John Deere has expanded its harvesting line-up with new 60-foot draper platforms and significant updates to the X9 combine range, giving Australian growers access to greater harvesting capacity, improved automation, and increased efficiency during critical harvest windows.

John Deere has announced the introduction of new 60-foot HDR and HDF Draper Platforms, providing broadacre growers with the opportunity to cover more hectares and maximise productivity when harvest conditions are at their best.

The new HDR60 and HDF60 platforms build on the proven performance of John Deere's existing hinge-draper fronts, offering increased cutting width while maintaining the crop-feeding performance and ground-following capabilities that growers have come to expect.

When paired with the Model Year 2027 X9 Combine, the wider fronts create one of the highest-capacity harvesting systems available, helping growers make the most of increasingly narrow harvest windows.

More Capacity When It Matters Most

Harvest efficiency remains one of the biggest factors influencing profitability and risk management for grain growers.

The addition of a 60-foot front allows operators to harvest more hectares per hour, while new automation features help maintain consistent performance across changing crop conditions throughout the day.

According to John Deere, recent harvest seasons have demonstrated productivity improvements of up to 20 per cent and fluid efficiency gains of approximately 10 per cent when utilising advanced harvest automation technologies.

Smarter Harvest Automation

The new platforms integrate with John Deere's latest harvest automation systems, including Harvest Settings Automation and Predictive Ground Speed Automation.

Harvest Settings Automation helps operators get to work faster by automatically adjusting key machine settings based on crop type, combine model, and location. For Model Year 2027 machines, support has been expanded to include oats, lentils, peas, rye, triticale, and sunflower crops.

Predictive Ground Speed Automation uses satellite data and onboard cameras to monitor crop conditions and automatically adjust harvesting speed to maintain throughput, grain quality, and loss targets. New updates also allow operators to set desired throughput targets, giving growers greater control over machine performance.

Additional X9 Enhancements

The wider draper platforms arrive alongside a range of updates to the Model Year 2027 X9 Combine Series, including:

• Increased grain tank capacity
• A longer unloading auger
• Tru-Thresh™ concaves with remote adjustment
• JDLink™ Boost connectivity enhancements
• Expanded automation functionality

Together, these improvements are designed to reduce operator workload, increase harvesting consistency, and help growers capture more productivity from every harvest day.

Talk to Emmetts About Your Harvesting Plans

As harvest technology continues to evolve, growers are gaining access to more automation, increased machine capacity, and improved operational efficiency than ever before.

To learn more about the new 60-foot HDR and HDF Draper Platforms, Model Year 2027 X9 Combines, or how harvest automation can benefit your operation, contact your local Emmetts branch.