Know How / Combines This is your go-to area for everything related to combine harvesters. We offer tips for keeping old combines running well, how to select a new machine and all the specs and prices for the UK market. Latest combine articles COMBINESDriver’s view: Claas Trion 750 rated after two seasons' workThe launch of the Trion combines two years ago represented one of the biggest-ever shake-ups of the Claas range. Slotting between the high-output Lexions and late-of-this-parish Tucanos, they promised something… COMBINESBrace of John Deere X9 combines gobble 170t of wheat an hourIn its quest to build the highest-output combine harvester on the market, John Deere came up with a machine that was also the most expensive. Commanding a heady starting list… COMBINESLancs engineer modifies mint Claas and Deere combine fleetFew combine harvesters leave a contracting business in better condition than when they arrived, but that’s usually the case for the cosseted examples run by Lancashire outfit A Johnson Agricultural… MACHINERYHow New Holland’s IntelliSense system solves harvest pressureHarvest has always been an extremely pressured time of the year - time is precious, manpower is precious and everyone and everything must pull together to bring the harvest home.… COMBINESRetrofit combine yield monitor provides low-cost crop dataFrom decision-making on crop dryer settings to variety choices for the next cropping year, there is value to be had in being able to quickly access and make use of… COMBINESUltimate guide to buying a combine 2023New and improved models at the top and bottom end of the performance spectrum characterise the changes in this year’s Ultimate Guide to combines – along with the arrival of… COMBINESFendt unveils new series of straw walker combines A new entry-level straw walker combine series has joined the Fendt fleet in the 185hp to 260hp sector, replacing the former 5185 E and 5225 E models. The new Corus… Combine reviews and testsSee all COMBINESOn test: Combine reversing cameras – which is best?Clobbering the back of your combine harvester against an oak tree or backing over the boss’s pickup is no fun whatsoever. So the addition of a rear-view camera to keep… COMBINESDriver's view: Richard Ledger's Claas Lexion 8900 combineKent farmer Richard Ledger is one of several UK growers to have run a pre-production version of Claas' latest range-topping Lexion combines. We get the verdict from driver Nigel Richardson.… Driver's view: John Deere S690iVital stats Single-rotor threshing| 617hp Deere 6-cyl twin-turbo| 10.7m (35ft) header| 10,600-litre grain tank| Made in USA A bit of background How has it performed? Likes & gripes Farm facts… Driver's view: Case Axial Flow 9230Vital stats Single-rotor threshing| 571hp Fiat 12.9-litre engine with AdBlue| 10.7m (35ft) header| 12,330-litre grain tank| Made in USA A bit of background How has it performed? Likes & gripes… COMBINESDriver's view: Mathew Caudwell’s John Deere W540iWe get the lowdown on the John Deere W540i combine run by Lincolnshire farmer Mathew Caudwell. We find out why his chose the JD W-series and how it has performed… Double cutterbar combine can boost outputs by 15%An unusual double-cutterbar combine header being used by a Midlands farmer is claimed to be able to boost harvester output by up to 15%. Nick Fone explains how. For the… COMBINESDriver's view: Massey Ferguson Cerea 7278 combineTrading in the farm’s 15-year-old combine for one that’s both newer and larger capacity was a must for Fyfield Farm. Until last year a Massey Ferguson 36RS had been responsible for… COMBINESDriver's view: Clive Wreathall’s New Holland CR10.90 combineThe CR10.90 is still the biggest combine New Holland produces, but this machine has since been replaced by the Revelation model. Despite being located in an area that is a… COMBINESDriver's view: John Roberts’ Massey Ferguson Activa 7240We get the lowdown on the Massey Ferguson Activa 7240 combine run by Shropshire farmer John Roberts. Farm facts Napley Farm, Market Drayton, Shropshire Size 135ha Soil Sandy loam Crops… COMBINESDriver's view: Nick Brown’s John Deere S790i combineThe biggest combine in John Deere’s line-up is the S790i, featuring a 617hp, six-cylinder engine, single rotor threshing mechanism and various header options up to 12.2m wide. It replaced a… COMBINESDriver’s view: Robert Floyd’s 1989 Laverda 3850 combineA 1989 Laverda 3850 has been the combine of choice for Worcestershire mixed farmers Robert Floyd and James Kent for the past 13 years. The Italian-built harvester cuts about 80ha… COMBINESVideo: It's coming - Massey's huge 650hp Ideal combineClaas and New Holland might reign supreme in European harvesting circles, but Agco is hoping to knock them down a peg or two with its highest output and most sophisticated… Combine buying advice Ultimate guide to buying a combine 2023 Buying alternative combine headers - the options Guide to buying a used hill-sider combine Tips for buying a quality used combine on a £40,000 budget How Kent farmers saved £33,000 on buying a new combine What to look for when buying a used combine What costs to consider when increasing combine capacity Driver's view: Greenshields Agri's 13.7m MacDon FD2 header Combine guidesSee all COMBINESLancs engineer modifies mint Claas and Deere combine fleetFew combine harvesters leave a contracting business in better condition than when they arrived, but that’s usually the case for the cosseted examples run by Lancashire outfit A Johnson Agricultural… COMBINESGuide to buying a used hill-sider combineTrue full body levelling on combines is not just a nice-to-have feature – for some farms it’s essential. And although the additional cost when buying new isn’t as much as… COMBINESUltimate guide to buying a combine 2023New and improved models at the top and bottom end of the performance spectrum characterise the changes in this year’s Ultimate Guide to combines – along with the arrival of… COMBINESHeadsight system automates combine header heightA bespoke header control kit could increase yield and reduce downtime by keeping the table height accurate in all conditions. The system is built by Canadian firm Headsight, and the… MACHINERYTop tips to keep your combine running in the wetAugust invariably delivers a spell of bad weather, so we’ve put together 20 top tips from the experts on how to ease the flow of damp crops through the combine.