Delving into the history of Claas International’s combine harvesters reveals a remarkable story of innovation, evolution, adaptation and resilience.
Starting in 1936, when the German-based but now multinational brand revealed its first towed combine-threshing-binder, Claas has gone on to manufacture half a million combine harvesters incorporating 264 models.
This an impressive average of 5 682 Claas combine harvesters manufactured annually over the past 88 years.
Highlights along Claas’ journey with these machines are many. They include the start of global sales in the early 1950s, when combine harvesters were exported to South America and North America, and the commercial introduction of Claas’ first self-propelled combine harvester, the Hercules (later renamed the SF), in 1953.
Claas’ expanding global market revealed the need for combine harvesters capable of meeting the diverse needs of farmers operating in different conditions and with different goals. The company developed or took advantage of continually advancing technologies to meet these needs.
Agricultural machinery aficionados may recall Claas combine models and their variants with interesting names such as the Senator, Protector, Cosmos and Comet of the 1960s; the Dominator of the 1970s; the Commandor of the 1980s; the Lexion of the 1990s; the Medion and Tucano of the 2000s; and the Avero of the 2010s.
Each of these showcased the latest harvesting technologies of their time, including the introduction of a protective cabin for the operator, crop throughput controls, improved grain cleaning when harvesting on slopes, electronic on-board information systems, rubber tracks, electronic yield data and GPS monitoring and recording.
Over the past 14 years, combine harvesting technologies and capabilities have continued to advance in leaps and bounds, with Claas keeping abreast, and sometimes ahead, of these.
The company’s most modern combine harvesters, such as the Lexion, Dominator, Trion and Evion ranges, incorporate the likes of the high-tech digital CEMOS (Claas electronic machine optimisation system) and the Claas Connect platform for long-distance-capable wireless data connectivity between machine, operator/owner and Claas support.
Not to be left behind in the global move towards more environmentally sustainable practices, certain models of Claas’ Lexion and Trion combine harvesters can run on renewable and less polluting hydrogenated vegetable oils rather than conventional diesel.
South African agriculture, too, has a long relationship with the Claas brand. Dustin Bishop, a Claas product specialist with Kempston Agri – the company’s agency in South Africa – says more than 950 combine harvesters have been shipped here over the past 50 years.
By Kempston Agri’s estimations, only 15% or 142 of these 950 harvesters have been retired to date.
Bishop adds that Claas combine harvester models popular in South Africa are the Lexion, which is “renowned for its capacity, versatility and reliability”; the Dominator and Tucano, which are “reliable, efficient and known for their ability to stand the test of time”; and the new Trion, which is “proving to be a classic in the making in terms of performance, reliability and technology”.
“We are also investigating the viability of the new Claas Dominator 380 model to enter the South African market. Claas and Kempston Agri are currently working on the perfect specification of combine harvester to suit the South African market and that will be badged accordingly in the future,” Bishop says.
“We are hoping to achieve the figure of 1 000 Claas combine harvesters in South African fields within the next 12 months.”
Claas’ chief executive officer, Jan-Hendrik Mohr, says that to celebrate the milestone of 500 000 combine harvesters, Claas will be rolling out several anniversary edition machines.
