LEXION Combine breaks Three Corn Harvesting Records

LEXION Combine Breaks Three Corn Harvesting Records – Including One of Its Own

Back in 2010, CLAAS of America Product Manager/Field Support Jeff Gray, together with Stewart Farms Partnership in Yorkville, Illinois, set a world record when they harvested 51,153 bushels of corn in 10 hours, using a CLAAS LEXION 760 TERRA TRAC combine.

Eight years later, the Stewarts asked Gray to join them in an attempt to eclipse that record, along with two more – all in one incredible day.

Since the Guinness Book of World Records doesn’t officially recognize 10-hour harvesting records, Craig Stewart and his sons Bob and Brad, forged on and decided to break their standing record anyway, while earning the recognized 8- and 12-hour records as well.

Conditions were challenging. They received a half inch of rain the night before, and the corn averaged 17-18 percent moisture levels, but the Stewarts still managed to crush all three records,

thanks to teamwork, planning, and the many technological advancements of the new LEXION 760 TERRA TRAC and 16-row header.

The LEXION 760TT

“A lot has changed in the last eight years on the LEXION 760 TERRA TRAC,” says Gray. “More engine horsepower, a higher capacity feederhouse drive, a larger grain tank, faster unloading, a more efficient DYNAMIC COOLING SYSTEM and higher capacity sieves made this challenge easier than the one we did in 2010.”

The Stewarts also took advantage of the operator assistance features found in CEMOS AUTOMATIC, a popular new option on LEXION 700 series combines. As its name indicates, this technology automatically and autonomously optimizes ground speed and system settings throughout the combine, based on changing conditions.

Jeff Gray Product Manager/Field Support

Bob Stewart Stewart Farms Partnership

“The reason we have the CLAAS combines is, one, the efficiency, and then two is reliability,” says LEXION operator Bob Stewart. “The CRUISE PILOT will actually optimize its own speed and make the adjustments for you on the back end. It’s a big deal.”

TELEMATICS allows real-time monitoring of performance information to computers and mobile devices authorized to receive it. Many people kept a close eye on that information as they tracked progress throughout the run.

The team

Bob Stewart ran the combine for most of the day, with Jeff Gray stepping in only twice – once to check the settings on CEMOS AUTOMATIC, and once around the 10-hour mark to give Bob a short break.

Brad Stewart managed the logistics of the record-breaking day. His job was to ensure that the three grain carts and 10 trucks were running at maximum efficiency to keep up with the nearly constant unloading of the LEXION.

“The LEXION machine is very impressive,” says Brad. “It’s incredibly reliable and just eats corn! Our biggest worry was having enough trucks so that we didn’t keep the combine waiting.”

The records

One of the requirements for each record was to have the combine come to a full stop and unload all grain in the tank to a grain cart. That grain then went to a truck that took it to Tate and Lyle Grain Elevator in Parnell, Illinois, where it was weighed.

At the eight-hour mark, the Stewarts had harvested a record-setting 43,739.68 dry bushels of corn. At 10 hours, they totaled 54,302.97, which was 3,000 bushels more than the record they had set eight years earlier.

After 12 hours, the third record was confirmed, with 63,770.10 bushels harvested.

Guinness hasn’t yet authenticated the records, but all tabulations and third parties confirm that the day of harvesting was truly one for the record books. Both Gray and the Stewarts are confident that they’ll be notified of their official Guinness records soon.

See the full video story at tinyurl.com/claas-world-record

LEXION 760 TT Harvest World Records

8 Hours: 43,740 bushels

10 Hours: 54,303 bushels

12 Hours: 63,770 bushels