A Claas tractor has helped one farmer set two speed-harvesting Guinness World Records. The Stewart Farms Partnership from Yorkville, Illinois, harvested 1,111 tons of grain maize in eight hours and 1,620 tons in 12 hours using a Lexion 760 Terra Trac.
The new records beat the previous best for a grain maize harvest also set by the family-owned business with a Claas tractor back in 2010. On that occasion, the team achieved a final volume of almost 1,300 tons in a 10-hour period, however requirements from the Guinness World Record officials have changed, stipulating eight and 12 hour records.
Better technology
With a greater power output, larger grain tank and more efficient cooling system, the Claas tractor made setting the new records easier than the original one from eight years ago. Targeting both records, the team unofficially also broke the existing 10-hour record on its way to the 12-hour time.
For the record attempts, the tractor had a 16-row corn header but the conditions were not ideal with 12mm of rain having fallen the previous day. The first semi-trailer took away maize with 17-18% moisture and it was a challenge for the team to provide enough trucks to ensure continuous removal.
After eight, 10 and 12 hours, the load was removed and taken to the edge of the field until the machine was completely empty, thereby allowing the exact interim results to be determined. During its record-breaking deployment, the tractor achieved a throughput of almost 135 tons an hour, or a truck load every 12 minutes.
