John Deere has launched two new models for its SPFH range, the 9500i and the 9600i, which "closes the gap" of the 9000 series range according to the manufacturer. Agriland travelled to the launch of the new machines in Milan, Italy last week, to see both the 9500i and the 9600i in action during the summer harvest.

New JD18X engine

The main feature of both the 9500i and the 9600i is the introduction of a new 18L inline six diesel engine built by John Deere.
john deere
This engine aims to reduce the running costs of the Liebherr V12 which is fitted to the 9700; 9800 and 9900 models.
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The engine requires no diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) and the engine produces 700hp in the 9500 and 750hp in the 9600.

Harvest Motion Plus

John Deere has introduced the latest development to its Harvest Motion feature - Harvest Motion Plus - which delivers a torque rise and even more power at low engine RPM.
Harvest Motion Plus also produces extra power, which means power is up to 766hp on the 9500 and 787hp on the 9600, when in operation. Take a look at the new machines in action in the video below. John Deere claims that all these features will provide customers with a 10% lower fuel cost per harvested tonne and 33% lower oil cost compared to other machines in the same horsepower class.

New John Deere spout design

Both the 9500 and 9600 SPFH come fitted with a new spout which is 20cm longer than the previous one, and has been designed to increase visibility for the operator and improve crop flow. Additional service openings have also been fitted to the spout to make servicing easier and the throughput has been increased by a new eight-row spout design. Kernel processor rolls are available with a standard sawtooth design on the Premium KP unit, and either the sawtooth or a new XCut design on the XStream KP, which features a spiral cut groove across the roll surface.
john deere spfh
Both roll designs are also available with the Dura Line heavy-duty coating for increased durability.

Precision farming systems

The two new SPFH models are available with John Deere’s complete range of ISG (Intelligent Solutions Group) precision farming systems, for improved operator comfort and cutting quality.
These include:
  • The HarvestLab 3000 NIR (near infrared) sensor – view and document real-time measurements of crop yield, moisture and other constituents such as protein, starch, fibre etc. as totals or in site-specific maps;
  • HarvestLab 3000 also enables AutoLOC automatic length-of-cut settings and silage additive dosing on the move, based on dry matter content;
  • AutoTrac automatic steering;
  • MachineSync automatically coordinates trailer speed and position with the forager;
  • RowSense feeler guidance;
  • Active Fill Control (AFC) for automatic filling of trailers;
  • The JohnDeere Operations Center web portal for active fleet management and displaying both machine and harvest data.
The 9500 and 9600 series aims to give the customer the power step up of the V12 models while having the benefits of a slightly smaller machine.
john deere spfh
The new JD18X engine is also set to be introduced in the 9700 model at some point in 2022.