TractorTimes summer 2015

TractorTimes The Journal for Agricultural Professionals

Pikes Peak conquest Page 6

www.claas.co.uk

Fuel saving AXION Page 7

AUTO TURN steering Page 9

Summer 2015

5,000 hour ARION 540 Page 14

News CLAAS UK goes back to school . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Glastonbury headliners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Crowd-pulling Grassland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 XERION takes on Pikes Peak . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 AXION 850 out performs the rest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

EASY GPS steering CLAAS S7 and S10 terminals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Press button Auto turning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

NEXOS Productive NEXOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

ELIOS Tree lifting ELIOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

AXOS Sportsfield mowing AXOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

ARION 400 New ARION 410 gets the ‘thumbs up’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

ARION 500 3,300 hours in first year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 ARION 540 powerhouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

ARION 600 Compost hauling ARIONs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Focus on AXION High performance AXION 800s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 AXION comes to Ireland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 High pulling AXION 920 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

XERION Wood gets the XERION chop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

SCORPION special Change after 47 years to SCORPION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 Superior SCORPION build quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 Unbeatable SCORPION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Welcome Welcome to this latest issue of TractorTimes, which marks the start of a change in the way we are going to communicate in the future with our customers and prospective customers.

The fact that you are reading this implies that you are doing so either on a computer screen, tablet or even a smart phone, because TractorTimes and HarvesTimes are entering the digital age.

Jeremy Wiggins Sales and Marketing Manager, CLAAS UK

The increased availability of high speed broadband with 3G and now 4G, is gradually transforming the way businesses communicate with their customers. Computers are an essential part of our own industry and it won’t be long before tablets become commonplace in the tractor cab.

Publishing TractorTimes and HarvesTimes in an electronic format gives us the ability to build-in links to videos, images and other information from the CLAAS website, providing you with far more information on our Products, Parts, Services and Marketing activities, than is possible from the printed page. We also plan to send out regular Enewsletters which will allow us to communicate information relevant to your business in a more timely and effective manner.

We are excited about initiating these new developments in our Marketing activity and feel confident that it will be mutually beneficial to yourselves and to CLAAS, further strengthening our relationship with our customers.

Back to current agricultural news, this year has not been without its challenges for all sectors of the agricultural industry.

The dairy industry remains under tremendous pressure, and arable farmers have continuing problems with blackgrass. The EU ban on neonicotinoids has also had a considerable impact on this year’s oilseed rape crop and we can only hope that this issue will soon be resolved.

As I write this column harvest has just started, let’s hope the weather will be kind to us, especially in Scotland, and I wish you a successful, trouble free and profitable harvest.

Kind regards

Jeremy Wiggins Sales and Marketing Manager CLAAS UK Ltd

Scan the QR code with your smart phone to connect to the CLAAS UK website

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CLAAS UK goes back to school Following the success of the ‘Suffolk Farming School of the Year’ competition for school children aged from 7-11, organised for the first time last year by the organisers of the Suffolk Show, CLAAS UK were delighted to be asked to support the competition for a second year.

Children from schools throughout Suffolk have been learning about farming and bio-energy in a competition organised in association with CLAAS UK.

The competition is designed to help educate the children on the importance of farming, and last year’s successful winning school received their award from HRH Prince Harry. As part of their prize, the winning class are also invited to Saxham to visit CLAAS UK and see everything that goes on there.

The theme of this year’s competition was renewable energy and titled ‘Agriculture – Powering your Energy’. As part of the

The children learnt about how methane is created and used in an AD plant to create energy with the help of ADIE the CLAAS cow.

competition, in addition to learning about the various sources of renewable energy, the pupils also had to build a model farmyard using recycled food packaging, which needed to include animals, a tractor and a source of energy.

The final was judged at this year’s Suffolk Show and was won by Bawdsley Primary School. As part of their prize they will be visiting the CLAAS UK headquarters at Saxham.

In the special Discovery Zone at the show, children could learn about agriculture, see machinery including a JAGUAR forage harvester, and ADIE (Anaerobic Digestion Energy), the CLAAS cow who blew up balloons to show how animal digestate can be used to create methane gas through an AD plant for energy production.

Glastonbury headliners VAUGHAN AGRI were once again called upon to supply the Glastonbury Festival with a fleet of six CLAAS tractors for the duration of the world-famous event.

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As in past years the CLAAS tractors will be used by members of the Wells & Glastonbury FYC for a wide range of tasks around the show site, including being on hand to tow out anything from cars to lorries and motorhomes used by the headline acts.

