Claas launch entry-level kit for 2014 season
Claas has announced that it will be launching entry-level versions of its Lexion hybrid and Tucano 5-walker combines for the 2014 season.
The new Lexion 740 will become the smallest of the maker’s high-tech combines and will sit below the 750 model. Power will come from the same 6-cylinder engine as its bigger brother, but it will develop 400hp instead of 449hp.
Inside, the 740 will share the same APS accelerator, drum, and twin rotary separators as some of the bigger machines and it will be able to cope with cutterbars up to 9m wide. It will also get a 10,000-litre grain tank.
In the cab, it’ll be pretty familiar to Claas operators. A multi-function joystick will handle all main functions and it will have the same colour monitor as the rest of the range. Buyers will also be able to spec the Claas electronic machine optimisation system (CEMOS), which automates cleaning and separation settings.
There will be several tweaks for the rest of the Lexion range, too. Flagship 770 and 780 machines will get an optional HD grain quality camera that can work out if there are too many damaged grains or too much chaff in the sample.
All models will also be available with a clever straw spreader that automatically adjusts settings according to slope and wind speed. Claas says this will give an even spread of material across the whole cutting width without any input from the driver.
Walker combines
In the traditional walker camp, there will be a smaller 420 Tucano model to sit below the existing 430.
This will come with a 6-cylinder Mercedes engine that uses an SCR system to meet the latest round of emissions regulations. Power output will be 238hp meaning it will be man enough to handle all Claas cutterbars up to 6m wide. Grain tank capacity will be a generous 7,500-litres and like other Tucano models it will have five straw walkers.
Claas’ smallest Avero machines will be the first of the maker’s combines to meet Tier 4 final emissions regulations. For 2014 the 4-walker machines will get a new 205hp Perkins engine that uses SCR, exhaust gas recirculation and a diesel particulate filter to keep exhaust nasties at bay. Claas says it will also be more economical that the 198hp machine.
