John Deere has updated its T-series combines. Last year we had plenty of time to see what makes a T560i tick — the second model in a four-strong range that runs up to 335kW/449hp
Deere reckons that current T-series combines deliver up to 15% more output than the 2007 originals, so naturally we were keen to see the reality. The five-walker machine that turned up in the yard certainly came with high spec and high expectations: 285kW/382hp max power, a 7.6m 625X header and 40km/hr on the road.
What better place to start than the header? Attaching and taking it off again is simple, while — if you prefer to move between fields this way — the header trailer can be hitched to the combine fairly readily, thanks to an automatic clevis hitch and rear camera. The header’s table can extend by up to
800mm without adding filler plates, which is pretty impressive. Better still, rape knives store on the back of the header. The Schumacher cutter bar and lifters did a consistently good job across all crops, including herbage seed. Reel control on the pre-production test combine wasn’t so hot, though,
as sensors had to be re-calibrated every time the header went on; and despite this, its tines still tangled with the knife. John Deere says this is sorted on production units, but offers plastic tines as an option.
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