1. News + Testimonials
  2. Current
  3. ...
  4. CLAAS news
Back to overview
Press release

CLAAS DISCO 9700 RC AUTO SWATHER: The specialist for high forage volumes and gentle conditioning

With the DISCO 9700 RC AUTO SWATHER, CLAAS has redefined the new large-scale mower class.

Featuring a working width of up to 9.50 m, ACTIVE FLOAT ground-pressure control, non-stop collision protection, roller conditioner and flexible, high-performance AUTO SWATHER swath grouping with optimised crop flow, the mower is the professional machine of choice for powerful yet gentle forage and biomass harvesting.

Cutting lucerne, winter forage and whole-crop silage is a special challenge for mowers. While lucerne is a fragile crop that calls for particularly gentle conditioning, like whole-crop silage and winter forage, it also produces high yields so the mower has to handle high volumes of material as well. Efficient crop flow is therefore just as important as robust, sturdy drives and high-performance swath grouping with optimised swath formation. These features are becoming increasingly relevant with the growing cultivation of biomass substrates such as sorghum and rising share of lucerne in crop rotations – reflecting the move to more localised protein production for livestock farming.



High throughput and gentle conditioning combined

As the flagship of the new DISCO 9700 series, the DISCO 9700 RC AUTO SWATHER has been designed specifically for harvesting high to very high forage volumes up to 60 t/ha combined with gentle conditioning and swath grouping. In other words, the large-scale mower is predestined for the gentle harvesting of biomass, lucerne, grass and winter forage on high-yielding sites.

The innovative crop flow is a particular feature of the DISCO 9700 RC AUTO SWATHER. As standard, the roller conditioners are driven by a double drive roller with a specially designed scissor gearbox – for maximum throughput and durability even under sustained heavy use. The transmission and drive trains are designed for use with tractors up to 500 hp and incorporate new, P-Line triple telescopic driveshafts developed jointly with Walterscheid featuring specially toughened large diameter steel profiles and a new K-90 friction clutch. This combination makes the DISCO 9700 RC AUTO SWATHER the most powerful belt mower with conditioner currently on the market.

Two counter-rotating polyurethane rollers crush the crop gently yet effectively without loss. The conditioner spans the entire width of the mower bed to ensure continuous linear flow without forage bblockages. Optimised crop transfer to the 1100 mm wide, extremely robust Kevlar-reinforced cross conveyor belts ensures uniform filling of the AUTO SWATHER belt units. This produces an even, loose and perfectly shaped swath which the harvester following behind can easily pick up and process.

When working without swath grouping, with less regrowth or when less wilting is required, one or both of the belt units can be folded up hydraulically to consolidate a working width of 19 m to 12 m (the "19 to 12" method) for the next pass with a 12.7 m wide standard four-rotor swather.

When combined with CLAAS tractors with the new CEMIS 1200 with GPS PILOT, fields can easily be divided into plots.



Proven DISCO features as standard: low power consumption, perfect cut, clean forage and very easy maintenance, complemented by numerous comfort functions

The DISCO 9700 RC AUTO SWATHER combines innovative new developments with proven DISCO features – low power consumption with outstanding chop quality, hydropneumatic ACTIVE FLOAT suspension and optional high-cut skids to ensure low crude ash contamination and low wear, comfort functions such as automatic slope control, mirroring of belt units with unilateral swath laying, reversing mechanism, automatic belt folding for transportation, BELT BOOST function for perfect swath finish, as well as non-stop collision protection, extremely easy maintenance and much more. The DISCO 9700 RC AUTO SWATHER shares several features with the DISCO 9700 BUSINESS models:

  • Swinging arms for continuously adjustable working width from 8.80 – 9.50 m
  • Arms automatically retract in transport position to a transport height of under 4 m
  • MAX CUT mower bed with quick knife change and SAFETY-LINK safety module
  • 850 rpm PTO speed for reduced fuel consumption
  • Optional wear skids for increasing cut height by 15 mm: less crude ash contamination and faster regrowth
  • Removable, portable blade box divided into three compartments for red and black replacement blades and used blades
  • ACTIVE FLOAT suspension with slope control and continuous pressure monitoring: optimum ground pressure at all times for manoeuvrability, gentle cut, minimum crude ash contamination and reduced drift on slopes
  • Hydraulic non-stop collision protection with inclined rotational axes for swinging arms back and over
  • Drive with new Walterscheid P-Line triple telescopic drive shafts with specially toughened large-diameter steel profiles and new K-90 friction clutch
  • Roller conditioner with double roller drive with specially developed scissor gear
  • Innovative crop transfer from roller conditioner to 1100mm cross conveyor belt for optimised crop flow
  • 1100 mm wide conveyor belts with two angled positions for maximum throughput and optimal swath formation
  • Automatic adjustment of belt speed for active slope control
  • Automatic folding of AUTO SWATHER belt units in transport position; simple mirroring for one-sided swath grouping; BELT BOOST for perfect swath finish
  • Load-sensing hydraulics with optional large oil cooler
  • ISOBUS operation as standard
  • Hydraulic hoses with Kennfixx couplers as standard
 
International press releases

Further international press releases can be found on claas-group.com.

International press releases