TRION 660 – Nicholas Brennan, County Carlow

For 25 years County Carlow contractors Nicholas and John Brennan ran CLAAS LEXION combines but two years ago the business made the switch to a mid-range TRION 660.

Concerned that it might be a step down, the brothers were initially hesitant about the change, but it’s proved to be a worthwhile move.

03/12/2026

Location: Leighlinbridge, County Carlow, south east Ireland
Combining 650-690ha (1600-1700acres)
Silage 1100ha (2500acres)
Slurry and muck
Baling and wrapping
Stubble-to-stubble tillage/arable operations

Why a TRION 660?

“We generally change our combines every five to seven years and our 2016 LEXION 650 was nearing that point. We tend to stick with straw walkers because the straw is so important to farmers in this region,” explains Nicholas Brennan.

“We have in the past tried running one big hybrid but in reality, we’re better off with two similarly sized walker machines so that we can keep two customers happy at once. We weren’t particularly looking to increase output and we were advised that the TRION 660 would meet the spec."

“We were initially sceptical but when we realised that the internals of the combine are identical to the previous generation LEXION our minds were put at rest. We know it’s a reliable, time-proven design.”

CLAAS TRION 660 | Nicholas Brennan

How has the TRION 660 performed

“We had faith that the TRION would match the output of the LEXION 650 and we haven’t been disappointed. In the field there’s nothing between them – they’ll both comfortably cover 50 acres a day while maintaining a really decent sample.

“Fuel usage appears to be very similar although the TRION gets through far less AdBlue thankfully.”

What features of the TRION do you particularly like?

“Having the 12,500-litre grain tank is a big bonus. It means the TRION can get that much further round the headlands without stopping to cut out and unload. Two good tank loads now properly fill our trailers, so it makes our whole operation more efficient overall.

“The CEBIS computer is really user-friendly which helps in making sure you’re making the relevant adjustments as conditions change throughout the day. The way you can switch between the armrest switches, the touchscreen icons and the old-style click-clack CEBIS dial makes navigating your way through the various menu pages and making changes totally self-explanatory.

“But it’s also the little things that count as well. With fewer turns of the wheel Dynamic Steering makes a big difference to how tired you feel coming off the combine at the end of the day.”

Why CLAAS?

“Having had a run of ten CLAAS JAGUAR over the last 30 years and a whole bunch of different LEXION combines, we know that they’ll reliably handle anything we ask of them.

“The build quality of CLAAS harvesters is superior to anything else and because of that they stand the test of time. In turn that means they hold their value so depreciation is kept to an absolute minimum.

CLAAS Early Action 2026.

The early bird catches the worm.