CLAAS TractorTimes / Summer 2015

Crowd-pulling Grassland This year’s Grassland UK event at Shepton Mallet saw the introduction of a number of new machines on the CLAAS working plot, drawing a large number of visitors to the demostration site.

Leading the way were the latest DISCO mowers featuring the new MAX CUT mower bed with its waved shape leading edge, which allows the discs to be mounted closer to the front of the bed for a cleaner cut.

Following behind were the latest VOLTO tedders, which incorporate the unique MAX SPREAD concept. Raking up was the new LINER 3600 rake on which the working width is adjustable from 9.90m up to 12.5m.

A new addition launched at the event was the CARGOS 8000 forage wagon, which

when not needed for forage harvesting can be converted into a high capacity trailer in about 15 minutes by simply removing the pick-up and chopping unit, and inserting a blanking plate.

Completing the line-up and as ever attracting the biggest crowds were models from the JAGUAR 900 and 800 ranges.

Working alongside were models from the complete CLAAS tractor range, including the latest ATOS and ARION 400, which attracted a lot of interest.

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XERION takes on Pikes Peak When it came to launching the XERION range in North America last autumn, what better way was there to prove its ability to handle the toughest of conditions than to challenge it to the iconic Pikes Peak Hill Climb.

Located south of Denver in Colorado, at 14,115ft (4,302.31m) Pikes Peak is one of the highest mountains in the USA, and home to the famous 12.42 mile long annual International Hill Climb, which was first held in 1916.

The XERION was never in any danger of contesting the record of 8:13:878 minutes for the hill climb. This was set by Sebastian Loeb in 2013 driving a Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak car, which also achieved the fastest time at the Goodwood Festival of Speed last year.

But it did show the capability of the XERION to handle a wide range of conditions, especially at the summit where polar conditions mean that snow is possible all year round and the low air pressure means it takes 12 hours to boil an egg!

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The XERION, with its 50kph road speed and CVT transmission, is breaking new ground in the USA where large American ‘prairie’ type articulated powershift tractors dominate. To meet the demands

of this market, adaptations to the XERION include adding dual wheels, changes to the transmission and enhancing the hydraulics to power large air-seeders.

And if proof were needed of the impact that the XERION made, the park rangers at Pikes Peak were so impressed by the

XERION that they are now looking at ordering one for themselves to use for winter snow clearance and field-work.

To see a video of the XERION Pikes Peak challenge click here:

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CLAAS TractorTimes / Summer 2015

AXION 850 out perfoms the rest First it was the ARION 650 that set a new Power Mix fuel efficiency standard when tested by the DLG, then the AXION 950 and now the latest AXION 850 has also joined the party.

torque was achieved at 1400rpm with a 44% torque rise at an engine speed drop of 35%.

Out in the field, the AXION kept up its excellent performance, recording a power output of 171hp when ploughing at an engine speed of 1407rpm, but using just 247 g/kWh of fuel. Similarly when power harrowing at 1663rpm, power output was 198hp for just 227 g/kwh of fuel and similar power output figures were achieved when mowing.

Across all tests, the 264hp AXION 850 used a miserly 248 g/kWh of fuel and 21.5 g/kWh of AdBlue, which is 12% less than the old AXION 850 and around 15% below the overall average from all tractors tested of 293 g/kWh. The key to these results is down to the efficiency and low power loss from the HEXASHIFT transmission, and the impressive performance from the AXION 850’s 6.7 litre FPT engine.

When ‘Dyno’ tested, at rated engine speed the AXION 850 pushed out 228hp, rising to a maximum power output of 264hp when at 1800rpm. Maximum

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More than just a steering terminal The new CLAAS S7 and S10 control terminals are the standard control terminal for all CLAAS steering systems, but offer far greater functionality if required.

Both terminals support all the driving modes that CLAAS offers and can be used with either steering valve technology or the GPS PILOT FLEX steering wheel.

The standard dual frequency receiver for the different correction signals from EGNOS to RTK is integrated in the housing, which means that antennas do not need to be repositioned when switching to another correction signal.

As standard they work with EGNOS, OMNISTAR, BASELINE and RTK corrections and GLONASS reception can be activated via the terminal menu if desired.

For those who just want a terminal for setting-up and operating their GPS steering, then the S7 is ideal. With its 7-inch touch screen, this incorporates the latest technology and the simple operation makes it quick and easy to use.

The S10 terminal, which features a considerably larger 10.4" touchscreen,

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provides a greater range of functionality so is perfect for those who want to use the terminal to control additional functions.

