A NEW 12m cutterbar from Claas can be used to harvest a variety of crops, including canola.

The Vario 1200 is the largest cutterbar made by Claas and is an ideal match for broadacre cropping in Australia, according to Landpower Australia's Steve Reeves.

"The Vario is made for the Claas Lexion harvester and it's all about capacity," Steve said.

"The massive 12m width of the cutterbar combined with the huge threshing capacity of the Lexion harvester means stripping crops can be done at higher speeds in broadacre situations."

The Vario 1200 is a step up from Claas' previous cutterbar, which is 10.5m wide, and it has many features that make it unique, including full adjustability from within the harvester cabin.

"The knives can be moved forward 20cm or back 10cm from their standard position and that all happens hydraulically from the touch of a button in the cab," Steve said.

"That means you can quickly adapt the knives to suit varying crop conditions and it also gives the Lexion the ability to direct head canola.

"That means no windrowing, less passes over the crop and much greater efficiency when it comes to harvesting canola.

"The ability to change the knife position also means the harvester can be used on crops such as peas or lupins.

"So instead of increasing ground speed to force the crop into the feeder house, the knives can be adjusted."

Another key feature of the Vario is its 660mm diameter auger, up from the 580mm diameter of the previous model.

Steve said the larger diameter auger, combined with the ability to adjust the knives and the reel, make the Lexion and Vario cutterbar able to match the performance of draper style harvester fronts.

"The Vario also works in conjunction with the Claas Auto Contour feature," Steve said.

"The Auto Contour uses sensors mounted along the cutterbar so it automatically runs at the correct height."

To ensure the larger capacity of the Vario is maintained while running, Claas has increased the frequency of the stroke rate of the knife bar to 1334 a minute.

"We've also changed the drive system of the knife bar from a single point, V belt to a gear-operated mechanism running from both ends of the cutterbar," Steve said.

The Vario can be changed from cereal to canola harvesting in about half an hour by extending the cutting table by 500 mm and fixing it into position.

"The ability to direct head or harvest canola while it is standing in the paddock is a bonus with the Vario 1200 and we reckon it will be popular in the broadacre cropping areas of Australia such as the wheatbelt in Western Australia."

When it comes to transporting the Vario 1200, Claas makes its own trailer, which is capable of a 40km/h road speed.