The Claas Jaguar forager series has been synonymous with precision-cut silage harvesting in Ireland for many years now. In 2017, Claas updated the larger 970 and 980 models. Although a relatively large number of 970 models have been sold across the country to date, only two of the newer 980 models have been sold, one in Co Cork and the one featured in Co Derry.

Gorthill Farm Contracting is well known in agricultural contracting circles for its unique fleet of modern machinery all in the same black colour code. We caught up with the Boggs brothers to find out how their Claas 980 forager performed over the silage season gone by.

Previous harvester

This year, the Boggs brothers, Johnny and Ryan, decided to update their 2015 Claas Jaguar 870 forager and to a new 980. They took delivery of the new harvester in the first week of July.

The main reason for the switch was to reduce the chop length while increasing throughput. The brothers run an anaerobic digester on their home farm and require the forage to be uniformly chopped at a length of 4.5mm.

The previous Claas 870 had a 20-knife drum and throughput was very slow while chopping the forage so finely. They contemplated putting a new drum and a new header on the 870 but they both agreed they would be better off buying a new harvester with a different chopping unit.

The Jaguar 980 has a 28-knife drum and offers a higher throughput of forage while maintaining a consistent 4.5mm chop length.

Step up

The previous harvester was picking up after a 10m (33ft) Claas 3100 rake, while the new harvester is following a 14m (45ft) Krone rake. Johnny explained that they probably didn’t need to jump right up to a 980. However, they can now harvest 200ac in the day and still be finished at a reasonable time, rather than being out cutting the same acreage until 1am, before having to face other jobs such as daily maintenance work.

The main reason the brothers bought the harvester was to reduce the chop length while increasing throughput.

The new forager is a big step up from the previous 870. It has many additional features, including variable pressure on the feed rollers, variable chop length while on the go, variable header speed while on the move, a tyre inflation and deflation kit, 38in rims and a full LED lighting package. Johnny said the 980 is a far more powerful and user-friendly machine with a significantly increased throughput.

The machine

The 980 is powered by a V12 Mann engine punching out 884hp, making it the most powerful forager in the Claas offering. The brothers said power is never the limiting issue with the machine.

Moving on to the new V-Max chopping cylinder, Johnny said he is more than happy with the uniform chop length. However, when a knife breaks in the unit, the replacement knife has to be grinded down to the same level as the existing knives.

The Boggs brothers are really impressed with how efficient the 980 is. Johnny noted that in certain conditions the new forager is capable of harvesting up to seven to eight acres per hour more than the previous 870. In addition to the increased throughput, surprisingly, fuel consumption has not increased that much.

Header

Johnny said the header has been greatly improved between the 870 and the 980. However, he added that the header is the weakest link on the harvester and in his opinion has not yet been perfected. When picking lumpy wet grass, the operator needs to hold back on the throttle a little or else the slip clutch will trip.

However, Claas has said this is because of the very short chop length, as the feed roller speed is very slow.

Future

Johnny explained that before himself and Ryan decided to purchase the 980 forager, they tried out some of the leading competitor brands.

They feel that Claas still has the edge and noted that at the minute they are happy to stay running Claas foragers for another few years.

The specs

Engine: V12 Mann.

Horsepower: 884hp (650kW).

Transmission: Hydrostatic motors.

Chopping cylinder: V-Max 28 knife.

Chop length: 4mm-18.5mm

List price new: €450,370.