The S10 can be used to control ISOBUS implements, and the touch screen can be used to display either individual application screens, one full-screen image from a single camera, three screens of different applications, or all four camera images at the same time. Comprehensive reference line management and SECTION VIEW are also available (section width control display) and the S10 can also be enhanced to offer many other functions through the use of additional modules.

The new S7 terminal is ideal for those who will only use it for steering

Another feature that makes work easier is the favourites menu and users can also design their own main menu and set it to show up to eight of the functions they use the most.

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The S10 offers greater functionality and is ISOBUS compatible

CLAAS TractorTimes / Summer 2015

Press button turning Hands free automatic steering when going down the field is now common place, but CLAAS has taken that a stage further with the development of AUTO TURN automatic headland turning .

AUTO TURN can be used with either the S7 or S10 terminals and is ideal not only for tractors, but also combines.

By simply pressing a button on the terminal, AUTO TURN completely automates the whole headland turning operation, leaving you free to concentrate on implement settings, etc..

To complete the set-up, the operator simply selects which way the tractor is to turn, after which the turning manoeuvre is simply activated at the press of the ‘Go’ button.

The AUTO TURN function is available on both S7 and S10 terminals and can be used on machines other than tractors, for instance a combine as fitted here with the FLEX PILOT steering wheel system.

AUTO TURN ensures that not only is the tractor and implement or combine perfectly lined-up for the next pass up the field, but that headland turns are conducted quicker, especially at night.

In addition to turning straight back in adjacent to the previous pass, AUTO TURN provides the operator with the option to enter how many bouts they would like to skip, and will show how wide the headland needs to be for the turn.

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Revolutionary NEXOS The purchase by Hendrewennol Fruit Garden of a new 88hp NEXOS 230VL narrow-width tractor this spring is the latest part in a five-year plan to increase productivity and efficiency.

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Based near Cowbridge in Glamorgan, Hendrewennol Fruit Garden was established in 1978 and the first PYO to be opened in South Wales. Today it is now the only PYO to still grow strawberries, but raspberries, gooseberries, red, black and white currants, tayberries, blueberries and rhubarb are also grown over the Garden’s 2.5ha, which attracts over 50,000 visitors a year.

Manager Scott Lewis is responsible for implementing a development plan aimed at increasing both productivity and the quality of the fruit grown at the Gardens, which also includes a shop selling their own ice cream and jams.

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As part of the plan, three years ago strawberries and raspberries were taken out of the ground and are now grown in coir.

This year will see nine 9.0m high and 8.0m wide Spanish tunnels being erected, which will prolong the strawberry season and allow a further increase in crop yield.

“Productivity and quality are increasing each season,” states Scott, “and the investment in the new NEXOS will help me further increase cropping and make it far easier to carry out routine jobs.”

Until now, Scott has relied on an aged 40hp fruit tractor for field work, but one of the main drawbacks to the tractor was its low ground clearance, which meant that it could not straddle the strawberry rows.

“As a result, cropping in the tunnels was reduced by a fifth. With the NEXOS’ higher ground clearance, we can add extra rows of 500 strawberries to each tunnel, or 600 plants outdoors,” explains Scott.

Scott Lewis

Scott also praises the excellent lighting on the NEXOS. During the peak spraying season from early Spring through to November, spraying is only carried out after dark. This is both for public safely, but just as importantly to also ensure that pollinators are not harmed.

“The lighting is fantastic and makes spraying at night so much easier and quicker. And compared to our old tractor, the cab on the NEXOS with its air conditioning and filtration is so much better, especially when you are spraying bushes with the booms upright.”

The NEXOS has also been specified with a CLAAS FL loader with pallet forks, bucket and a grab. This will revolutionise handling of bulky materials and reduce cost, as in the past Scott has had to hire in machines or a contractor.

“Having the loader on the NEXOS will just give us so much more flexibility to get jobs done as and when we want, rather than when a machine is available.

One of the main jobs will be to build a big bale maze in the children’s play area, that is replaced twice a year, which is time consuming but also costly having to get someone in to handle the bales.”

“RIVERLEA has been fantastic and James (Bramhall) could not have been more helpful in helping us. By buying new I have the security of three-years warranty, but could also benefit from zero percent finance on the tractor. CLAAS Finance has been very good at tailoring payments around our business. The NEXOS will definitely revolutionise the way we farm.”

CLAAS TractorTimes / Summer 2015

ELIOS fills gap in market

everybody could be driving them so it is important that the tractors are simple to use and maintain.”

With 120,000 trees in stock ranging in size up to 5.0 metres, covering 426 different varieties and with two Royal Warrants, in 30 years Barcham Trees has grown to become one of Europe’s largest tree nurseries.

