Forage Harvesters

Summary of New Holland 890 Forage Harvester (Evaluation Report - PDF File - 1.2 MB)

Overall Performance: Overall functional performance of the New Holland 890 was very good. Ease of operation and adjustment was very good.

Capacity: Workrates ranged up to 23 t/h (25 ton/h) in standing corn, up to 36 t/h (40 ton/h) in alfalfa and up to 31 t/h (34 ton/h) in barley. Dry-weight workrates ranged up to 9 t/h (10 ton/h) in corn, up to 13 t/h (14 ton/h) in alfalfa and up to 19 t/h (21 ton/h) in barley. In windrowed crops, capacity was limited by performance of the windrow pickup, which usually limited ground speed to less than 8 km/h (5 mph). The three-row row crop head was well suited to typical prairie corn crops. Row crop head speed could be adjusted to suit ground speeds up to 13 km/h (8 mph).

The use of a 57 mm (2 in) recutter screen reduced workrates by as much as 27%. The recutter screen significantly reduced the number of long silage particles but resulted in increased power consumption and reduced harvesting rates.

At the 6 and 9.5 mm (0.25 and 0.37 in) length-of-cut settings, only 1% of alfalfa silage had a length greater than 100 mm (4 in) and about 5% of corn silage had a length greater than 26 mm (1 in).

Power Requirements: A tractor with 110 kW (150 hp) maximum power take-off rating would have sufficient power reserve to operate the New Holland 890 in most field conditions. Power consumption was about 25% higher at the 3 mm (0.12 in) length-of-cut setting, than at the 6 mm (0.25 in) setting.

Operation and Maintenance: The electric remote controls were very convenient. The optional metal detector was effective in preventing ferrous metal objects from entering the cutterhead. Changing from the windrow pickup to the row crop head was relatively easy. Cutterhead knife sharpening and shear plate adjustment both were easy to perform.

Operator Safety: The New Holland 890 was safe to operate if the manufacturer's safety recommendations were followed.
Durability: Only minor mechanical problems occurred during the 230 hour test.

Summary of John Deere 3800 Forage Harvester (Evaluation Report - PDF File - 1.0 MB)

Overall Performance: Overall functional performance of the John Deere 3800 was very good. Ease of operation and adjustment was good.

Capacity: Workrates ranged up to 18 t/h (20 ton/h) in standing corn, up to 38 t/h (42 ton/h) in alfalfa and up to 23 t/h (26 ton/h) in barley. Dry-weight workrates ranged up to 7 t/h (8 ton/h) in corn, up to 16 t/h (18 ton/h) in alfalfa and up to 14 t/h (15 ton/h) in barley. In most crops, capacity was limited by performance of the windrow pickup or the two-row row crop head. In windrowed crops, ground speeds were limited to about 8 km/h (5 mph) since the windrow pickup had no speed adjustment. Acceptable performance of the two-row row crop head kept working speeds of the John Deere 3800 to somewhat below the optimum workrate in corn. The optional three-row gathering head would be more suitable for typical prairie corn crops.

The use of 50 mm (2 in) recutter screen reduced workrates by as much as 25%. The recutter screen significantly reduced the number of long silage particles, its use was warranting its use for certain silo unloading systems but it resulted in increased power consumption and reduced harvesting rates.

At both the 6 and 13 mm (0.25 and 0.5 in) length-of-cut setting only 2% of alfalfa silage particles had a length greater than 100 mm (4 in), and about 7% of corn silage particles had a length greater than 26 mm (1 in).

Power Requirements: A tractor with 110 kW (150 hp) maximum power take-off rating would have sufficient power reserve to operate the John Deere 3800, at optimum workrates, in most field conditions.

Power consumption, at similar workrates, was about 32% higher at the 6 mm (0.25 in) length-of-cut setting, than at the 13 mm (0.5 in) setting.

Operation and Maintenance: The manual controls were fairly convenient. Changing from the windrow pickup to the row-crop header was relatively easy. Cutterhead knife sharpening was easy, however, adjusting the shear plate was inconvenient due to limited access.

Operator Safety: The John Deere 3800 was safe to operate if the manufacturer's safety recommendations were followed.
Durability: Only several minor mechanical problems occurred during the 230 hour test.

Summary of International Harvester 830 Forage Harvester (Evaluation Report - PDF File - 1.3 MB)

Overall Performance: Overall functional performance of the International Harvester 830 was very good. Ease of operation and adjustment was good.

Capacity: Workrates ranged up to 54 t/h (59 ton/h) in standing corn, up to 71 t/h (78 ton/h) in alfalfa, and up to 44 t/h (48 ton/h) in barley. Dry-weight workrates ranged up to 13 t/h (14 ton/h) in corn, up to 24 t/h (26 ton/h) in alfalfa, and up to 23 t/h (25 ton/h) in barley. In windrowed crops, capacity was limited by performance of the windrow pickup, which usually limited ground speed to less than 8 km/h (5 mph).

