The mammoth task of construction was undertaken by the only certified Lego builder in France, from the company Sarl ERC Briques, and took 3,500 working hours.

The 3.5t CLAAS Lego tractor is an absolute gem and has been named 'TractoBrick'. It was given its place of honour in the museum's great machine hall, next to almost a dozen other genuine tractors depicting the history of the motorisation of agriculture.

The idea for the project originated in the Musée du Compa itself. A mascot was needed for the new permanent exhibition, and 'TractorBrick' fitted the description. The museum, renowned for its first-class exhibitions, is located in Chartres, about 80 km from Paris. It portrays the history of agriculture and agricultural engineering, and attracts more than 50,000 visitors each year.

The project was financed by public and private organisations, including the French CLAAS company, CLAAS Tractor. In addition, there was a successful fund raising campaign, which far exceeded the target set. Thanks to this, the Musée du Compa will be able to organise a hackathon from 2nd to 4th December 2016. For 48 hours, software developers will try to breathe digital life into 'TractoBrick'.

'TractoBrick' will not only be exhibited at the Musée du Compa but also at the French young farmers' festival, Terres de Jim, in September as well as at the CLAAS headquarters in Harsewinkel (Germany) in the coming months.

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CLAAS Group, Corporate Communications
Please adress further enquiries to pr@claas.com

The new VARIO cutterbars are primarily designed for harvesting grain and rape seed and are characterised by their particularly high level of operating efficiency and rate of work across a wide range of yields. During ongoing development, the main focus was placed on increased throughput, a higher level of flexibility and greater comfort for the operator.

Variable table length across a 700 mm sliding range

As on the smaller VARIO cutterbars, the table length of the 1230 and 1080 models is fully adjustable. The variable table position extends from −100 mm to 600 mm. The operator can easily change the table length using the ground speed control lever and adjust it at any time to suit short- or long-stalk grains and other crops such as rape seed. Even when harvesting dense crops, a steady crop flow can be achieved by selecting the right table length.

Divided header auger and reel

Due to the large 12.30 m and 10.80 m working widths of both VARIO models, the header auger and reel are divided and centrally mounted. This guarantees quiet and, most importantly, stable operation, even in difficult working conditions involving damp or dense crops, or during the challenging harvest of rape seed. Furthermore, the header auger and reel are especially strong, thereby ensuring a continuously high throughput.

Divided finger bar with double-sided drive

One notable advantage of the VARIO cutterbar is the high-quality drive technology used for the header auger and finger bar. Both are mechanically driven through a gearbox and universal drive shaft. In addition to the reel and auger, the finger bar is also divided and has a double-sided, synchronous drive from both left and right. This guarantees very smooth running and stability in all harvest conditions, which contributes to the VARIO models' high rate of work. Both finger bars overlap at the centre of the cutterbar, thereby enabling a clean cut along the full working width.

The VARIO 1230 and 1080 models can be used with all CLAAS combine harvesters from the LEXION range and will be available for the 2017 harvest season.

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CLAAS Group, Corporate Communications
Please adress further enquiries to pr@claas.com

Thanks to the 7XL unloading auger, the chaser wagon can now be driven along the last used combine harvester track when the combine harvester is unloading.

Using the 4XL unloading auger (which was the largest available until now) as a starting point, CLAAS has completely redesigned the 7XL and equipped it with a folding endpiece. This endpiece is 2.11 m long and folds by 120 degrees to sit behind the combine harvester during transport. It is operated using the familiar push switch on the CMOTION multifunction lever. A safety mechanism ensures that the endpiece can only be folded and unfolded when the unloading auger tube has been swivelled outwards into its correct position.

Until now, Controlled Traffic Farming has been practised primarily in dry areas of Australia. But farmers in Europe are now showing greater interest. Its fundamental principle is that all vehicles and machinery should only ever use the set tramlines which are established for each area of arable land right at the outset. Combined with plough-free, minimal soil tillage, this should improve soil structure and provide greater protection against erosion, as well as result in more efficient use of soil water and a lower tractive power requirement.

The new 7XL grain tank unloading auger will be available in time for the 2017 harvest season for all new LEXION 700 combine harvesters which are equipped with a TERRA TRAC crawler track assembly and a reinforced 13,500 or 11,000 litre grain tank.

CLAAS also supplies all the other equipment that is needed to successfully apply Controlled Traffic Farming principles to the grain harvesting process: The 12.27 m wide VARIO 1230 cutterbar, a four-wheel drive rear axle that comes with a tire pressure control system, an automatic steering system, and the software required for automatic tracking planning.

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CLAAS Group, Corporate Communications
Please adress further enquiries to pr@claas.com

Now CLAAS presents the new ROLLANT 620, the largest fixed chamber round baler on the market, with a bale diameter of 1.50 m. It has been developed for the harvesting of straw and hay with high throughput and bale density.

New level of performance

The new ROLLANT 620 produces round bales with net or twine wrapping, measuring 1.22 x 1.50 m in size. The new baler is fitted with a 2.10 m pick-up and comes equipped with a feed rotor as standard, thereby allowing it to achieve higher throughput and bale density. A ROTO CUT (RC) cutterbar is also available with seven knives. This is particularly advantageous when baling hay, as the short stalks produce bales that are stable in shape and can be more easily broken up later, despite the higher bale density.