Machinery on the company’s 120ha site near Ely in Cambridgeshire includes 15 mainly narrow width tractors and three telescopic handlers, including two 78hp ELIOS 220 tractors and a SCORPION 6030, which joined the fleet last autumn.

Bought through MANNS at Saxham, these are the first CLAAS machines to be run by the company, but they were bought because they ideally suited Barcham’s needs, explains Operations Director Warren Holmes-Chatfield.

“We have tried and run a wide range of tractors over the years, but there are not many tractors that offer that horsepower with a simple mechanical specification.

We spoke to Will Spence at MANNS, who looked at what we are trying to do and suggested the ELIOS, which have been ideal and represent really good value.

They have a good clean cab, are easy to operate, have plenty of power for what we want and having air-conditioning is ideal for the summer. They definitely fill a gap in the market for us.”

Barcham mainly supply the commercial landscaping industry, but do also sell online with the facility to choose the tree you want via video and this is what you will receive. The large majority of their stock is grown in-house using UK sourced seed and at any one time there are around 60,000 trees in the ground

for their own production. When ready, stock trees are lifted bare rooted and containerised in unique white containers that allows an outward facing root to develop. The trees are then quarantined for 12 months before being sold.

The main job for the two ELIOS tractors is to transport the containerised trees, when sold, from the nursery to the dispatch area, using purpose build ‘skips’ carried on the rear linkage. In the yard, the skip is then picked-up by the new SCORPION 6030 and offered up to the side of the lorry for the tree to be loaded.

“With the SCORPION, we anted a compact machine that had a 3.0 tonne lift capacity to handle larger trees,” explains Warren. “Again, the SCORPION was very competitively priced but is compact and the all-round visibility is excellent, which is important when loading because at peak times during the winter, there could be up to 14 lorries in the yard.”

“We don’t need all the technology that you increasingly find on tractors these days,” he says. “What we look for is basically a stockman’s type tractor that mainly has mechanical controls and is simple to operate. They do not have dedicated drivers, anybody and

“From both a cost and an operator point of view, both the ELIOS and the SCORPION work really well for us. We have also taken out full MAXI-CARE on all of them so that our maintenance costs are fixed going forward. We keep detailed maintenance records on all our machines, but when you are operating this many it is easy for costs to get out of control, which made having MAXI CARE important to us.”

The two new ELIOS tractors transport trees from the nursery to the yard using special ‘skips’.

The SCORPION’s manoeuvrability and excellent visibility are important when loading lorries.

Warren Holmes-Chatfield

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“The CELTIS stood out and the cab with its flat floor and well laid out controls, with the gear lever on the right hand side of the seat instead of between the legs, was therefore ideal.”

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The right machine for the job Each week during the summer, Nobridge Ltd’s three CLAAS tractors mow over 200ha of sports fields between them, spread over 86 schools within the Telford & Wrekin Council area and Shropshire.

Over the past 16 years Nobridge Ltd, which is run by Dave Cope and his sons Chris and Dan, has grown to where the company is now a ‘one stop shop’ for anything sports turf related, including laser line marking, slitting and all pitch maintenance, in addition to building, fabricating shelters and play ground equipment.

Central to the maintenance operation is the fleet of three CLAAS tractors. The most recent addition is a new 102hp AXOS 340 bought this year. They also run a four-year old 115hp ARION 520, which has a maximum power output of 122hp, and an older 100hp CELTIS 456.

“Our association with CLAAS tractors goes back to when we first started looking at diversifying into grounds maintenance 16 years ago,” says Dave who also runs a long established plant nursery. “We went to Saltex to assess every tractor on the market and what would best meet our requirements.”

“CLAAS and MORRIS CORFIELD were one of the few manufacturers and dealers to actually talk to us and look at what we were wanting to do. MORRIS CORFIELD were very helpful, especially Martin (Wood). Over the years they have offered us very good service. We will never be their largest customer, but it’s a two-way 12

relationship and five tractors later we are still loyal to them and they are very good at finding specialist machinery for us.”

“In many respects we are looking for a tractor that no-one really supplies. For the size of tractor that we are looking at, typically you are looking at a stockmans tractor, which is pretty basic and not somewhere you would expect someone to sit for eight hours a day. You have to look after your staff.”

Chris Cope (left), Steve Wellings and Dan Cope.

In addition to mowing work using a towed Ransoms mower that the Cope’s have expanded to 6.0m wide, the ARION 520 is also used for heavier work, such as powering a front mounted 3.0m wide Teagle flail mower and hedgecutting. It is also used to operate their more specialist slitting and spreading equipment, including a new sand spreader, which will be used for salt spreading in the winter.

