MyDealer:
Almost 12 months after its release in Australia, the all-new S7 combine harvester has been put through its paces across a range of grain-growing regions, with producers such as the Armstrong family from Central Queensland seeing firsthand productivity and efficiency benefits.
Xander Armstrong farms 8,500 hectares of mostly dryland cropping alongside his brother Jono and father Ross, predominantly growing a rotation of wheat in winter and sorghum in summer at Coolibah Plains south of Comet.
As long-time John Deere customers, the Armstrongs operate a fleet that includes several 8R, 9RT and 9RX tractors, as well as three S770 combine harvesters.
When it came time to harvest 5,200ha of wheat in October, they had the chance to add the all-new S7 combine harvester to their line-up, if only for half a day.
“We have a long-standing relationship with John Deere Australia, and they’ve run a couple of header schools and sprayer schools on our farm over the years,” Xander Armstrong said.
“Anton (John Deere Product Specialist, Anton Kowalenko) gave me a call halfway through the growing season and asked if we’d be interested in having them back again this year to run the S7 and we didn’t hesitate at the opportunity.
“It was a great chance to not only see how technology is progressing, and the improvements John Deere has made on the machines, but also to get a first-hand experience of them on our own farm.”
Building on the proven performance of its predecessor
Featuring an updated cab design, new engines, a re-designed grain loss sensing system, and new residue management features, the cherry on top of the new S7 is the automation features which will take operator performance to the next level.
Ground Speed Automation manages the combine’s speed based on operator inputs for grain loss, engine load and rotor pressure to maintain consistent throughput.
Harvest Settings Automation automatically adjusts rotor speed, fan speed, and concave, chaffer, and sieve clearances based upon acceptable limits for grain loss, foreign material, and broken grain. This delivers a more consistent and higher quality harvest, irrespective of operator skill level.
Meanwhile, the Predictive Ground Speed Automation uses Ground Speed Automation as the foundation, with the addition of two forward-looking cameras, to visually assess changing crop conditions and a pre-harvest satellite image to generate a predictive field map. The combine merges the two inputs to proactively manage ground speed and maximise combine throughput.
From both in the cab and on the ground, Mr Armstrong said the S7 was impressive.
“The technology pack on the new S7 is pretty impressive when you see it in action,” he said.
“With the technology optimised for our conditions, we saw a 15 to 20% increase in productivity in the S7 compared to our machines.”
Mr Armstrong said while it’s hard to put a dollar figure on that increased capability, the productivity gains are vital to farm profitability and sustainability.
“If you can sustainably achieve a conservative extra 15% productivity, over a harvest that takes four weeks, you can easily reduce that time by four or five days,” he said.
“That may not seem like much, but every farmer knows if you’re harvesting and all of a sudden there’s rain or storms coming, those extra couple of days make a big difference.”
The new grain-handling and residue management features also have a significant impact, particularly in dry years like 2024.
“This year has been a typical Central Queensland year in terms of rain, how it fell and where it fell; there has been good rain around the district, but it’s been pretty patchy,” Mr Armstrong said.
“We didn’t have a great deal of moisture at planting time, so we had to deep plant a fair chunk of our wheat, which we don’t often have to do, and we had minimal rain throughout the season which wasn’t of any great advantage.
“We had a couple paddocks that averaged four-and-a-half to five tonnes a hectare, but across the whole crop we averaged 3.5t/ha, which is what we budget on growing even in a dry year.”
This is where the re-designed grain loss sensing system comes to the fore, Mr Armstrong said.
“That technology makes a big difference, not only in ensuring more grain ends up in the bin for you to sell later on, but also in the months following harvest,” he said.
“If you can improve your grain loss percentages, once you start getting rain, there’s less pressure to get back into the paddock soon after harvest to control weeds and volunteer plants that are emerging.”
As for the new high-efficiency residue management system, Mr Armstrong said how well the machine distributes stubble also makes a big difference to post-harvest management.
Embracing technology the way of the future
Mr Armstrong said being able to put the machine to the test in their paddocks had yielded a clear showcase of the benefits of the updated technology, and the new S7 would one day join the fleet of John Deere equipment in the sheds at Coolibah Plains.
“We’re very happy with the fleet we currently have, but we try not to keep machines for too long,” he said.
“We like to trade in our machines for new ones every five or six years, so when it comes time to trade our current fleet in, we’ll certainly be confident in taking home the new S7 with the automation technology.”
About RDO Equipment:
RDO Equipment Australia is a provider of John Deere agricultural, construction, and forestry equipment, dedicated to empowering Australian farmers and contractors with advanced machinery and exceptional service. Committed to customer satisfaction, they offer comprehensive support and services to ensure optimal equipment performance. For more information, contact your local RDO team on 1300 008 608.
Original article by John Deere.
