NEWS RELEASE 25 February, 2026
John Deere Announces MY2027 Combine and Front-End Equipment Updates
Expanded automation, threshing, grain handling, and operator features improve harvest productivity, efficiency, and quality, and allow automation under a wider range of crop and field conditions.
Crestmead, Queensland (25 February, 2026) — John Deere has announced a range of updates and enhancements to its Model Year 2027 X9 and S7 combines and front-end equipment.
Featuring the latest in predictive and automated technologies, the updates will help deliver successful harvests under more diverse crop conditions and across more crop types, while minimising the level of intervention required by the operator.
"These updates address some of the most important factors that can influence success at harvest time, including getting crops off as quickly as possible and supporting less experienced operators in the field, to optimise time use and consistency," John Deere Production and Precision Ag Marketing Manager, Royce Bell, said.
Harvest Settings Automation Updates
Harvest Settings Automation helps operators into the field faster by automatically setting concave clearance, fan speed, rotor speed, sieve clearance, and chaffer clearance, based on the combine model, crop type, and geolocation.
After the operator inputs limits for grain loss, foreign material and broken grain, the system automatically adjusts the aforementioned five combine settings to stay within the selected limits.
Harvest Settings Automation is currently available for wheat, barley, canola, corn, soybeans and rice. For Model Year 2027, Harvest Settings Automation has been expanded to apply to oats, lentils, peas, rye, triticale, and sunflower crops.
"The extension of Harvest Settings Automation to six more crop types has come in direct response to us listening to and understanding the needs of our customers who wanted to be able to apply this technology to even more production systems," Mr Bell said.
Predictive Ground Speed Automation Updates
First offered for Model Year 2025, Predictive Ground Speed Automation controls the combine's ground speed based on crop height and biomass measurements taken pre-harvest from satellite scans and from on-the-go measurements made by cab-mounted cameras.
Predictive Ground Speed Automation uses terrain maps to automatically adjust combine speed for sensitive areas like waterways, ditches and terraces.
Cab-mounted cameras add real-time detection of conditions such as downed crops or dense weed patches, ensuring precise ground speed regulation through these areas for optimal performance.
For Model Year 2027, Predictive Ground Speed Automation features Green Crop Detection, a new feature that uses enhanced data processing power and a highly trained algorithm to accurately detect green crops within an otherwise-mature stand.
Machines equipped with Predictive Ground Speed Automation will also be capable of using an operator-defined crop throughput target as an additional automation setting. When enabled, Predictive Ground Speed Automation with throughput will intelligently link ground speed with grain quality, to optimise harvesting performance and allow more dynamic speed adjustments to keep grain loss within acceptable limits.
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The updates will help deliver successful harvests under more diverse crop conditions and across more crop types.
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Predictive Ground Speed Automation uses terrain maps to automatically adjust combine speed for sensitive areas like waterways, ditches and terraces.
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Premium and Ultimate upgrade kits unlock advanced automation and future-ready capabilities for MY25+ machines without purchasing a new combine.
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Harvest Settings Automation has been expanded to apply to oats, lentils, peas, rye, triticale, and sunflower crops.
Until Model Year 2027, Predictive Ground Speed Automation and Harvest Settings Automation operated independently, with each one focusing on specific aspects of the combine's performance.
With these updates the systems are more closely integrated, allowing them to respond to one another and achieve an optimal harvest outcome for customers.
John Deere is also launching Precision Upgrade Combine Automation Packages. These allow customers with a MY25 or newer S7 or X9 who purchased the Select Technology Package from the factory to upgrade to either the Premium or Ultimate Technology Package. Customers who originally purchased the Premium Technology Package can upgrade to the Ultimate Technology Package.
Premium and Ultimate upgrade kits unlock advanced automation, productivity gains, and future-ready capabilities for MY25+ machines without having to purchase a new combine.
Other MY27 features include:
Tru-Thresh™ concaves with remote concave and separator grate adjustment. New half-length concaves allow modular installation, deliver improved durability, and are compatible with new Model Year 2027 X9 combines. The new cradle also enables factory installation of the remote, from-the-cab, controlled concave and separator grate covers.
HarvestLab™ Install Ready. All Model Year 2027 X9 combines will feature factory pre-cut openings in the clean grain elevator suitable for HarvestLab mounting, making installation easier.
JDLink™ Boost. Both X9 and S7 combines can come equipped with a JDLink Boost receiver from the factory, providing satellite connectivity in areas with limited or no mobile connectivity. JDLink Boost also allows machines to transmit data in real time to the John Deere Operations Center™, helping to support the advanced automation and technologies, and providing information for customers to better manage their fleets.
Power folding ladder. All Model Year 2027 John Deere X9 and S7 combines will feature a new power folding ladder option similar to those available on select John Deere sprayers.
New 35ft (10.7m) unloading auger. The new unloading auger on the X9 offers an additional 1.22m (4ft) of clearance between the header and unloading auger, enabling the use of wider headers or enabling controlled traffic farming unloading-on-the-go on a 12 metre or 40 foot system.
New 550-bushel grain tank capacity. The available 550-bushel grain tank on the X9 allows for longer time between unloads and more capacity when opening fields, and includes heavy-duty final drives.
In the past harvest year, features like Harvest Settings Automation and Predictive Ground Speed Automation, we saw productivity improvements of 20% or better, with a 10% increase in fluid efficiency,'' Mr Bell said.
''These new features give our customers an even greater range of tools to take on the obstacles thrown at them at harvest, along with challenging crop and market conditions.''
In addition to model year 2027 combine updates, John Deere is also launching updates to their front-end equipment line-up, including a new 27-row folding corn head (CF27) on 50.8 cm (20 in.) spacing. Corn head automation will be an optional feature on all model year 2027 heads which will automatically control deck plate spacing and backshaft speed that results in improvement in productivity, efficiency, and grain loss for operators.
For more information, contact your local John Deere dealer or visit www.deere.com.au.
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