Claas stunned Agritechnica visitors in 2003 when it took the wraps off its self-propelled Cougar 1400 mower prototype, which could knock down 14m of grass in a single pass. Awarded ‘Machine of the Year 2004’, judges praised the concept as one that provided better working conditions, increased forage quality, reduced ground pressure, an increase in performance and a reduction in harvesting costs
Billed as a 120ha/day machine, the Cougar was a development project between three Claas sites — Bad Saulgau (forage harvesting technology), Claas Special Products (self-propelled technology) and Claas Industrietechnik (software and hydraulics). Managed by Bad Saulgau, which is also where the mowers were made, the carrier vehicles were built in Harsewinkel, which was responsible for final assembly and delivery
