[Don Boles]

The 2015 model Lexions come with some pretty good improvements...and one dud of an idea.

The additional hydraulic rotor covers are the biggest advantage to me or anyone who grows canola and especially when jumping around between different crops. With the flick of a hydraulic valve lever and tuning the rest of the machine's settings there will be conditions where capacity will be up by at least 1/3 with much lower losses.

The from the seat or CEMOS Auto controlled hydraulic door covers can now be opened or closed while harvesting!
Since they went hydraulic I have never, NEVER understood why closing was restricted, so a little crap gets caught in the door, who cares, it just fills up in seconds anyway! All doors closed will now be 80% covered.

I don't know for sure but I imagine a software update will allow all previous hydraulic door units to operate this way...properly.

Not sure on retro fitting of the extra covers yet.

The feederhouse brake/auto shutdown system looks good and eliminates the dreaded "belt smoke" monitor.
If APS or impeller belt slip a settable % the feeder brakes, when close to 100% slip is reached machine shuts down. Clever.

Big changes to all straw choppers next year and the hope is to eliminate bridging.
Flax rotors standard in all machines.

780TT gets larger hopper and a inline 6 Mercedes instead of the V8.
Marginally less power but torque rise higher.

Claas is on a roll, right?
Well...
They are taking the air compressor off!
No longer needed for the emission system a "streamlining" of manufacturing is cited.
I ran the hose up to the engine bay area permanently to clean alternator when fueling and before turning lights on and for engine cleaning.
Unless changes are made to keep engine area cleaner I think this is a huge backward step!

 

[offroadnt]

The way it's going I think they may need to offer a six month course for operating these machines, maybe in the French Riviera?

 

[Don Boles]

The way it's going I think they may need to offer a six month course for operating these machines, maybe in the French Riviera?

I guess.
Depends whether you are going to learn or just going the French Riviera.

But the shutdown system for example should make them more foolproof.

 

[offroadnt]

I'm beginning to see a trend here, the machine is getting so advanced pretty soon you can put anybody with a pulse in the seat but on the other hand your going to need someone with ten years special training to fix the thing. All the money you save for operators and such goes into initial purchase price and resources needed to keep the thing running...

 

[hector]

The 2015 model Lexions come with some pretty good improvements...and one dud of an idea.

The additional hydraulic rotor covers are the biggest advantage to me or anyone who grows canola and especially when jumping around between different crops. With the flick of a hydraulic valve lever and tuning the rest of the machine's settings there will be conditions where capacity will be up by at least 1/3 with much lower losses.

The from the seat or CEMOS Auto controlled hydraulic door covers can now be opened or closed while harvesting!
Since they went hydraulic I have never, NEVER understood why closing was restricted, so a little crap gets caught in the door, who cares, it just fills up in seconds anyway! All doors closed will now be 80% covered.

I don't know for sure but I imagine a software update will allow all previous hydraulic door units to operate this way...properly.

Not sure on retro fitting of the extra covers yet.

The feederhouse brake/auto shutdown system looks good and eliminates the dreaded "belt smoke" monitor.
If APS or impeller belt slip a settable % the feeder brakes, when close to 100% slip is reached machine shuts down. Clever.

Big changes to all straw choppers next year and the hope is to eliminate bridging.
Flax rotors standard in all machines.

780TT gets larger hopper and a inline 6 Mercedes instead of the V8.
Marginally less power but torque rise higher.

Claas is on a roll, right?
Well...
They are taking the air compressor off!
No longer needed for the emission system a "streamlining" of manufacturing is cited.
I ran the hose up to the engine bay area permanently to clean alternator when fueling and before turning lights on and for engine cleaning.
Unless changes are made to keep engine area cleaner I think this is a huge backward step!

there is a nipple for the air in the engine compartment

 

[joesixpack]

To me they took two steps forward and one back as it is. The old 500 series I'm running with the Cat's you never need to blow the engine off and never had an alternator failure yet. The old mechanical fan kept a real **** storm of air blowing across. Dual up or even quad the air filter and or snorkle it that folded up with the hopper and I'd maybe drag the air hose up twice a season.

That auto shutdown on detected aps or impeller speed is huge, been dreaming of this from 20 years ago and the old Versatile 2000's when a guy had 200 more hp than you needed.

We've NEVER had the old choppers bridge or plug. EVER. I'd loose my mind if my new combine did.

More hydraulic covers would be nice.

What I'd like to see is a 2" flat face coupler ground level with an automatic float shutoff at ground level for fueling.

