Fuel efficiency, productivity and pulling performance are the key benefits of John Deere’s high-horsepower 7R, 8R and 9R Series tractors, which will be featured on the company’s working demonstration area at Tillage Live in Lincolnshire in September.

The top of the range 9620RX four-track tractor is making its Tillage Live debut. It features a 620hp Stage IV 15-litre Cummins QSX engine, an e18 transmission with Efficiency Manager, articulated steering, cab suspension and optional Active Command Steering (ACS) for improved manoeuvrability in the field. Fully integrated AutoTrac guidance and JDLink Connect information management systems are also available, and track widths are 76cm (30in) as standard or 91cm (36in) as an option.

The 9RX range is designed to provide superior power, durability and improved ride quality, especially when handling large implements. The large, robust undercarriage features a positive-drive track system that effectively delivers more power to the ground. This is ideal for heavy draft applications such as cultivating, ploughing, discing and ripping, subsoiling and large-scale drilling applications.

John Deere’s 7310R tractor set a new total fluid efficiency record of 258g/kWh for high horsepower Stage IIIb and Stage IV tractors after undergoing the demanding Powermix test at the DLG test centre in Germany at the end of 2014. A similarly high level of performance efficiency was also achieved by the same tractor in the DLG’s Transportmix test.

Such results reflect the benefits of John Deere’s advanced engine technology, which combines a diesel exhaust filter, series turbochargers, selective catalytic reduction (SCR) and a higher fuel injection pressure to achieve Stage IV/FT4-compliant combustion quality.

Complemented by the new e23 transmission offering 23 forward and 11 reverse speeds, this makes John Deere 7R Series tractors among the most efficient in the industry, helping customers to significantly reduce their operating costs. This in turn was reflected in the introduction last year of a new fuel guarantee programme, designed to reward 7310R tractor customers financially for fuel-efficient driving on the road.

More recently, the 400hp 8400R tractor set three new world records for fuel efficiency, in the field and on the road, and maximum drawbar performance at the DLG test centre. It beat its nearest competitors by almost 23 per cent in drawbar performance and lowered the combined fluid consumption figure for field work to only 247g/kWh.

This translates into six per cent higher pulling capacity and a reduction in fuel consumption of up to two per cent compared to the previous top of the range 8370R model, enabling wider implements to be used to increase productivity and maximise total fluid efficiency.

Powered by a new John Deere 9-litre Stage IV compliant engine and featuring an e23 transmission with Efficiency Manager, the 8400R delivers up to 450hp with Intelligent Power Management (IPM). This tractor is also fitted as standard with JDLink telematics, including remote display access (RDA) and wireless data transfer (WDT) linked to the MyJohnDeere.com website portal.

Also on display at Tillage Live, the established 750A All-Till seed drill is available in 3, 4 and 6m versions. This versatile drill has a field proven Accord air seeding system, and is designed with large clearances for no-till drilling into stubble, working after minimum or conventional cultivations, and single pass operation for grassland and rough pasture renovation.

Single pass drilling offers several advantages over a conventional ploughing regime, including lower establishment costs, reduced nitrate leaching and increased conservation of moisture within the soil. In addition, the 750A’s minimal soil disturbance at the point of drilling offers huge benefits for the control of blackgrass.