John Deere has given its huge 9R, 9RX and 9RT tractors a long-awaited birthday, with improvements including more power and an updated cab.

For the biggest wheeled 9R and four-track 9RX 640 models, Deere has stuck with the 15-litre Cummins engine that now maxes out at a whopping 691hp. 

The rest of those ranges get the firm’s own six-cylinder, 13.5-litre Powertech block, which was used in roughly half of the outgoing models but now packs an extra 20hp and is apparently 50% quieter.

See also: Fendt’s 1100 MT crawlers become biggest CVT tractors           

There’s been no change to the power ratings or model numberings for the trio of twin-track RTs, led by the biggest 9RT 570. This develops 627hp, leaving it some way shy of Fendt’s rebranded 673hp 1167 MT Vario in the power stakes.

Reinforcements to the e18 powershift transmission, axles, track drives and chassis should improve reliability, says Deere, and the Hydracushion front axle suspension is now available on all 9R machines. Users also have the option of ballasting up to a gross weight of 30.4t. 

Some service intervals have been lengthened and standard factory warranty has doubled to two years or 2,000 hours, with Powergard extensions available up to 8,000 hours.

Latest cab

The whole range gets the latest John Deere cab – first launched at Agritechnica 2019 on the 7R and 8R models – that features an integrated Starfire 6000 receiver, upgraded 6.5in DAB touchscreen radio and new styling. A leather Active Seat with heating, cooling and massage functions is also available.

The 4600 Command Center display comes with Isobus and Autotrac activation as standard, but Deere’s full package, which includes turn automation, section and variable rate control, data sharing, machine sync and Autopath row guidance, is an extra £1,425.

A new feature for the Operations Center is Auto Setup, which allows farmers to schedule jobs in a customer’s profile. This automatically loads a host of settings, such as field boundaries, tracks, implement widths/offsets, products and applications rates, slashing the time it takes to set things up in the field.