John Deere has revised its 8000 and 9000 series forage harvester portfolio for the model year 2023. The focus is primarily on the smaller models of the 8000 Series, but the 9000 Series also receives important updates to further increase performance.
A new top-of-the-range offering has also been added to the pick-up model range – the 30R – which increases output, especially in the upper horsepower segment.
In addition to a facelift, the 8100, 8200 and 8300 models receive additional horsepower. The 8100 harvester with the 9.0-litre engine now delivers a maximum power of 431hp and replaces the current 8200. For 2023, the 8200 forage harvester receives the larger 13.5-litre engine and therefore increases its output by 34hp to 465hp. The power increase of the smaller 8000 models is rounded off by the new 8300, which now has a maximum output of 505hp instead of the previous 490hp.
To further enhance performance and reduce operating costs, the Dura Line Kernel Processor has a new coating, Busa Clad. This has been specially developed for highly stressed machine components and is available for all 8000 and 9000 Series models. In addition to a longer service life, it results in reduced wear costs per tonne to be achieved.
Like the 9500 and 9600 forage harvesters before, the 9700 model now also gets the JD18X engine, which does not require AdBlue. This 18-litre John Deere engine increases the performance of the forage harvester. It also introduces HarvestMotion Plus, which provides an exceptional torque increase and even more power at low engine speeds. As a result, the 9700 forage harvester now delivers up to 825hp.
Furthermore, all self-propelled forage harvesters in the 9000 series are now equipped with a newly designed discharge chute that is 20cm longer than the previous version. Thanks to its optimised contours and design, it enables a higher throughput and provides a better overview during chopping. Additional openings also facilitate maintenance.
To utilise the full John Deere power, Kemper has developed the new 30R Grass Pick-up with a working width of 2.7m. Equipped with a large 80cm diameter auger, deep 20cm auger flights and six tine bars with 6.5mm tines, the new R-series pick-ups are designed for high throughput. To ensure the full John Deere power is used during the upcoming chopping season, the 30R features a chainless drive and heavy-duty wear parts that reduce maintenance costs.
John Deere offers a range of solutions to increase operator comfort in the tightly-timed chopping season. One of them is AutoSetup. If the machine is equipped with a JDLink modem, data can be exchanged wirelessly and free of charge with the John Deere Operations Center. This allows workflows to be set up, planned and monitored in a single online portal.
Using John Deere AutoSetup, it’s then possible to send this information to forage harvesters directly in the field. The pre-planned work schedules then automatically appear on the Gen 4 display when the machine crosses the boundary of the designated field. This gives the driver direct access to the correct lanes, work settings and field boundaries.