… MACHINERYCombine buyers guide 2017Having the right harvester can prove vital for any arable operation. If you are thinking of updating your combine, our tables break down the UK options so you can directly… TECHNOLOGYSimple guide to telematics and performance monitoringOf all the key machines on an average arable farm, the combine is king. It’s the most expensive piece of any machinery – top-of-the-range machines can hit the £400,000 mark… COMBINESUltimate guide to buying a combine 2020With this year’s combining season well and truly put to bed, it’s time for some growers to look ahead and consider their combine requirements for harvest 2020. We detail the… COMBINES16 nifty retrofit items to fine-tune your combineThe internet is awash with bolt on bits of technology to improve your combine's harvesting performance. We've picked out some handy items used by farmers all over the globe –… COMBINESCombine buyers guide 2018Combine makers around the globe have been rebuilding and updating their ranges ahead of next year’s harvest. With that in mind, our Combine buyers guide 2018 (PDF) contains the specs and… COMBINESUltimate guide to buying a combine 2021Increased capacity potential with more sophisticated powertrains promising lower running costs are common themes among new combine harvesters listed in this year’s Ultimate Guide for harvest 2021. At Claas, the… MACHINERYCompare tractors and combines with our buyers guidesFarmers and contractors looking to take several options into consideration when choosing a new tractor will find the new specification and price guide published on FWi this week a useful… VideoSee all COMBINESVideo: It's coming - Massey's huge 650hp Ideal combineClaas and New Holland might reign supreme in European harvesting circles, but Agco is hoping to knock them down a peg or two with its highest output and most sophisticated… VIDEO: Claas Tucano 480: Farmer's verdict"We've been running a six-walker Lexion 560 and wanted to go rotary, but a Lexion 570 was a step too far," says Matthew Bowe, of Denham Estates near Bury St Edmunds.… Claas Lexion 600 user in-cab chatClaas's new hybrid Tucano (not to mention the firm's new 12m header) may have been grabbing the headlines in recent weeks, but it's still the Lexions that you mostly see… VIDEO: Fendt tractor sales rocketThe explosive modernisation of eastern European agriculture has fuelled massive growth in sales for German tractor maker Fendt. Sales of Fendt tractors have rocketed on the back of the… Combine insights and practical adviceSee all COMBINESAgronomist-built combine attachment helps monitor lossesA novel Canadian combine attachment is helping growers calculate the monetary value of thrown-away grains by checking tailings as they fall from the machine. The Bushel Plus system was developed… COMBINESLancs engineer modifies mint Claas and Deere combine fleetFew combine harvesters leave a contracting business in better condition than when they arrived, but that’s usually the case for the cosseted examples run by Lancashire outfit A Johnson Agricultural… COMBINESGuide to buying a used hill-sider combineTrue full body levelling on combines is not just a nice-to-have feature – for some farms it’s essential. And although the additional cost when buying new isn’t as much as… MACHINERYHow New Holland’s IntelliSense system solves harvest pressureHarvest has always been an extremely pressured time of the year - time is precious, manpower is precious and everyone and everything must pull together to bring the harvest home.… COMBINESUltimate guide to buying a combine 2023New and improved models at the top and bottom end of the performance spectrum characterise the changes in this year’s Ultimate Guide to combines – along with the arrival of… COMBINESHeadsight system automates combine header heightA bespoke header control kit could increase yield and reduce downtime by keeping the table height accurate in all conditions. The system is built by Canadian firm Headsight, and the… MACHINERYCombine fires: Why do they keep happening?Combine fires are far from a new phenomenon. From the earliest petrol-powered Masseys to the latest tracked Claas Lexions, they are all capable of succumbing to the destructive forces of… MACHINERYWhat to look for when buying a used combineA combine is probably one of the largest long- term capital investments an arable farm can make, so while a second-hand machine can make an attractive alternative to new, it's… MACHINERYTop tips to keep your combine running in the wetAugust invariably delivers a spell of bad weather, so we’ve put together 20 top tips from the experts on how to ease the flow of damp crops through the combine.… Exotic and unusual harvesters: Sugar caneThe earliest sugar cane harvesters date from the 1920s and a single machine could replace up to 100 labourers. In Australia, mechanical harvesters first appeared in the 1950s and were… HEADERSBuying alternative combine headers - the optionsBuying a new combine rarely involved much discussion about header options when there was no choice other than to decide what width to hook on the front. But that has… MACHINERYCombine buyers guide 2017Having the right harvester can prove vital for any arable operation. If you are thinking of updating your combine, our tables break down the UK options so you can directly…