January 24, 2008 - With additional corn hectares and more litres per hectare, producers need harvesting solutions to handle increased crop volumes and to manage higher levels of tough residue. Combine productivity and performance starts up front with the header equipment and the ability to efficiently feed crop into the combine. John Deere enhances combine and corn head productivity with the introduction of the new 600C Series Corn Heads.

The new models and sizes are listed below:

"Our customers are already experienced with the productivity, capacity and durability of John Deere corn heads," says Royce Bell, Tactical Segment Manager, John Deere Limited. "The new 600C Corn Heads build on this strong tradition and take performance to a new level by delivering in four vital areas: material handling, grain savings, residue management and ease of use."

The 600C Corn Head is redesigned with higher-speed stalk rolls, larger gathering chains and a more aggressive auger. This translates to greater capacity for handling high-volume crop material. This also keeps more ears in the corn head and more stalks, leaves and trash on the ground. Customers will be able to operate at higher ground speeds with fewer grain losses from the corn head or combine.

"For those growers who want single-pass residue management when harvesting the StalkMaster™ chopping corn heads are engineered to meet the demands of tougher corn stalks," explains Bell. "The new high-performance gear cases on the StalkMaster™ heads are designed to more aggressively chop and size stalks in one pass."

In addition to the StalkMaster™ residue management system, customers may also choose the new, more aggressive straight stalk rolls, or redesigned longer-wear knife rolls. These two stalk roll options allow customers to select a residue management system that meets their crop-handling needs.

The corn head row units also are completely redesigned with increased capacity and durability. Gathering chains on the row units are larger and driven by heavy-duty ductile iron sprockets. The row units are propelled with a new drive system that is built to handle the higher speeds and residue management capacity of the 600C Corn Heads.

"New replaceable wear strips have been added and the end dividers now fold out for convenient servicing of the Perma-Glide™ points," emphasizes Bell. "Easy access, with no tools, also allows for simple adjustment of the row units. For more efficient cleanout, the row units are scalloped to reduce leaf build-up, while the auger pan features two cleanout doors."

Hydraulically adjustable deck plates along with header height sensing are part of the base 600C Corn Head. These are productive enhancements that allow customers to manage the variability of stalks and field terrain in their farming operation.

"The new 600C Series Corn Heads will improve material handling, reduce grain losses and provide a full line of residue management options," concludes Bell. "This ultimately allows the customer to spend more time harvesting, and less time servicing and adjusting the corn head. These are productivity features that will allow our customers to be more efficient in their harvest."

For more information on the 600C Series Corn Heads visit our Web site at www.JohnDeere.com.au or FREECALL 1800 800 981 in Australia or 0800 303 100 in New Zealand to contact your local John Deere dealer.

John Deere (Deere & Company - NYSE: DE) is the world's leading provider of advanced products and services for agriculture and forestry and a major provider of advanced products and services for construction, lawn and turf care, landscaping and irrigation. John Deere also provides financial services worldwide and manufactures and markets engines used in heavy equipment. Since it was founded in 1837, the company has extended its heritage of integrity, quality, commitment and innovation around the globe.