Would I care if it came with an air compressor......NO!!! I don't need to blow my old machines down every day why do I want to spend any time up there on the new one.

A inline should free up quite a bit of space for airflow and might be a non issue.

 

[712alberta]

Perhaps they need to mount a fan in the engine compartment to keep the air moving, Something like what Massey did on the 9500 series with the V cooling system. Fan blows on the turbo, and a bit on the exhaust to keep the really hot stuff from accumulating dust and creating a burning hazard.

 

[Don Boles]

Perhaps they need to mount a fan in the engine compartment to keep the air moving, Something like what Massey did on the 9500 series with the V cooling system. Fan blows on the turbo, and a bit on the exhaust to keep the really hot stuff from accumulating dust and creating a burning hazard.

Saw that on a friends 9560, just a small electric fan.
Hmm I thought, maybe Claas should get out more.

Actually, the 500 series runs a separate hydraulic driven fan for cleaning, it even has it's own separate air filter system.

 

[Snipe]

Just the 780 gets a bigger grain tank? The smaller machines might be more appealing if they had a bigger grain tank. And if they had a dealer near by wouldn't hurt either.

 

[Don Boles]

Just the 780 gets a bigger grain tank?

Yes, and only on tracks.

 

[lexionman575]

Perhaps they need to mount a fan in the engine compartment to keep the air moving, Something like what Massey did on the 9500 series with the V cooling system. Fan blows on the turbo, and a bit on the exhaust to keep the really hot stuff from accumulating dust and creating a burning hazard.

They tried it. Looked like an octopus sitting in the V of the engine

 

[Don Boles]

Agree with you!

We've NEVER had the old choppers bridge or plug. EVER.

What I'd like to see is a 2" flat face coupler ground level with an automatic float shutoff at ground level for fueling.

Would I care if it came with an air compressor......NO!!!
A inline should free up quite a bit of space for airflow and might be a non issue.

And I wouldn't either...if they were at the point where you don't need air, but they're not!

I assume you mean ground level fuelling, Holy Christ, you're even lazier than I am, didn't think that was possible.
Love it though!

I've never had choppers on a Claas bridge until this year either, so it must be conditions.
Maybe it's a reflection on the tough **** and volume you can put through with a Sunnybrook cylinder and concave. Because it sure can!

An inline won't hurt, at least it eliminates the V collection area.

 

[mbfarmer]

Maybe they will put the engine dipstick on the ground for you two as well. Ha ha. And maybe a hydraulic lift into the cab!!

I believe the other models will be getting the larger hopper in 2016. Maybe only the track versions though.

 

[Don Boles]

Maybe they will put the engine dipstick on the ground for you two as well. Ha ha. And maybe a hydraulic lift into the cab!!

Now, now!
You be nice!

Don't need the ground level dipstick mb, in 317 hours I don't think the Mercedes used 2 liters.

Engines are incredible that way now.
Likely need to thank emissions for that.

 

[Snipe]

Now, now!
You be nice!

Don't need the ground level dipstick mb, in 317 hours I don't think the Mercedes used 2 liters.

Engines are incredible that way now.
Likely need to thank emissions for that.

i have a 3406 B Cat engine with unknown amount of hours and it doesn't use a drop of oil in 300 hrs so it's not emissions.

 

[Don Boles]

I think it's helped

i have a 3406 B Cat engine with unknown amount of hours and it doesn't use a drop of oil in 300 hrs so it's not emissions.

Luck maybe doesn't hurt either.

I was more thinking snipe what would have been considered normal oil consumption 30 or 40 years ago would be terrifying today and it's likely a combination of better engines simply due to competition, better oils and emissions.

Even my pickup has little consumption in 20,000 and the oil doesn't look much dirtier then the day it was dumped in.
My 02 GMC Denali pickup measured average speed per engine hour, how fast do you think one averages?
Lower.
Lower.
Still lower.
Year in and year out 59 to 61 km/hr. So there is your 300+ hours as well but on a gas.

So I guess there is no one thing to thank snipe but of all the wonderful things emissions have done likely reducing oil consumption overall is one.

By the way, I happen to think people waste a tonne of money on filter and oil changes on gas engines now. I'm a 20 to 30 kinda guy.

 

[drylandfarmer]

The 780 needs a bigger grain tank. 400 plus bushels at least, 450 would be perfect in my opinion. Big capacity combine needs a bigger hopper.

Unloading auger swinging past center would be a big plus also, for topping off grain cart.
Auger could be longer also for a 45' header. Could use a couple more feet.

 

[duramaximizer]

Heck even the little gleaners have a 400 bushel hopper. These combines definitely need more!