When Simon Doolin was asked to be part of a group of only 12 people from across the globe to contribute farmer feedback to the design of the John Deere 9RX 830, it was an unparalleled opportunity to learn about the inner workings of the world's most powerful tractor.
The broadacre grain and cotton grower, who heads up Doolin Agriculture at North Star in northern New South Wales, joined six Americans and five Canadians as part of the group which travelled to John Deere facilities in the United States at various stages of the project.
"We first went to the US in 2019 when the 9RX machines were on the drawing board," Simon said.
"They had a fair idea of what they wanted to do, but they wanted grower input before they started to build it."
In seeking that input, no stone was left unturned.
"We sat down with the heads of all of the departments - transmission, motor, even the seat department - and they worked hard to understand what we all wanted," Simon said.
"They asked what we thought of their existing transmissions; what we like or don't like about their motors; what sort of speeds we're wanting to achieve; how much horsepower we need; how much hydraulic flow and how many hydraulic remotes we want; and so on.
"We were all very honest in answering their questions, and John Deere was really good at sitting and listening to the needs of farmers, which was nice."
From there, the John Deere team showed the group of farmers a 3D virtual reality of the new 9RX design.
"It was quite impressive, and it was amazing how they could make it look and feel quite real," Simon said.
The Covid-19 pandemic put a temporary hold on trips to the Deere & Company World Headquarters in Moline, Illinois, to witness the progress of the project, but it was full steam ahead once international travel returned.
The work culminated in three new high-horsepower, four-track models, driven by the JD18 engine from John Deere Power Systems, with the lineup consisting of the 9RX 710 (710 hp), the 9RX 770 (770 hp) and the mighty 9RX 830 which will deliver a market-leading 830 hp to Australian producers.
"Last July, we went back to California to the testing farm and we got to see the tractor," Simon said.
"My first impression was that it's enormous.
"Beautiful probably isn't a word many people would use to describe a tractor, but I did think it was beautiful when I finally got to see it up close."
Field testing the machine with a ripper implement attached, Simon said its performance was just as impressive as the appearance.
"We had the opportunity to put it through its paces and really see what it could do," he said.
"They had both the new 9RX and the older model - the generation before this new model - which is the one we currently run at home; you could get out of one and get into the other, so it was a really good comparison."
That comparison highlighted how truly "mind-blowing" the new tractor was, Simon said.
"I thought the ride was already pretty good in John Deere tractors, but the ride in the new 9RX was leaps ahead again.
"The quietness in the cab was really good too, and it was putting power to the ground really well.
"The updated shape of the bonnet has improved visibility through the front, and the new position of the fuel tank means the visibility going backwards is fantastic.
"Moving the fuel tank also means you can now see down to your drawbar pin, whereas you couldn't before, and you can see your remotes a lot easier."
Launched at the Commodity Classic in Houston, Texas, earlier this year, the new Model-Year 25 high-horsepower 9RX models were available for order in Australia from mid-March, for delivery in early 2025.
Simon said it was a machine you couldn't go past, and the new 9RX would one day be added to his fleet of John Deeres, which includes several 7, 8 and 9 Series tractors, and two S Series combine harvesters - a S680 and a S780.
Despite being involved in a process that would be a machinery buff's dream come true, Simon said the appeal for him was simpler than that.
"I just like operating good gear. You really can't beat nice equipment that's got advantages of efficiency," he said.
"Efficiency is one of the only ways we can make gains in agriculture these days, and machines with industry-leading technology are a massive part of achieving that."
