A 50-year legacy is certainly something to write home about, and as Claas’ Jaguar celebrates this particular milestone, CPM speaks to one farmer who’s been loyal to this machine for almost three decades.
“The workload grew steadily but the old forager seemed to take it in its stride.”
By Melanie Jenkins
Claas first launched the Jaguar 60SF self-propelled forage harvester 50 years ago, and since then the machine has become world renowned with more than 45,000 units manufactured.
The Jaguar’s journey to success began in the 1970s, with the increasing cultivation of maize and a move away from trailed foragers. Claas entered the market in 1973 with the 120hp Jaguar 60SF, which drew on key components from the trailed Jaguar 60. By 2001, the Jaguar 900 series boasted 600hp while now the current top-of-the-range Jaguar 980 produces 925hp.
As Claas celebrates 50 years since it first launched the Jaguar 60SF, one farmer looks back on his long-standing experience with the brand.
Around 28 years ago, Brian Dawe took the plunge into silage making on his Hampshire farm. Starting out with a nine-year-old Jaguar 690SL, he chopped more than 200ha of grass and a further 200ha of maize in his first season. While it might sound a modest amount by today’s standards, at the time it was considered quite an achievement with a second-hand 300hp machine, he says.
“The workload grew steadily but the old forager seemed to take it in its stride,” continues Brian. “However, with three seasons under our belt I felt we’d proved the business was sound and could justify a change of machine.
“I looked around at other colours but it was pretty clear the Jaguar was still the machine to have so I put my name down for a brand new Jaguar 820. That coincided with another local contractor retiring and suddenly we were looking at chopping 690ha of maize.”
Brian says although it felt like a long season, they proved it was possible – it just meant some long nights in the seat. “The biggest difference with the switch from the Jaguar 690 to the 820 was the move from a longitudinally mounted V8 to a transverse V6. This change did away with the 90ᵒ gearbox which had a huge impact on efficiency.
“We immediately saw a 20% increase in output even though the engine had only an extra 20hp – the simpler driveline was just sucking less power,” he explains.
“From an operator’s point of view it was the cab that really made the difference – it was so much quieter and simple things like the positioning and action of the hydrostat lever meant you weren’t leant over all day and aching the next. And having all of the functions grouped on the stick rather than a series of levers and pedals meant you were able to respond that much quicker.”
With four years’ work under its belt, the 820 was replaced by another of the same which did a similar stint. It was at this point that an opportunity arose that would see the forager’s working window stretched by some margin.
“In the early 2000s, I was approached by United Oilseeds to see if I’d have the capacity to pick up their morphine poppies,” says Brian. “With poppy harvest generally taking place through August – typically a quieter time for grass harvesting in Hampshire – I could see an opportunity to extend our acreage without piling up more work at busy times.
“While it was initially very manageable, the demand for the crop grew massively and pretty quickly we were looking at clearing 1010-1215ha within a couple of weeks. Having a bigger machine was never really an option as invariably we’d have to be in two places at once, so we went all out and bought a second 830.”
Some of the steep rolling ground on the farm would see the Jaguars scrabbling, so Brian’s next machines were ordered with 4WD. “With increasingly challenging weather throughout the season becoming the norm – whether in grass or maize – its cheap insurance knowing we won’t get stuck and we’d never not have 4WD now. It also means we’re not wearing out tyres unnecessarily on some of the flinty ground that Hampshire is famous for.”
A move in poppy growing and processing to other parts of the world saw the United Oilseeds workload diminish to the point when in 2016, only a single forager was required. “By then an 840 was the smallest model in the range which was capable of comfortably managing our grass and maize single-handedly.”
It also had a trick hidden up its sleeve, notes Brian. “If the metal detector kicked in it’d stop the transmission dead. It’s a brilliant feature, but during the first season striking out in maize one of our trailer drivers was a bit close to the back of the new machine, the forager stopped all of a sudden and he carried on. It cost us the rear corner panel but has repeatedly saved us swallowing anything nasty – I wouldn’t be without it now.”
Several years after purchasing the first 840, Brian invested in a second. “With its new joystick, armrest controls and touchscreen, the 2019 machine was another step on again. It was so much more driver-friendly with electronically selected gears and the ability to sharpen up and adjust the shear-bar from the cab.”
The latest machine to join the line-up is a 2023-plate 840, which is equipped with GPS auto-steering and Quantimeter yield recording. “Going to GPS steering has made life that little bit easier, especially when we’re chopping maize that’s been sown with a cereal drill,” acknowledges Brian.
“I don’t have to concentrate so hard meaning I’m less tired coming off the forager. It also links well with yield mapping – I can now email customers maps to show them how their crops have performed and which areas could do with a bit of help.”
In time, Brian says he can see yield mapping becoming a useful tool in moving to a charging system that’s fairer on both the farmer and contractor. “By recording exactly what tonnage of crop has gone through the machine we can give growers a precise picture of what’s in the clamp and bill accordingly. That way they only pay for what they’re getting, and if they choose to prioritise high quality multi-cut grass, they’re not getting penalised. Likewise, we’re paid fairly for every tonne we’ve processed.
“Even though the very first Jaguar I bought was nine years old, it was a solid, reliable machine. And every one we’ve had since then – nine in total – has proved to be the same. We’ve tried other makes during this time, but nothing matches a Claas.”
This article was taken from the latest issue of CPM. Read the article in full here.
For more articles like this, subscribe here.
Sign up for Crop Production Magazine’s FREE e-newsletter here.
