Omaha, NE – October 4, 2023 – For decades, the DISCO line of mowers by CLAAS has been known for its high-capacity throughput, superior cut quality, and rugged durability. Their latest model, the DISCO 9700 RC AUTO SWATHER with merger belts fits the DISCO mold perfectly, with special features that make it the ideal heavy-duty machine for high yielding yet delicate crops.
“We know that time is money. This mower with a conditioner and merger is rugged enough to handle high tonnages of cereal crops like rye or triticale and gentle on legumes such as alfalfa,” said Mark Scuffham, Product Manager for CLAAS of America. “The DISCO 9700 RC AUTO SWATHER sets new standards when it comes to performance.”
The latest mower/conditioner/swather in the DISCO lineup is designed for professionals, featuring a working width of 28’10” up to 31’2” (8.80 to 9.50 m). Its ACTIVE FLOAT ground-pressure system ensures proper cut height over variable terrain. A roller conditioner with double roller drive (DRD) ensures efficient dry down in individual windrows or flexible, high-performance AUTO SWATHER merger belts, gently move the crop into a single windrow.
Capacity to Spare
The DISCO 9700 RC AUTO SWATHER has been designed specifically for large forage volumes and heavy crops up to 25 t/ac (60 t/ha) that require gentle mowing, conditioning and merging. While it’s ideal for handling alfalfa, it’s also rugged enough to tackle high-tonnage cereal crops like rye or triticale. The transmission and drivetrains feature telescopic drive shafts developed jointly with Walterscheid. With specially hardened large-diameter steel profiles they are designed for use with tractors of up to 500 hp. And the new bolt-on friction clutches make maintenance a breeze. The innovative drive line makes the DISCO 9700 RC AUTO SWATHER the most powerful mower with conditioner and merger belts on the market.
Cutting Edge Crop Flow with unique double-roll drive
The DISCO 9700 RC AUTO SWATHER features a highly efficient linear crop flow design. The roller conditioners are driven by a double roller drive with scissor gearboxes. This unique design ensures maximum throughput and durability even in the heaviest crop. The spring tension of the rolls as well as the conditioner gap is easily adjustable with a ratcheting wrench that comes with the mower.
Capable Conditioning and Merging
The conditioner on the DISCO 9700 RC AUTO SWATHER spans almost the entire width of the cutterbar to allow for a continuous linear flow without blockages. Optimized crop transfer to the 43.3”- (1100 mm-) wide reinforced merger belts ensures uniform filling of the AUTO SWATHER merger belts. This produces even, fluffy windrows which allow the forage harvester to run at peak efficiency. One or both belt units can be hydraulically folded up from the comfort of the cab. This is particularly helpful if a faster dry down is needed.
Handling Highlights
The DISCO 9700 RC AUTO SWATHER showcases innovative new components with proven DISCO features including:
- Variable working width: 27.5 inch (700 mm) side shifting by centrally positioned swing arms enables a larger overlap on side slopes and curvy headlands to keep your cut clean
- MAX CUT Cutterbar: Base and cover stamped from a single piece of steel with no welded joints, bolted together for maximum impact resistance
- Quick knife change and color-coded knife blades make changing knives a breeze
- SAFETY LINK shear safety modules protect the cutterbar in the event of an impact
- 850 rpm PTO speed for reduced fuel consumption by 22% when running at 850 rpm instead of 1000 rpm
- Wide variety of wear skids available to increase cutting height for less ash content and faster regrowth
- ACTIVE FLOAT suspension with optional slope control for hilly terrain and continuous pressure monitoring ensures optimum ground pressure at all times for uniform cutting even at high working speeds, minimum ash content and reduced drift on slopes
- Hydraulic non-stop collision protection swings the rear mowers back and over in case of an obstacle to eliminate or reduce costly damage from collisions
- Drive train with new Walterscheid triple telescopic drive shafts, specially toughened large-diameter steel profiles and new K-90 friction clutch for high reliability