2026 John Deere Ag 972 

2026 John Deere AG 972

Hay and Forage Harvesting Equipment

Self-Propelled Forage Harvesters

With new KP offerings and automation features, every F8 and F9 machine is tuned to give you reliable performance and efficiency along with consistent crop quality on every pass.

Rotary Harvesting Heads

Down crops, high-density harvests, dewey conditions. Yeah, we have a head for that. Our Pro Series rotary heads are chompin' to cut.

Self-Propelled Forage Harvester Pickups

Available in single- and double-windrow widths, John Deere hay pickups feature a low-profile design to help you harvest all the crop in the windrow.

Technology & Tips

JDLink™ Connectivity

Enjoy all the benefits of a connected machine with a 4G JDLink MTG (modem), standard. Just activate the JDLink wireless service within your John Deere Operations Center account to start streaming machine and crop data to your account free of charge.

John Deere Operations Center™

Monitor machine performance and location. Plan work. Analyze crop results. Operations Center makes all that possible anywhere, anytime.

Shop & Buy

Special Offers

Get quality John Deere products and enjoy great offers.

Find Your Local Dealer

Check out the equipment that works best for you at your local dealer.

Build & Price

Make your new John Deere Self-Propelled Forage Harvester your own by building and customizing it with a variety of options, attachments, and accessories.

Flail Chopper

• The 972 Flail Chopper has a cutting width of 6 ft for good productivity
• Adjustable discharge spout
• Gauge wheels are very easy to change
• Tractor hookup is fast and easy

Features may include:

Cutting width of 1.8 m (6 ft) for good productivity

With its 1.8-m (6-ft) cutting width, the 972 Flail Chopper handles a variety of jobs:

• Makes excellent grass silage
• Shreds and spreads corn and cotton stalks
• Chops light brush
• Makes silage of beet tops
• Clips pastures

Lower initial costs and simple, rugged construction make the 972 easy to buy and maintain.

Double-edged rotor knives can be reversed to increase life

The rotor design has two rows of knives that allow a uniform cut of the forage:

• The rotor speed is 1366 rpm
• The cutting width is 1.8 m (6 ft)

The cutting height can be adjusted to obtain a minimum of 6.4 cm (2.5 in.) or a maximum of 18.4 cm (7.25 in.) with a lever or an optional hydraulic cylinder.

The mounting system of the knives allows them to swing back when they hit stones or other obstacles and to automatically return to their normal position without interrupting the chopping operation.

The rotor has 42 heat-treated knives. They are double edged so they can be reversed, increasing their longevity.

Discharge spout can be adjusted from the tractor seat

The discharge spout mechanism allows the operator to easily adjust the direction in which the forage is thrown and, at the same time, adjust the speed at which the material is being ejected.

• The material deflector has independent movement from the rotation lever and is adjustable for different positions.
• The spout mechanism is heat-treated, which ensures a longer life of its components. The spout rotation is done through a lever, within reach of the operator from the tractor.
• A steel wear sleeve (attachment) extends the life of the spout.
• The vertical and horizontal extensions (attachments) evenly fill the larger or taller wagons.

Auger and cutterhead provides better delivery of material

The speed of the auger is 300 rpm, which provides better delivery of material into the cutterhead.

The design of the door allows easy access to the auger. There are three reinforced hinges to prevent breakage.

For increased convenience, a cover over the chain on the right-hand side can be removed when service is necessary.

Three rotary knives are included in the cutterhead as base equipment, and a set of three additional rotary knives can be ordered.

• Knives are adjustable to provide longer life.
• Three fan blades and three fan plates located between the knife supports are installed to increase the efficiency of forage ejection.

The lower side of the cutterhead has 56 percent thicker steel than the 16A cutterhead for longer life.

Its improved design allows easy installation and removal.

Drivetrain with slip clutch protects the drive system of the chopper

The slip clutch is designed to protect the components of the drive system of the chopper. 

The slip clutch releases the load and reengages automatically, protecting the components when there is an overload or obstruction, avoiding damage to or breakage of the chopper parts.

Overrunning the clutch, integral with the slip clutch, releases the rotating parts, disconnecting the tractor power take-off (PTO).

Gauge wheels are very easy to change

The rear axle is made of 102x102-mm (4x4-in.) steel. This axle has two hitch supports:

• The left-hand support is used to attach the wagon during operation, while the right-hand support is used to hook the wagon during transport when it is necessary to have it in line with the chopper and the tractor.

Two wheels with 5.90x15 4 PR tires are included as standard equipment.

Changing the wheels and tires is a very simple operation.

The square axle of the chopper has jackstand supports that help when changing the tires.

With the chopper hooked up to the tractor, the jackstand can be placed on either support, left or right, as required.

Welded mainframe is 40 percent thicker and offers higher structural resistance

The mainframe is welded instead of bolted:

• The welded design offers higher structural resistance.
•  For longer life, the hood is 40 percent thicker than the hood used on the discontinued 16A Flail Chopper.

Tractor hookup is fast and easy

Category 2 hitch

The hitch is Category 2, with hitch plates attached by bolts and bushings. The tongue is made of 3-in. x 5-in. PTR for higher strength.

The tongue can be adjusted from the tractor seat.

A screw-type jack makes hitching up the 972 Flail Chopper fast and easy.