What's a few extra degrees steering angle worth on a tractor working amongst cattle yards? A good 20 minutes knocked of feeding time, reckons Powys farmer Rob Corfield.
That is just one of the improvements he's seen since replacing a three-year old McCormick CX110 with a new McCormick X60.
“It goes round the sheds a treat, certainly better than the CX,” he says. “And with the extra power we've got from the X60.50, productivity is better all round.”
As the main tractor on the 150-acre all-grass farm near Caersws, reliability is a key concern; hence the policy of changing to a new one every three years: “It has to start on the button first time, every time, 365 days of the year,” says Mr Corfield.
Having dispersed the milking herd, his main enterprises now involve supplying clamp silage and drawing on past experience to raise 100-120 heifers a year for dairy producers in the area. The new X60.50 tractor spends much of its time on a chopper dispensing straw bedding and silage, and handling all field work on the grass leys.
“We'd planned on getting the 110hp model but having had the more powerful X60.50 on demo I decided to go for that one instead,” says Rob Corfield. “We got it from HJR Agri, 40 miles away at Oswestry; that sort of distance is not a problem when you’ve got full confidence that the dealer will look after you.”
The McCormick X60 range comprises four models starting at 92hp but the electronic common rail fuel injection on Rob Corfield’s X60.50 range-topping machine helps the Perkins 4.4-litre engine develop a healthy 112hp for draft work and up to 121hp when operating a high-load pto-driven implement.
This automatic system releases the same output when towing a heavy trailer, spreader or slurry tanker to give a significant performance boost over a regular 112hp tractor.
Apart from the added performance, operators stepping up from the CX will also find a bigger choice of working speeds in the transmission, which means a better a chance of finding the optimum ratio for different tasks and giving both productivity and fuel economy a lift.
Power and torque are channelled through a new transmission with three flick-switch powershift steps providing 36 forward speeds in all, plus a choice of 12 speeds in reverse. Adjustable power shuttle response allows the operator to dial up forward-reverse shift characteristics to suit different applications and driving styles.
A heavier duty backend, tougher front axle with increased ground clearance, uprated brakes and increased linkage lift capacity also add to the improved capabilities of the new design.
The cab is about the only item carried over from the CX – but it’s a thoroughly modern design, nonetheless, because it was introduced only 18 months or so before CX production ceased.
The four-post structure with its wide-opening doors on both sides gives better all-round visibility thanks to the lack of a ‘B’ post and there is a decent amount of storage space for tools and the odds and ends that tractor drivers must have with them.
“It’s a very comfortable tractor, just what you need for long days silaging,” says Rob Corfield. “With plenty of power and good manoeuvrability around the buildings, it’s an ideal livestock tractor in my opinion.”
