What would you think about a combine with fewer belts, more torque and lower fuel consumption?
One of the big topics of conversation at Agritechnica 2025 is a concept combine from Chinese company Zoomlion.
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The big harvester has a diesel engine, but that engine powers a generator that distributes the power to other electric motors around the combine that individually power the important parts.
Motors drive the wheels, the feeder housing and header, grain augers, dual rotor threshing system and the straw chopper. The combine is rated at 480 horsepower.
That means fewer belts, says Kevin Song, technical manager for the combine. It means a simpler unit with fewer moving parts.
The motors can all reverse, which means easier cleaning out of plugged headers and the feeder housing.
There’s been speculation about the use of diesel-electric hybrid engines in farm equipment before, similar to the use of diesel-electric motors in locomotives.
Zoomlion has built its tractor and combine line on the concept, with tractors rated at 160 to more than 700 horsepower in a tractor that was just announced, but wasn’t at Agritechnica. Company spokespeople at Agritechnica say they can improve fuel efficiency by 15 per cent.
Check out my walkaround of the combine here.
Tractors of the year
An association of agriculture media each year awards top tractor awards.
The tractors have to be available in the European market at the end of the year of the award. The awards go by the TotY acronym and after the awards are announced at Agritechnica it shows up on the winners around the show.
This year the winners included Claas’s new 9.450 Terra Trac in the high horsepower category. At 450 horsepower, it fits the bill.
“Tractor of the year, it’s really, really huge honour for us,” said Vasily Badya, Claas product manager for Axion tractors. “It’s an all brand new class tractor with a completely new design,” he told Glacier FarmMedia’s Greg Berg.
The mid-range award was won by Fendt’s new 516 tractor. The tractor has been upgraded with some of the technology previously only found on Fendt’s larger tractors.
The 516 now has a new engine, the Core 50 from Agco Power and redesigned Vario transmission, says Torsten Meyer zu Bergsten in an interview at Agritechnica.
The new Vario stepless transmission design allows the company to speed up the rear or front wheels and increases maneuverability.
It is in the mid-range of power at up to 174 horsepower.
Have a look at the tractor here.
New Holland won in the specialized category with its T4.120F Auto Command, a smaller tractor with CVT. It runs in an Eco mode at up to 50 km/h, a first for a smaller tractor.
The Valtra G Series CVT, won in the utility category and the JCB 6300 won for sustainable tractor of the year. The Agxeed 2.055 W3 won in the Bot category. It’s an autonomous vehicle that’s especially found a use in orchards.
Standards set for high-speed data links between tractors and implements
Designers are adding more data-creating technology to farm implements, especially cameras and that’s led to the need for higher speed connections to tractors.
The Agricultural Industry Electronics Foundation, the umbrella group representing the major equipment manufacturers around standardization, has a new standard which will make data transfer about 4000 times faster than current ISOBUS connections.
Ryan Milligan, who works with Powell Electronics and helps with marketing and communications for AEF, said at Agritechnica that the AEF has also released software that will help different types of implements send data in a common fashion that can then be interpreted by a wide range of farm management systems.