The use of a 76 mm (3 in) recutter screen reduced workrates as much as 25%. for the same power input. The recutter screen significantly reduced the forage particle size but resulted in increased power consumption and reduced workrates.

At both the 5 and 9.5 mm (0.2 and 0.4 in) cut length settings, only 1% of alfalfa silage had a length greater than 100 mm (4 in), and 1% of corn silage had a length greater than 26 mm (1 in).

Power Requirements:A tractor with 120 kW (160 hp) maximum power take-off rating would have sufficient power reserve to operate the International Harvester 830 in most field conditions. Power consumption was about 25% higher at the 5 mm (0.2 in) cut length setting than at the 9.5 mm (0.4 in) setting.

Operation and Maintenance: The electric remote controls were convenient. Changing from the windrow pickup to the row crop head was relatively easy. Cutterhead knife sharpening and shear plate adjustment were both easy.

Operator Safety: The International Harvester 830 was safe to operate if the manufacturer's safety recommendations were followed.
Durability: Only minor mechanical problems occurred during the 245 hour test.

Summary of New Holland 718 Forage Harvester (Evaluation Report - PDF File - 1.2 MB)

Overall Performance: Overall functional performance of the New Holland 718 was very good. Ease of operation and adjustment was very good.

Capacity: Workrates ranged up to 19 t/h (21 ton/h) in standing corn, up to 18 t/h (20 ton/h) in alfalfa and up to 22 t/h (24 ton/h) in green rye. Dry-weight workrates ranged up to 8 t/h (9 ton/h) in corn, 11 t/h (12 ton/h) in alfalfa and 11 t/h (12 ton/h) in rye. The pickup header and two-row row crop head fully utilized cutterhead capacity.

At a 4 mm (0.16 in) cut length setting, 7% of alfalfa particles were longer than 25 mm (1 in) and only 2% of the corn particles were longer than 25 mm (1 in). At a 4 mm (0.2 in) setting, the average particle length was 10 mm (0.4 in) in alfalfa and 112 mm (0.4 in) in corn.

Power Requirements: A tractor of 70 kW (90 hp) power take-off rating would have sufficient power to operate the New Holland 718 in typical prairie crops.

Operation and Maintenance: The harvester was easy to maintain and service.

Operator Safety: The New Holland 718 was safe to operate if the manufacturer's safety recommendations were followed.

Operator Manual: The operator manual was well written and illustrated.

Durability: Only minor mechanical problems occurred during the 175 hour test.

Summary of Hesston 7160 Forage Harvester (Evaluation Report - PDF File - 1.3 MB)

Overall Performance: Overall performance of the Hesston 7160 was good. Ease of operation and adjustment was good.

Capacity: Workrates ranged up to 54 t/h (59 ton/h) in standing corn, up to 40 t/h (44 ton/h) in alfalfa, and up to 36 t/h (40 ton/h) in green rye. Dry-weight workrates ranged up to 24 t/h (26 ton/h) in corn, 20 t/h (22 ton/h) in alfalfa and 16 t/h (18 ton/h) in rye.

Performance of the three-row row crop head was poor due to continuous plugging of the rotary sickles and gathering chains. Performance of the pickup head was very good at speeds up to 8 km/h (5 mph). The use of a 30 x 275 mm (1.2 x 11 in) recutter screen reduced workrates about 40% in alfalfa and 10% in corn.

At 5 mm (0.20 in) cut length setting, 6% of alfalfa silage and 4% of corn silage had a length greater than 26 mm (1 in). The use of the recutter screen greatly reduced the number of longer particles.

Power Requirements: A tractor of 120 kW (160 hp) maximum power take-off rating would have sufficient power to operate the Hesston 7160 in typical prairie crops.

Operation and Maintenance: Cutterhead knife grinding and shear plate adjustment were easy. Changing header attachments was difficult.

Operator Safety: The Hesston 7160 was safe to operate if the manufacturer's safety recommendations were followed.

Operator Manual:The operator manual was good.

Durability: A number of mechanical problems occurred during the 235 hour tests.

Summary of John Deere 3960 Forage Harvester (Evaluation Report - PDF File - 1.4 MB)

Overall Performance: Overall functional performance of the John Deere 3960 was very good. Ease of operation and adjustment was very good.

Capacity: Workrates ranged up to 64 t/h (70 ton/h) in standing corn, up to 42 t/h (46 ton/h) in alfalfa and up to 43 t/h (47 ton/h) in green rye. Dry-weight workrates ranged up to 26 t/h (29 ton/h) in corn, up to 21 t/h (23 ton/h) in alfalfa and up to 22 t/h (24 ton/h) in rye. The three-row row crop head fully utilized cutterhead capacity. The pickup head had three speed adjustments and performed well at speeds up to 8 km/h (5 mph). The use of a 50 x 240 mm (2 x 10 in) recutter screen reduced workrates by up to 40% in alfalfa and 30% in corn.

