Innovative and durable: used by customers around the world for over 50 years

The current CLAAS DISCO product range, comprising almost 40 different models with working widths from 2.20 to 10.70 m, is the result of unrivalled, decades-long experience in mower development and production – as well as the experiences of 250,000 customers operating in very wide-ranging conditions. “CLAAS mowers enjoy an excellent reputation among customers the world over,”, says Dirk Röhrich. “Thanks to superb engineering and valuable feedback from thousands of customers, our DISCO mowers are not only remarkably efficient, but renowned for their impressive performance even under difficult conditions, low wear costs and exceptional durability and robustness.”

Since 1996, DISCO disc mowers have been at the forefront of mower design on the international stage, with innovations like the MAX CUT mower bed with wave-shaped profile, the hydropneumatic ACTIVE FLOAT suspension or vector folding. Starting out initially with a working width of 2.60 m, CLAAS was quick to respond to growing demands for large-scale mowers and triple mower combinations, unveiling its first DISCO butterfly mower in 1999. At Agritechnica 2005, CLAAS impressed industry experts with the COUGAR self-propelled mower with a working width of 14.0 m – the widest and most powerful mower on the market at the time, equipped with innovations such as ACTIVE FLOAT suspension and telescopic arms. In 2007, the vertical 90-degree transport folding previously used in rear mowers was superseded by the 120-degree transport position with the centre of gravity shifted inwards. Since 2021, diagonal vector folding in the DISCO 4400 has enabled safe, legal road transport for working widths of 4.20 m, an innovation which was extended in 2021 to the DISCO 1010 with working widths of up to 9.90 m.

The SAFETY LINK module with shear bolts and the angled pivot point on the arms, both introduced in 2002, protect the mower bed and arms from damage on contact with obstacles and large foreign objects. The SAFETY LINK has a predetermined breaking point which isolates the drive shaft from the affected cutting disc, thus preventing more serious damage to the mower bed and adjacent discs, while the angled pivot point on the arms raises the mower not only horizontally, but diagonally away from the danger zone.

For over 15 years, CLAAS DISCO large-scale mowers have been available with AUTO SWATHER swath grouping with cross conveyors. 2023 saw the launch of the flagship DISCO 9700 RC AUTO SWATHER with roller conditioner for highly productive biomass crops yielding over 60 t/ha. Since 2024, DIRECT SWATHER technology combined with a tapered swathing auger has enabled swath grouping to be performed without a conditioner, making it an efficient option for lighter four-cylinder tractors.

Since 2020, the MAX CUT mower bed introduced five years earlier has been standard equipment on all CLAAS mowers – guaranteeing not only a clean cut, clean forage and maximum sward protection, but high capacity paired with high cutting frequency at a reduced PTO speed of only 850 rpm for optimum efficiency. Thanks to ACTIVE FLOAT suspension, MAX CUT has the added benefit of further reducing tractive power requirement and fuel consumption. The innovative mower bed stands for optimum reliability and durability – for instance, it features a bolted, torsionally flexible, construction made from fine-grained steel with a base plate pressed from a single piece, mowing discs equipped with wear-protection rivets to double the service life, and knife holders with a tungsten carbide coating on the underside, something normally seen only in professional tillage implements. In addition, all MAX CUT mower beds are permanently lubricated – reducing maintenance effort and costs.

Other innovative and practical ideas from the CLAAS developers at Bad Saulgau include the knife box for housing new and used blades and the introduction of red-painted disc covers and associated knives, making knife changes easier and much faster.

But it’s not just the ingenious, low-wear engineering that has made DISCO mowers from CLAAS such a firm favourite; it is also their intelligent features. Automatic slope control automatically regulates the ACTIVE FLOAT ground pressure control and the AUTO SWATHER belt speeds when mowing on slopes to ensure optimum swath formation and reduce drift and wear.

250,000 CLAAS mowers: customers’ favourite mower enjoys global success