CLAAS has had a lot to celebrate recently, having been selected for seven AE50 Awards last month. The prizes, given by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, recognize premier innovations in machines, systems, components, software, and services. Among the recent winners is the TRION 740 combine, which was on display at the 2024 National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville.
“Everyone is trying to win the race to the biggest combine,” said Ryan Bass, territory product specialist with CLAAS North America. “We’ve got something that’s designed for the farmer.”
The TRION 740 — the smaller sibling to CLAAS’ large LEXION combines — is made for producers working roughly 1,000 to 3,000 acres. It was released in 2021 and features a host of automation features, including its self-learning combine optimization system that monitors the entire combine as works a field and makes changes automatically to achieve the best sample and minimal losses.
CLAAS says that while the larger LEXION line is known as a “maximizer,” the TRION 740 works as an “optimizer.” It offers competitive capacity when compared to other claas-7 machines and is available with much of the technology and efficiency generally reserved for larger combines — such as its CEMOS AUTOMATIC combine automation system, hydraulic rotor covers, 3D cleaning system, TELEMATICS, and an open steering system.
While the LEXION has been out since the mid-’90s, the arrival of a class-7 version required more patience. Bass said that the Germany-based manufacturer took its time to come to market with the right product.
“We didn’t want to come to market with a product that America didn’t like,” he said. “So we did a whole bunch of research before we came out with it. And we really came up with what the customers were wanting: a simple machine, an affordable machine, and a reliable machine. By taking our time and not rushing through the process, this is what we came up with.”
It boasts a lot of efficiencies — a concept that was repeated often at this year’s National Farm Machinery Show. The TRION 740 has a single 22.5-inch rotor, and the opening between the rotor system and the threshing system is spacious and provides a smooth transition, so that reduces the amount of power needed to make it operate efficiently.
“We’ve make this combine to one of the most affordable combines in that class-7 area, and we have done lots of comparisons with the competition,” Bass said, “and we have discovered that we can harvest more at a lower price point with the TRION 740.”