John Deere Combines: 75 Years of Innovation
The development of the self-propelled combine harvester has changed the way the world feeds itself.
The Model 55 was John Deere s first self-propelled combine and in many ways it was ahead of its time with its design architecture the forerunner of today s combines. The central driving position is high up, overlooking the feederhouse and header. The engine is positioned close to the rear wheels behind the driver. The grain tank is close to the front axle for added stability, with the additional weight over the front axle providing extra traction, leaving the rear wheels for steering.
Over the years the main push has been towards larger machines with increased performance. A model 55 will cut around 1.6 ha/h versus 12 ha/h for the X-Series. There has also been a shift towards rotary threshing and separating systems, but the basic architecture remains the same. Seventy-five years later any agricultural student leaving college wouldn t take long to figure out how to operate a Model 55.
Comfort wasn t a word a combine harvester driver would have recognised in 1947. Sitting in the open on a solid seat, they soon got to know every bump in their field. Nobody thought anything back then about the harmful effects of long-term exposure to the sun or engine emissions. If that wasn t enough, drivers often faced clouds of dust filling their lungs.
The first cabs began to appear in the 1960s as an option. They were a very basic design that kept the driver out of the dust, but were noisy and unbearable on a hot day. The 1000 Series in 1982 was the first combine to come with a cab as standard. Fully integrated with the combine it was quieter and more refined and even included air conditioning. Throughout the 80s and early 90s conventional dial instrumentation made way for more buttons and electrical controls, but it was the arrival of AutoTrac, the world s first fully automated hands-free steering in 2002 that changed everything. Instead of almost exclusively focusing on steering the combine in a straight line the driver could spend more time managing the machine s performance and coordinating the harvest logistics.