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Select a John Deere self-propelled forage harvester model:
Number of models: 67
- John Deere 5730
- John Deere 5830
- John Deere 6610
- John Deere 6650
- John Deere 6710
- John Deere 6750
- John Deere 6810
- John Deere 6850
- John Deere 6910
- John Deere 6950
- John Deere 7180
- John Deere 7180 i
- John Deere 7200
- John Deere 7250
- John Deere 7250 i
- John Deere 7280
- John Deere 7280 i
- John Deere 7300
- John Deere 7350
- John Deere 7350 i
- John Deere 7350 i ProDrive-ASR
- John Deere 7350 ProDrive-ASR
- John Deere 7380
- John Deere 7380 i
- John Deere 7400
- John Deere 7450
- John Deere 7450 i
- John Deere 7450 i ProDrive-ASR
- John Deere 7450 ProDrive-ASR
- John Deere 7480
- John Deere 7480 i
- John Deere 7500
- John Deere 7550
- John Deere 7550 i
- John Deere 7550 i ProDrive-ASR
- John Deere 7550 ProDrive-ASR
- John Deere 7580
- John Deere 7580 i
- John Deere 7700
- John Deere 7750
- John Deere 7750 i
- John Deere 7750 i ProDrive-ASR
- John Deere 7750 ProDrive-ASR
- John Deere 7780
- John Deere 7780 i
- John Deere 7800
- John Deere 7850
- John Deere 7850 i
- John Deere 7950
- John Deere 7950 i
- John Deere 7950 i ProDrive-ASR
- John Deere 7950 ProDrive-ASR
- John Deere 7980
- John Deere 7980 i
- John Deere 8100
- John Deere 8200
- John Deere 8300
- John Deere 8400
- John Deere 8500
- John Deere 8600
- John Deere 8700
- John Deere 8800
- John Deere 9500
- John Deere 9600
- John Deere 9700
- John Deere 9800
- John Deere 9900
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History of John Deere forage harvesters
The history of John Deere self-propelled forage harvesters began in the early 1970s, although the company had already been producing trailed forage harvesters for several years. The first of these machines entered the range in 1966, but the real breakthrough came in 1972, when John Deere introduced its first self-propelled forage harvesters – the 5200 and 5400.
The first machines were built in the United States and could be used with equipment including three-row maize headers and grass pick-ups. On the North American market, some machines were even sold without a cab. John Deere was already introducing practical features at this stage, including the ability to sharpen the knives without removing them from the machine.
In 1977, the updated 5440 and 5460 models were introduced. A year later, production of European forage harvesters was moved to the factory in Senonches, France, where the smaller 5420 was also built. Machines of this generation gained features including electrically engaged drives for the cutterhead and feed rolls.
Another important step came in 1981 with the introduction of the 5720 and 5820. These machines featured the distinctive SoundGard cab with its curved windscreen, along with the new DuraDrum cutterhead. The more powerful versions could also be equipped with six-row maize headers.
In the mid-1980s, the range was expanded with the 5730 and 5830. These models were further developments of the earlier machines and could be equipped with a kernel processor designed to crush maize kernels in the harvested crop. Over time, this feature became standard equipment on modern self-propelled forage harvesters.
A major technological leap came in 1992 with the launch of the completely new 6010 series. The range comprised the 6610, 6710, 6810 and 6910. At the same time, global production of John Deere self-propelled forage harvesters was transferred to the company’s plant in Zweibrücken, Germany, which remains an important production site for the brand’s harvesting machinery today.
The new series featured a more direct crop-flow path, a quick-change kernel processor, an improved metal detector and the new TechCenter cab. The flagship John Deere 6910 initially produced around 410 hp, later increased to approximately 445 hp. The 6810 and 6910 were powered by Cummins engines, while the smaller models used John Deere power units.
In 1997, John Deere acquired the German company Kemper, best known for its row-independent maize headers. A year later, the updated 6050 series reached the market with the 6650, 6750, 6850 and 6950 models. The flagship 6950 produced more than 500 hp and was one of the most powerful self-propelled forage harvesters available at the time.
The next major step came in 2002, when John Deere began introducing the 7000 series. The first models included the 7200, 7300, 7400 and 7500, followed later by the larger 7700 and 7800. One of the most important new features was IVLOC, which provided continuously variable chop-length adjustment. In the years that followed, the range evolved through the 7050 and 7080 generations and was expanded to include models such as the 7950 and 7980.
John Deere introduced an entirely new design in 2014. The 8000 series initially included the 8100, 8200, 8400, 8500 and 8600, with outputs ranging from around 380 to 625 hp. The range was soon expanded with the 8300, 8700 and 8800, with the most powerful model producing approximately 845 hp. The new machines featured a completely redesigned layout, more advanced electronics and systems for analysing the harvested crop.
An important feature of the new generations was HarvestLab, which uses a NIR sensor to analyse key properties of the harvested material. The forage harvester could measure parameters such as dry matter content and automatically adjust machine settings accordingly. Satellite guidance, yield documentation and automated machine control also became increasingly important.
In 2018, John Deere introduced the 9000 series, aimed primarily at large farms and agricultural contractors. The initial range consisted of the 9600, 9700, 9800 and 9900. The 9600 used a six-cylinder John Deere engine, while the three larger models were powered by massive 24-litre V12 engines from Liebherr.
The flagship John Deere 9900 produced around 970 hp, making it one of the most powerful production forage harvesters of its generation. The 9000 series also saw further development of the HarvestMotion concept, designed to deliver high power and torque at lower engine speeds, together with increasingly advanced kernel processors and harvesting automation systems.
The latest chapter began in 2025, when John Deere introduced the completely new F8 and F9 series. These replaced the previous model designation system and brought a new cab, more advanced automation, automatic ground-speed control and a new generation of kernel processors. Depending on the model, the machines are powered by John Deere JD14X and JD18X engines or 24-litre Liebherr V12 units.
The most powerful models in the new range exceed 1,000 hp, illustrating just how far the technology has progressed since the first 5200 and 5400 machines of the early 1970s. Over more than fifty years, John Deere has evolved from relatively simple machines equipped with three-row headers into high-capacity, highly automated forage harvesters using satellite guidance, crop composition analysis and electronic systems designed to optimise harvesting performance.