28 November 2017, 13:00
New cab and more operator comfort
John Deere’s W300 and W400 Series combines are the first choice for customers who prefer to use their own machine for harvesting when the time is right for them. Building on the range’s proven performance and reliability, these combines are being updated for the 2018 season to include significant improvements in cab specification and operator comfort.
Manufactured in Pori, Finland, the W-Series models have been part of the John Deere combine line-up since 2014, complementing the range at the lower end of the power scale. Key features included the optional pre-threshing cylinder (PTC) – a rethreshing system for the tailings – and a touchscreen monitor fitted as standard equipment.
Further new options and features have since been introduced, such as the 600R and 600PF Series headers for the W440 and W440PTC, and the W330 header’s ‘return to position’ and automatic height controls.
Now several major upgrades are being made to the range for 2018, including an entirely new cab for all three combine models. This has been designed to provide not only more comfort, but also 15 per cent more space for the driver and especially for the passenger.
The new 16:9 touchscreen display is from the same supplier as Mercedes Benz cars. This now integrates all the operating functions that were previously located in several places around the cab, such as concave clearance and drum speed adjustments. In addition, the automatic combine adjustment (ACA) system lets the driver select the crop to be harvested next and the combine then automatically adjusts the drum speed, concave clearance, fan speed, chaffer and sieve to pre-set values.
The W330 combine will now feature a multi-coupler and PTO drive for the header as standard, as well as a lateral tilt option for the feederhouse. This will allow the combine to follow uneven terrain more easily and ensure a clean cut close to the ground, without bulldozing or leaving overlong stubble, especially when equipped with larger headers. To speed up unloading of the grain tank and enable more time to be spent in the field and less on the headland, the unloading rate has also been increased from 55 to 75 litres/sec.
In addition, the W440 combine without PTC will benefit from a closed system with an unloading rate of 100 litres/sec, in order to unload into larger trailers more quickly and easily.
Source: John Deere GmbH & Co. KG