Setting out to harvest 1000 tonnes of wheat in one day was a challenge between two brothers operating a John Deere S790 and X9 1100 combine harvester
Chris and Dale Bartlett put their John Deere S790 and X9 1100combines to the test to determine who would be the first to harvest 1000 tonnes a day.
John Deere backed the challenge. And the chance to put their most efficient and intelligent machines to this unique harvest test.
The test took place during the 2023-24 harvest in real-time and under real harvest conditions, rain hail or sunshine on the Bartletts family-run farm.
The challenge to harvest 1000-tonnes in a single day has become part of a dedicated four-part docuseries that has attracted hundreds of thousands of viewers from across the globe.
“Harvest X” captures the journey of the John Deere S790 and X9 1100 Combines striving towards the bold challenge in a wheat crop in Victoria’s Wimmera region last December, recording the entire process on camera and under the skilful operation of fifth-generation farmers and contractors Chris and Dale Bartlett.
Bartlett Brothers Harvesting runs a fleet including John Deere S-Series Combine Harvesters, with Chris and Dale also continuing the 150-year-old family tradition of growing wheat at Pimpinio and nearby Dimboola VIC, where Harvest X took place.
The 2023-24 harvest season was one of the toughest in recent memory and as the latest release X9 arrived Chris was sceptical it would be able to harvest 1000 tonnes in a day given highly challenging conditions.
“I’m keen to see what this X9 1100 can do,” Chris said.
“This year has probably been one of the best crops we’ve grown, but we’ve come to December with the worst conditions.”
Dale reiterated how challenging the harvest conditions would be.
“It’s probably the wettest December for harvest days I’ve seen in my career,” Dale added.
With a four-day window set aside for the attempt, the challenge got off to a shaky start with the first day rained out. On day two, temperatures soared into the high 30s, helping to dry out the crop, but it triggered a fire ban for day three, again stalling the attempt.
The John Deere team, led by Production Systems Manager, Ben Kelly, launched into the challenge on the final day, with John Deere 8RX 370 and 9R 490 tractors and chaser bins supporting the effort.
“1000 tonnes are a huge benchmark to hit,” Ben reiterated.
“The main things we want to look at are maximising the tonnes per hour, keeping grain loss below one per cent, maintaining a good cut height and spread width for next season’s seeding, and achieving efficiency and fuel economy because the X9 not only has a greater capacity than the S790, but it also uses 20% less fuel.”
The Harvest X journey was published to John Deere’s YouTube and Facebook channels in four instalments across April and May 2024. To date, the series has recorded more than 650,000 views.
“We have been blown away by the response to Harvest X,” Ben Kelly added.
“There has been so much interest in the challenge, the machine and the results, which we were monitoring in the field in real-time through John Deere Operations CenterTM.
“We would like to thank Chris and Dale Bartlett for their hospitality in helping us offer a glimpse of the realities of farming and harvest in Australia’s unique conditions, the shortening windows for harvest and the capabilities of the X9.
“It really has been a team effort and the X9 proved how exceptional it is even in the toughest of real-world conditions,” Ben Kelly concluded
Harvest X 1000 tonne challenge data
Tonnes harvested: 1000
Throughput: 72 tonnes/hr
Harvesting time: 13:53.12
Total time: 15:03,04 (including downtime)
Average yield: 5.1 tonnes/ha
Average moisture: 10.2%
Area harvested: 196 ha
Losses: 0.7%
Productivity: 14.1 ha/hr
Total fuel: 1,598 litres
Fuel efficiency: 1.6 t/litre
Fuel per hectare: 8.2 litres/ha
Temperature range: 13.1 – 23.8 degrees Celsius
Humidity range: 48 to 92%
To watch Harvest X go to the John Deere Australia and New Zealand YouTube channel here.
