Claas has added the new DISCO 9700 with a working width of up to 9.50 m to its range of large-scale mowers. Five different versions are available with tine or roller conditioner and AUTO SWATHER swath grouping. The new DISCO 9700 RC AUTO swather occupies a special niche as a large-scale biomass mower for yields of up to 60 t/ha and tractors up to 500 hp.
The new DISCO 9700 series is geared mainly towards farmers and contractors operating in irregularly shaped fields and on slopes where a high degree of flexibility is required for overlapping. In addition, the large-scale mowers are particularly well-suited for handling high crop volumes. There are five different models to choose from:
- DISCO 9700 COMFORT without conditioner
- DISCO 9700 C BUSINESS with tine conditioner
- DISCO 9700 RC BUSINESS with roller conditioner
- DISCO 9700 C AUTO SWATHER with tine conditioner and swath grouping
- DISCO 9700 RC AUTO SWATHER with roller conditioner and swath grouping
The new large-scale mowers combine tried and tested features such as MAX CUT mower beds with quick knife change and ACTIVE FLOAT suspension with innovative new developments. This all adds up to clean forage, maximum sward protection and high capacity paired with high cutting frequency at a PTO speed of only 850rpm for optimum efficiency. The new, flow-optimised wear skids first introduced on the DISCO 8500, 9300 and 1010 in 2022 that extend the cut height by 15 mm are also available for all DISCO 9700 as well as all front mowers. They not only reduce crude ash contamination and speed up regrowth – they also reduce tractive power requirement and diesel consumption by providing enhanced grass sward protection.
The blades and covers of the anticlockwise-rotating discs are painted red to ensure that replacement blades can be immediately assigned to the appropriate mower discs. The removable, portable blade box is divided into three compartments for red and black replacement blades and used blades.
The hitch frame with angled arms ensures optimum centre of gravity at the headland and on the road for added soil protection and road safety. The two models with AUTO SWATHER swath grouping feature a reinforced headstock. Hydraulic hoses (fitted with Kennfixx couplers as standard) and electric cables are safely stowed in a new parking bracket when the mower is unhitched. A central lubrication system which supplies all lubrication points except the drive shafts is optionally available in some countries for both AUTO SWATHER models.
Variable working width with optional slope control
On all DISCO 9700 models, the new swinging arms can be hydraulically pivoted outwards by 300 mm and inwards by 50 mm (maximum travel 700 mm) to adjust the overlap when turning corners and working across slopes. This helps to avoid unmown strips. The swing arm travel can be infinitely adjusted from the cab between 8.80 and 9.50 m. When opening the field and mowing on slopes, the overlap can be variably increased giving up to 50 cm on each side to ensure stripe-free mowing, even with these applications. When folded into transport position, the arms automatically retract to a height of less than 4.00m.
Ground-contour following is not affected by the swing arm travel because of the broad central mounting position and special twin guidance of the mower units via the arms. Furthermore, the comfort version of the ACTIVE FLOAT regularly and automatically compares the actual pressure with the target pressure and continually adjusts the ground pressure in response. Optional slope control is available which uses a tilt sensor to individually adjust the telescopic travel and the ACTIVE FLOAT ground pressure control of the left and right arm. This function counteracts drift – protecting the grass sward and reducing the driver’s workload. In the AUTO SWATHER models, the belt speed is automatically adjusted at the same time.
The arms are equipped with individual non-stop collision protection each with an inclined rotational axis: when the mower encounters an obstacle, the arm swings back and over it – moving the mower unit as far from the danger zone as possible.
Robust, low-maintenance drive
The mower units are driven by new Walterscheid P-Line triple telescopic drive shafts with specially toughened large-diameter steel profiles. The new higher capacity K-90 friction clutch is bolted directly to the universal joint shaft, making it quick and easy to service.
A double roller drive with a specially developed scissor gearbox which guarantees maximum throughput even with the highest of yields is available for RC models. The new drive is a standard feature of the DISCO 9700 RC AUTO SWATHER and optionally available for RC front mowers and the DISCO 9700 RC BUSINESS.
The technical features include new Walterscheid P-Line triple PTO shafts, adjustable swing arms for a working width of up to 9.50 m and ACTIVE FLOAT as well as non-stop collision protection as standard. A new scissor gearbox has been developed for the double roller drive of the RC roller conditioner.
Maximum throughput during swath grouping
Two powerful belt grouper mowers for tractors up to 500 hp, are the DISCO 9700 C AUTO SWATHER and DISCO 9700 RC AUTO SWATHER. These mowers have been specifically developed for harvesting lucerne, whole-crop silage and winter forage alongside traditional grass crops, with the focus on maximum yields and forage volumes. The harvested crop is gently and effectively crushed without loss by two counter-rotating polyurethane rollers. Furthermore, the conditioner extends across the entire width of the mower bed to avoid any forage jams.
The DISCO 9700 RC AUTO SWATHER features new design concepts for high-yielding crops, such as a modified, innovative crop transfer to the 1100 mm wide Kevlar-reinforced conveyor belt and subsequent discharge to the swath. The two angled positions ensure that the belt is uniformly filled. In addition, a large volume of material can be consolidated into a single swath, producing a perfectly shaped swath for the harvester following behind.
One or both of the belt units can be folded up hydraulically when working without swath grouping or using the “19 to 12” method where a working width of 19 m is consolidated to 12 m for the next pass with a 12.7 m wide standard four-rotor swather. This function is also useful when there is little regrowth or less wilting is required. Simple mirroring at the press of a button enables convenient toggling between the right and left active AUTO SWATHER belt unit.
Standard ISOBUS operation
COMFORT and BUSINESS versions of the DISCO 9700 come with full ISOBUS-compatibility as standard. On the DISCO 9700 COMFORT, the arms are lifted and lowered by preselection and subsequent activation of the hydraulic spool valve or alternatively via the tractor’s headland management. Functions such as telescopic travel, protective cover folding and ACTIVE FLOAT are controlled via the load-sensing hydraulics. In the BUSINESS models with comprehensive load-sensing hydraulics, these functions are operated by the soft and hard keys on the tractor or ISOBUS Universal Terminal (e.g. CEBIS, CEMIS 700 or CEMIS 1200). F key assignment via AUX-O or AUX-N, for example on the CMOTION multifunction control lever, is also possible.
