ultimate Guide for harvest 2021. At Claas, the… COMBINESFirst impressions: Case IH's new single-rotor AF10 combineWhile rival brands offer an assortment of separation systems, Case IH only has eyes for socking great single rotors – which is exactly what can be found running the length… 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… COMBINES16 nifty retrofit items to fine-tune your combineThe internet is awash with bolt on bits of technology to improve your combine's harvesting performance. We've picked out some handy items used by farmers all over the globe –… COMBINESUltimate guide to buying a combine 2025Some major updates are included in this year’s combine buyer’s guide, not least New Holland’s all-new CR top-end machines. Existing CR Evolution and CX combines have also gained some improvements… MACHINERY2019 Ultimate guide to buying a combineIncreased automation to help both experienced and inexperienced combine operators is the highlight of upgrades to the latest crop of machines destined for harvest 2019. New sensor technology can now… 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… VideoSee all VIDEO: Fendt tractor sales rocketThe explosive modernisation of eastern European agriculture has fuelled massive growth in sales for German tractor maker Fendt. Sales of Fendt tractors have rocketed on the back of the… Video: Is a 61ft header the largest in the world?This video fascinating video filmed in December 2008 shows a Claas Lexion 600 with a 61ft (18.6m) header working in drought hit wheat in New South Wales, Australia. The cutom-built header… COMBINESVideo: Claas launches Trion combine range as Tucanos scrappedBuyers will no longer have to order a model from Claas’ biggest Lexion range to spec all the popular bells and whistles after the German maker launched its new ultra-flexible… COMBINESVideo: John Deere's monster £850,000 X9 combineUS firm John Deere has given its new X9 1100 combine and 12.1m HDX header a whopping £850,328 list price. The combine alone is listed at £725,908 and the HDX… Combine insights and practical adviceSee all WORKSHOP SKILLSTop tips for combine maintenance, repair and storageHaving cut his teeth at hire firm APH in the mid-1990s, Ben Painter knows a thing or two about CNH combines. Three decades on, he’s still in the game, keeping… 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… COMBINESRetrofit combine yield monitor provides low-cost crop dataFrom decision-making on crop dryer settings to variety choices for the next cropping year, there is value to be had in being able to quickly access and make use of… COMBINESAgronomist-built combine attachment helps monitor lossesA novel Canadian combine attachment is helping growers calculate the monetary value of thrown-away grains by checking tailings as they fall from the machine. The Bushel Plus system was developed… COMBINESPlusher cabs and more tech for John Deere combinesHaving splashed out on the development of its acre-gobbling twin-rotor X9 combine, John Deere has been making the most of the investment by filtering much of the technology down to… COMBINESUltimate guide to buying a combine 2020With this year’s combining season well and truly put to bed, it’s time for some growers to look ahead and consider their combine requirements for harvest 2020. We detail the… TECHNOLOGYHow to improve slurry and silage kit with infrared sensorsScientists have been using near-infrared spectroscopy for decades, analysing everything from blood and tissue samples to livestock forage and grain. But now this technology is starting to migrate from the… 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… MACHINERYHow New Holland’s IntelliSense system solves harvest pressureHarvest has always been an extremely pressured time of the year - time is precious, manpower is precious and everyone and everything must pull together to bring the harvest home.… HARVESTWhat costs to consider when increasing combine capacityEvery year farmers face the same question: Should I buy extra kit to ensure a quick harvest and secure premiums, pay for a contractor, or risk rain delays? Each carries… COMBINESUltimate guide to buying a combine 2021Increased capacity potential with more sophisticated powertrains promising lower running costs are common themes among new combine harvesters listed in this year’s Ultimate Guide for harvest 2021. At Claas, the… MACHINERY8 ways to make your combine tyres last longerChecking the tyres before the combine is put away for winter could save farmers thousands of pounds in unnecessary replacement costs the following year, according to Mitas Tyres. "Replacing combine…