2016 Combine Harvester Report Pits New Holland Against John Deere

One of the hardest parts of buying a combine harvester is deciding which brand and model to go for. If you’re tossing up between a New Holland combine harvester and a John Deere combine, this report may sway you one way or the other.

The Combine Harvester Report Overview

In 2015, CNH Industrial commissioned PAMI (the Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute) to conduct an unbiased comparison productivity test and report on the 2015 New Holland CR9.90 and John Deere S690 combines. The result was an in-depth 27-page report detailing the findings. Read the report here.

Unfortunately, PAMI does not allow the report to be reproduced in summary data or excerpts, so the following is is our interpretation of their data, in our own words. It’s also important to note the test was commissioned and conducted in Saskatchewan, Canada and Australian models may vary.

Testing & Measuring

PAMI specialise in testing and measuring crop harvesting, especially in West Canada. This is why the tests were conducted in Saskatchewan.

Crops & Conditions

Both the John Deere and the New Holland combines were put to the test on 2 different crop fields: Canadian Western Red Spring Wheat, and Canola InVigor L261.

For the wheat harvest, engine power was the limiting factor for harvesting productivity. Yield average was 59bu/acre with average grain moisture of 14.5%.

Wind and rain caused the canola windrows to be inconsistent and poorly formed, which tangled and locked the crop. This led to a difficult feeding condition. The field avg yield was 52 bu/acre with an average moisture of 6.6%.

The Measurements

To ensure a fair comparison, PAMI identified 5 categories to measure and test.

1. Harvesting productivity
2. Total fluid rate
3. Fuel rate
4. Grain loss
5. Area harvest rate  

Spec Comparison

Before we get into the results, let’s look at how these combines compare spec-wise.

	New Holland CR9.90	John Deere S690
Rated Horse Power	530	551
Feeding	Dynamic feed roll	Feed accelerator
Rotor Type	Twin pitch	Variable stream
Grain Tank	410 bu	400 bu
Unloading Speed	4.0 bu/sec	3.8 bu/sec
Cleaning	Opti-CleanTM	EvenMaxTM
Cleaning Area	6.49 m2	5.61m2
Residue Management	Opti-SpreadTM	PowerCastTM

So it looks like these 2 combines are fairly evenly specced, albeit the New Holland is slightly larger than the Deere. This may have given NH a competitive advantage.

Combine Harvester Price Comparison

On Machines4U, the John Deere S690 combine harvester in used condition goes for approx. $277,000 to $460,000.*

Whereas the New Holland CR9.90 used can fetch anywhere between $500,000 and $600,000, depending on the model year.

The Results

Upon completion of the test, PAMI put together the extensive report and released it to the CNH Industrial (and the public) in April, 2016.

Here’s what they found:

• New Holland had a 4% better harvesting productivity in wheat and up to 10% in canola.
• The CR Elevation combine harvested 9% more grain per 3.78 litres (1 gallon) of fuel and DEF than the Deere S690.
• There was a noticeable difference in fuel usage per acre, where the NH used 13% less gallons of fuel per acre in wheat and a 9% difference in the canola.

Igor Kuzmenko, North American Marketing Manager for combines, spoke to AgWired about the report. “If your combine has a better harvest productivity, that means you’re spending less of your day out in the field during harvest. And lower fuel consumption and grain loss can help to increase profitability. We know how important it is the keep those costs down in this market.”

*Price based on Machines4U listing data provided by sellers/advertisers and are an approximation only. Data is correct up to and at time of publishing. Prices may change and need to be verified with individual sellers.