A Legend Returns to the Field – The 200,000th CLAAS Combine Harvests Again

58 years after being ceremonially handed over by CLAAS founder August Claas, the 200,000th

CLAAS combine ever built – a 1968 SENATOR – has returned to active harvesting.

The story of this machine is truly unique. On 16 August 1968, August Claas personally presented the

SENATOR to Scottish farmer John Steven. It marked a major milestone for the company, which had

doubled its total combine production just six years after celebrating the 100,000th CLAAS combine,

firmly establishing itself among the world's leading combine manufacturers. After decades of faithful

service in Scotland, the veteran returned to the CLAAS UK headquarters in Saxham in 2025.

There, the Technical Service team have lovingly brought the SENATOR back to life. Thanks to the

outstanding parts support from the CLAAS World Parts centre at Hamm – from where many

components were still available overnight – the machine was restored to full working order while

preserving its valuable patina and the character earned over decades of service.

On 24 July 2026, the historic combine proved it had lost none of its capability. Put to work on the farm

of George and Freddie Gittus in Suffolk, it harvested around 20 tonnes of wheat in just five hours.

Particularly remarkable was the contrast between old and new: while the historic machine was

harvesting, its progress was being tracked live by the Digital team via CLAAS connect.

The emotional highlight came on 31 July at Honey Hill Farm at Little Saxham which is just behind the

CLAAS UK headquarters. This is still farmed by the Mann family and served as the original base

when Bill Mann first started importing CLAAS machinery in the 1930’s, prior to their moving to the

current Saxham site. Here, three generations of CLAAS combines worked side by side in the same

field: a 1953 CLAAS SF, the historic SENATOR and a modern TRION 720. The technological

progress was striking. While the SF achieved a throughput of around four tonnes per hour, today's

TRION delivers ten times that capacity at around 40 tonnes per hour.

The SENATOR was far more than just another new combine model. With its modern styling, the new

CLAAS corporate identity and the introduction of the iconic Seed Green livery, it marked the

beginning of a new era – one shaped by the pioneering spirit and forward-looking vision of Helmut

Claas. In the year that would have marked his 100th birthday, the restored SENATOR serves as a

powerful reminder of that remarkable period of innovation and progress.