The compression roller chamber is strong, features pronounced ribbing on its surface and is now equipped with screwed drive flanges. The ribbed surface on each roller enables thorough self-cleaning, a continuous crop flow during filling and ensures uniform bale rotation.

Rolls of twine or netting can be fitted quickly and easily

In addition, a new design of net brake means that the tension of the netting is higher during the tying process. This allows the netting to be cut more cleanly as well as resulting in nicely formed and stable round bales. The carrying capacity for rolls of twine or netting has been increased and with the capacity to hold six rolls of twine or two rolls of netting, this is enough for a full day's work. A new folding ramp for the rolls of netting makes it easier to load the machine and is a brand new feature in this class.

Automatic constant chain lubrication

New benefits have also been introduced with regard to maintenance. New automatic chain lubrication means that the chains are now constantly lubricated regardless of the bale count. The system is fed by a 3.4 l oil tank and ensures that the machine operates in a way that produces little wear and requires minimal maintenance.

Simple to operate

New features relating to the operation and monitoring of the machine have also been added. Thanks to the CLAAS OPERATOR terminal, both of these activities have been made simpler and clearer. Using the terminal, the operator can display the baling pressure, view machine statuses such as tying, tailgate open or ramp up/down, delay the start of wrapping, or select netting or twine. In addition, the OPERATOR also displays the daily output and total output in terms of the number of bales. The operator also has a very good view of the pick-up from the driver's cab and therefore can always keep an eye on the crop flow.

Low fuel consumption

Despite the improved performance in terms of throughput and bale density, the new ROLLANT 620 only has a power requirement of 80 HP, making it ideally suited for baling hay and straw on farms that run smaller horsepower tractors.

The ROLLANT 620 RF and RC will go into production in time for the 2017 harvest season.

You can download the text here.

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CLAAS Group, Corporate Communications
Please adress further enquiries to pr@claas.com

The new VARIANT 400 series will replace the existing VARIANT 300 range from the 2017 harvesting season. As before, the new range will be available in two different bale sizes (0.90–1.55 x 1.20m and 0.90–1.80 x 1.20 m) as well as with (ROTO CUT) or without the cutterbar (ROTO FEED). There is also the option for the PRO cutting floor with hydropneumatic suspension as well as the XXL pick-up with a width of 2.35 m.

Optional dual roller crop press

A dual roller crop press, the same as that fitted to the QUADRANT square baler and the JAGUAR forage harvester, is now also available for the pick-up. The dual roller crop press is suspended and can be mechanically switched between four different settings without the use of tools. It allows the intake to be quickly adjusted to suit different operating conditions and ensures a more uniform and faster crop flow, meaning that the new VARIANT models can be driven at higher operating speeds. In the case of the PRO version, the cutting floor automatically drops when there is a risk of blockage, meaning that the baler can always be driven at its optimal level of performance.

In addition, the two oscillating castor guide wheels that steer the pick-up along the ground have been reinforced and can now be folded when using the XXL pick-up to reduce the transport width.

360-degree rotor star structure

Improvements have been made to the new models' star rotor structure. The star rotor now turns through 360 degrees instead of the current 180 degrees. The new star rotor structure uses 14 knives, reaching a rate of 6,000 cuts per minute, thereby ensuring that the flow of material is widely distributed when it is fed into the bale chamber, which results in uniformly shaped bales. This is an advantage particularly in the case of narrow swaths.

New net wrapping

The new models' system for the intake of net or twine has also received an overhaul. A new plate assists with the insertion of netting or twine into the baling chamber, which means that you can be sure that the tying process will start properly under all harvesting conditions.

The new VARIANT models come equipped with edge-to-edge net wrapping as standard, which stretches from one corner of the bale to another. This has been improved for the new range by actively taking the netting to the outer edges of the bale during the tying process with the help of a new spiral roller.

There is also the option for the VARIANT 400 to be equipped with a wider netting trough. This enables the use of 1.30 m wide rolls of netting, which will lay the netting over the edges of the bale. Rounded bale edges are of particular advantage if round bales are to be stored outside.

Chains and belts live longer

The front frame of the new VARIANT 400 has been reinforced so that the belt is better guided which will reduce wear. Nevertheless, inside the VARIANT the belts still move at a speed of up to 3 m/s.

When it comes to discharging the bales, this also takes just a matter of seconds. CLAAS has redesigned the pivot of the tailgate in such a way that it can be opened and closed even more quickly, allowing the bales to be discharged in less than 6 seconds.

The baler's chains are subjected to just as much wear as the belts. This is why the new VARIANT models come with the option of continuous lubrication by means of a central lubrication system. The balers have been fitted with a wide lubricating brush, which coats all chains, including the pick-up chain, with oil, regardless of the bale count.

You can download the text here.

You can download photos here.

CLAAS Group, Corporate Communications
Please adress further enquiries to pr@claas.com