At 6 mm (0.25 in) cut length setting, 5% of alfalfa particles were longer than 25 mm (1 in) and 4% of corn particles were longer than 25 mm (1 in).

Power Requirements: A tractor of 120 kW (160 hp) maximum power take-off rating would have sufficient power to operate the John Deere 3960 in typical prairie crops.

Operation and Maintenance: The harvester was easy to maintain and service. The electrically operated hydraulic remote controls were convenient.

Operator Safety: The John Deere was safe to operate if the manufacturer's safety recommendations were followed.

Operator Manual:The operator manual was well written and illustrated.

Durability: One feed roll failure and a few other minor mechanical problems occurred during the 217 hour test.

Summary of New Holland 892 Forage Harvester (Evaluation Report - PDF File - 1.2 MB)

Overall Performance: The overall performance of the New Holland 892 was very good.

Capacity: Workrates ranged up to 39 ton/h (35 t/h) in standing corn, up to 34 ton/h (31 t/h) in alfalfa and up to 38 ton/h (30 t/h) in clover. Dry-weight workrates ranged up to 15 ton/h (14 t/h) in corn, up to 18 ton/h (17 t/h) in alfalfa and up to 20 ton/h (18 t/h) in clover. The three-row row crop header plugged several times during the test and reduced harvester capacity. The pickup header performed well at speeds up to 5 mph (8 km/h). The use of a 3 x 6.4 in (75 x 160 mm) oval recutter screen reduced workrates by up to 35% in alfalfa.

At 0.25 in (6 mm) cut length setting, 6% of alfalfa particles were longer than I in (25 mm) and 2% of the corn particles were longer than 1 in (25 mm).

Power Requirements: A tractor of 180 hp (135 kW) maximum power take-off rating would have sufficient power to operate the New Holland 892 in typical prairie crops.

Operation and Maintenance: The harvester was easy to maintain and service. Operation of the electric remote controls was convenient.

Operator Safety: The New Holland 892 was safe to operate if the manufacturer's safety recommendations were followed.

Operator Manual: The operator manual was concise and clearly written.

Durability: A few minor mechanical problems occurred during the 253 hour test.

Summary of Gehl 1250 Forage Harvester (Evaluation Report - PDF File - 1.2 MB)

Overall Performance: The overall performance of the Gehl 1250 was very good.

Capacity: Workrates ranged up to 111 ton/h (101 t/h) in standing corn, up to 56 ton/h (51 t/h) in alfalfa and up to 53 ton/h (48 t/h) in oats. Dry-weight workrates ranged up to 47 ton/h (40 t/h) in corn, up to 30 ton/h (28 t/h) in alfalfa and up to 24 ton/h (22 t/h) in oats. The three-row row crop header fully utilized cutterhead capacity. The pickup header had two speed adjustments and performed well at speeds up to 5.5 mph (9 km/h), The use of a 4 x 4 in (100 x 100 mm) recutter screen reduced workrates by up to 50% in alfalfa and 40% in corn.

At a 0.22 in (5 mm) cut length setting, 6% of alfalfa particles were longer than 1 in (25 mrn) and none of the corn particles were longer than 1 in (25 mm).

Power Requirements: A tractor of 250 hp (190 kW) maximum power take-off rating would have sufficient power to operate the Gehl 1250 in typical prairie crops.

Operation and Maintenance: The harvester was easy to maintain and service. Operation of the electric remote controls was convenient.

Operator Safety: The Gehl 1250 was safe to operate if the manufacturer's safety recommendations were followed.

Operator Manual: The operator manual was concise and clearly written.

Durability: A few minor mechanical problems occurred during the 245 hour test.

Summary of New Holland 900 Forage Harvester (Evaluation Report - PDF File - 1.1 MB)

Rate of Work: Work rates ranged up to 55.6 ton/h (50.6 t/h) in alfalfa and up to 40.6 ton/h (36.9 t/h) in corn. Dry weight work rates ranged up to 25.3 ton/h (23.0 t/h) in alfalfa and 20.3 ton/h (18.5 t/h) in corn.

Performance of the pick-up header was very good. Performance of the row crop header reduced harvester capacity in weed infested crops because of the gathering chain plugging.

Power Requirements: A tractor with a maximum power take-off rating of 180 hp (135 kW) would have sufficient power to operate the New Holland 900 in typical prairie crops.

Operation and Maintenance: Ease of operation was very good. The electric remote controls were convenient and easy to use. Knife sharpening, shear bar adjustment, and daily lubrication were easy.

Operator Safety: The New Holland 900 was safe to operate if the manufacturer's recommendations were followed.

Operator Manual: The operator's manuals were concise and clearly written.

Durability: Two major and a few minor mechanical failures occurred during the test.