OLATHE, Kan. — John Deere has announced updates for Model Year 2020 S700 Series Combines, which include upgrades to improve automation, data management and residue placement.

Combine Advisor and HarvestSmart have been updated to further automate these machines. Combine Advisor uses ActiveVision cameras and sensors to identify changes in crop conditions and automatically adjust the combine to maintain the operator’s settings for optimal performance in varying conditions. “In addition, the user interface has been improved, simplifying control for the operator,” Matt Badding, harvesting product manager for John Deere, said.

Combine Advisor identifies performance issues and automatically adjusts settings to maintain optimal performance as conditions change.

HarvestSmart feedrate control automatically regulates ground speed during harvest and adjusts settings on-the-go while it maintains a consistent crop load and responds to crop variations. It has been updated to enable the combine to run closer to its power limit by analyzing engine power, load and rotor pressure for optimal efficiency. 

The HarvestSmart user interface is now more intuitive, and the 30-second calibration process is now passive, eliminating the wait time needed for the calibration to finish. “It’s like the automotive industry’s adaptive cruise-control. Operators no longer have to speed up, then slow down to set a target speed,” Badding said. HarvestSmart is standard on S700 Series Combines equipped with the ProDrive transmission. 

To improve data quality and management for customers, John Deere replaced the S700 Series Combines’ moisture sensor with a new sensor that enables improved accuracy for higher-quality data owners can use in their management decisions. 

Residue placement has been enhanced with an optional feature allowing the operator to set the chopper knife bank in four different positions without leaving the cab. “This is another time saver during harvest, especially when switching between two different crops, such as corn and soybeans,” Badding said. “This adjustment is now integrated into the Optimize Performance crop settings in the Generation 4 Display. Default settings are based on crop type but can be easily adjusted to fit a customer’s specific needs. Settings can be saved for future use, so the next time a switch is made from soybeans to corn, it will automatically default to the last setting entered for that particular crop.” 

Auto Swap is another setting that’s now standard and works with PowerCast and Advanced PowerCast tailboards to make residue placement more precise. Once the operator sets the combine’s residue offset to compensate for a crosswind and activates Auto Swap, the combine automatically swaps the direction of the residue 180 degrees as it turns on a headland and then redistributes it in the other direction. “It may seem like a small improvement, but this automates a task a combine operator might make dozens of times each day depending on conditions,” Badding explained.

All model year 2020 S700 Series Combines also come standard with an expanded Precision Ag intelligence package. In addition to the existing integration of Generation 4 CommandCenter Displays, AutoTrac and documentation, customers now get JDLink with five years of connected service. JDLink enables the machine to easily and securely transfer data according to the customer’s needs, and for customers to remotely monitor machine performance. This expanded set of base intelligence features enables customers to more easily realize the value of a connected machine.  

Finally, the height of the combine’s auger has been increased to accommodate today’s taller grain carts. “As grain carts have become taller, combines have had to keep up. The additional auger height is especially beneficial to operators who unload grain into grain carts while on-the-go, in unfavorable conditions, such as while crossing waterways or other low spots in the field,” Badding said.