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Read the entire transcript from the latest episode.
Tony Kramer: Hi, I’m Tony Kramer, your host of the Agriculture Technology Podcast. I’m sitting down with agriculture, technology and equipment experts to help you enhance your operation for today, tomorrow and into the future.
In this episode, I talked with Jason Artz about the new F8 and F9 series of John Deere self-propelled forage harvesters. With that, let’s dive into the show.
Like I said, we’re going to be talking self-propelled forage harvesters in this episode. I’m very excited to welcome back to the show Jason Artz. He is a returning guest — we talked about forage harvesters a handful of episodes ago. Now we’re bringing Jason back to talk about these brand-new series.
So Jason, before we dive into it, why don’t you remind our listeners who you are, what you do, where you come from and how you got to where you are today?
Jason Artz: Yeah, like Tony said, I’m Jason Artz. I’m the product manager for forage harvesters for RDO Midwest Ag, based out of Aberdeen, South Dakota, but I actually cover all our Midwest Ag locations.
Previously, before this role, I was a technician at RDO for 16 years. I specialized in self-propelled forage harvesters on the service side of things. About two years ago, this new role was presented to me and I’ve been rolling with it ever since.
Tony: Well, it was a perfect fit to get you into this role. I know you have a wealth of knowledge when it comes to these forage harvesters, and I’m excited to hear you talk about and learn more about the new F8 and F9 series.
That’s actually what I want you to start with. One of the biggest things people will notice is the new name change and design. Tell us a little bit about what it was in the past and where we’re going with these new forage harvesters.
Jason: Yeah, so John Deere is changing naming practices. We’re numbering and labeling equipment based on horsepower ranges.
The F8 series replaces the 8000 series self-propelled forage harvesters. Those are the standard body machines. The F9 series replaces the 9000 series machines, which are the wide body machines.
So for example, the F8100 goes up through the F8500. Then the F9500 through F91000 covers the wide body lineup.
Tony: Kind of like with the tractors and combines — you’ve got the F8 or F9 designation depending on whether it’s standard body frame or wide body frame, then the different horsepower ranges within that.
Tony: So with that naming change, let’s talk horsepower. I know there are some exciting updates with the engines — performance, efficiency, everything that goes into powering these machines. Walk us through that.
Jason: Starting with the F8 series — F8100 through F8600 — those run the new JD18X14 engine. It’s a 13.6L John Deere engine that’s proven, tough and reliable.
In the F9 series, we’ve got two engine platforms. The F9500, F9600 and F9700 run the 18L John Deere engine. The F9900 and F91000 run the 24L V12 Liebherr engine.
Looking at horsepower ranges:
So John Deere now has a forage harvester that will put out over 1000 horsepower — that’s really exciting.
Tony: Yeah, that’s incredible. Like you said, when you’re taking in that amount of forage — whether it’s corn, hay or whatever you’re chopping — it takes horsepower to chew it up and spit it out. It’s exciting to see these new performance and efficiency gains.
I also know Deere is adding new technology. Tell us about some of the smart automation and updates in this series.
Jason: Right, so starting with the F9500 through F9700 with the 18L engines — those come with HarvestMotion Plus. That gives an extra power bulge at peak torque with more automation.
We’ve also got the new ProTouch harvest system. These machines will have the new X9 combine cabs, which means more room, more legroom, a swivel seat, Gen 5 display, and a StarFire 7000 receiver.
We’ve added Active Fill Control for consistent truck filling, and HarvestLab 3000 for tonnage and moisture measurement. With an activation, HarvestLab can also do constituent sensing for starches, sugars, NDF and more, taking 3000 samples per second and documenting everything into the Operations Center.
Tony: That’s huge. We’ve had HarvestLab 3000 before, but Deere really stepped it up here — bringing the combine cab layout, G5 display, StarFire 7000 receiver and more.
So it’s not just engines and horsepower anymore — it’s technology and smart automation. Another update I know of is kernel processors. Tell us about that.
Jason: Yeah, Deere has introduced the John Deere Ultimate KP. It’s a 10-inch kernel processor with bearing temperature monitoring and automatic electric roll adjust.
Before, kernel processors swung up out of the crop stream when not in use, but that caused some cab noise and complexity. Now they’re frame-mounted. You crane them in, roll them into the crop stream, and it’s a better design.
Then Deere went further with the John Deere Extreme KP. That’s a 12-inch roll, larger diameter, better throughput, less wear. It also has bearing temperature monitoring, and now there’s an option for electric adjust instead of just manual.
Tony: That’s great — maximizing feed quality, throughput, and giving operators better monitoring with sensors. Let’s shift to drivetrain updates.
Jason: We’re introducing central tire inflation (CTI) as an option. You can adjust tire pressure for field mode or transport. Lower pressure reduces compaction in the field, higher pressure gives a smoother ride on the road.
We also updated the rear axle steering — increased the steering angle by 17 percent. That makes a big difference in tight quarters and opening fields.
Tony: Absolutely — tighter turning is always appreciated. Let’s circle back to operator comfort. These new cabs are similar to the combines. What’s new for the operator station?
Jason: We’ve got a new hydro handle where everything can be programmed and integrated. We’ve updated to GreenStar G5, moving away from the old 2630 displays — that’s a huge step forward.
Lighting packages have been upgraded for better visibility at night.
There are three cab packages: Select (basic), Premium (mid-level) and Ultimate, which adds heated and cooled seats, leather steering wheel and more.
We also increased the spout turning radius — operators can now move it an additional 22 degrees forward left or right at max height without hitting the cab. That’s going to be a game-changer in the field.
Tony: Yeah, those are huge updates. I always wondered why we still had a 2630 in forage harvesters, but now we’ve got G5 integrated in the armrest. Operators can choose the comfort level that fits them.
Lots of great information here. I’m excited to see these new F8 and F9 machines out in the field. If someone wants to learn more, Jason, where can they go?
Jason: The internet and social media have been big, but Deere will also release full production materials and pamphlets in early August, along with pricing. The early-order program starts in September.
You can reach out to any account manager or store manager at RDO, or even product managers like me. We’re here to serve customers and help with whatever they need.
Tony: Absolutely. So very fresh information here — more to come as Deere continues to roll this out. Thank you, Jason, for taking the time to chat about these new forage harvesters. Really excited to hear about them and learn what Deere did to make these updates.
Jason: Anytime. My pleasure. Hopefully we can do another one.
Tony: Please take a moment to subscribe to this podcast if you haven’t already. You can find the show on many podcasting platforms like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and many others.
While you’re there, drop us a review — we’d love to hear what you think about the show.
Tony Kramer
Tony Kramer is the Product Manager of Planting Technology and a Certified Crop Advisor at RDO Equipment Co. He is also the host of the Agriculture Technology podcast. If you have any questions for Tony or would like to be a guest on the podcast, email agtechpodcast@rdoequipment.com, or connect with him on LinkedIn.