“Because of the amount of road work we do, having 50kph on the ARION helps save a lot of time and the ability to run it at lower engine revs means it uses no more fuel than the CELTIS, which is always having to run at full revs. Buying the new AXOS may be seen as a backward step, but because of the increased workload we needed an additional tractor and it was at the right money.”

“We are always evolving, but MORRIS CORFIELD and CLAAS listen to us and what we want or are looking for. Councils are demanding, but we provide efficiency and professionalism which we achieve by a balance of operating the right machines for the job, using well trained operators and by ensuring that we achieve what the client wants.”

CLAAS TractorTimes / Summer 2015

Thumbs up for the new ARION 410 One of the first of the new FPT-powered TIER 4 ARION 410 tractors to be sold in the UK has been bought by Steven Davey, who also runs an old-shape ARION 410.

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Steven is a comparative newcomer to CLAAS tractors. When he bought his first ARION 410 in 2012, he admits that he was not originally intending to buy a tractor, but initially contacted HAMBLYS about replacing his mower.

“Somehow the conversation got round to tractors and the ARION 410, and by the time Martyn (Conway) left I had bought a tractor but not changed the mower,” says Steven. “The same nearly happened again this time, but I ended up buying both the new ARION 410 and a DISCO 290 mower to go with it!”

The Davey’s farm 180ha based at Boyton near Launceston on which they run a herd of suckler cows, from which the progeny are taken through to finishing at 350-400kg, and 800 ewes with lambs destined for Waitrose.

When a new model comes out with the same name you expect a few changes, but not for it to be quite so different.”

“The new 410 looks good, is slightly smaller and it’s got a far tighter lock, which is an advantage for getting around the buildings. The cab is far more comfortable and the FPT engine has got far more ‘zip’ to it and pulls really well.

Fuel-wise its early days, but needing to add AdBlue has not been too much of an issue as I just buy a 20 litre can as we need it.”

Another main difference between the old and new ARION 410 is the Multifunction Control Lever which definitely meets with Steven’s approval. Using this single lever, the driver can control all the QUADRISHIFT 16x16 gearbox functions using a single rocker switch. Alongside this are controls for the rear-linkage and spool valves.

“The braking is also very good, which is important as one of the main jobs for the tractor will be to transport cattle and sheep to market and the abattoir at Launceston, which is a few steep hills away. The clutchless splitter is very smooth and makes changing gear on a hill when mowing or towing very easy and you don’t lose torque.”

“Having two main tractors is ideal for what we do,” explains Steven. “We like to do as much as possible ourselves, such as mowing, tedding and raking and will only bring a contractor in for bigger jobs like baling silage.”

“For an ordinary beef or sheep farm I would say that the new ARION 410 is ideal and would certainly recommend it.

Buying it was definitely a good move and by buying new there is a tax benefit.

The deal was right at the time and when I come to replace it in 7 or 8 years time it won’t have done a whole heap of hours so should retain a good value.”

“Both tractors may say ARION 410 on the bonnet, but they are totally different.

Steven Davey

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Box ticking ARION 540 Due to the constant stopping and starting, shuttling backwards and forwards, and the strain on the PTO when mixing, powering a TMR diet feeder is probably some of the hardest work a tractor can do, believes Tom Wills.

So it’s hardly surprising that he has been extremely impressed with the performance from his ARION 540 CEBIS, which has clocked up over 5,500 hours in just 18 months, powering a 14m3 twin vertical auger feeder.

The 155hp 4-cylinder ARION is the Tom Wills’ first CLAAS tractor and was delivered in May 2013 to replace a 6cylinder tractor. “Its several years since we last ran a 4-cylinder tractor but they have come on a long way,” says Tom. “The fact you can get so much more power from them, together with their compact size makes them ideal for this kind of job, as they are far more manoeuvrable than a 6-cylinder.”

Farming outside Wadebridge in Cornwall, the Wills family run a 1000 cow, high yielding pedigree Holstein herd which is housed all year round, along with 950 followers. Breeding and nutrition are key to herd performance, and the quality of the bloodlines are evident not only in the parlour where yields average 11,500 litres, but also the success Willsbro cattle have achieved in the showring, and the demand there is for both breeding stock and embryos from other breeders.

The ARION is purely responsible for feeding the followers, which are currently housed in groups of 60 to 120 cows spread over three units. To feed round takes operator Jack Gill up to 12 hours

each day, during which time he will do between 12 and 14 mixes, totalling around 30 tonnes and will travel over 25 miles between units.

“It was quite a change and because we are so dependent on the tractor being able to do the job reliably, it was important we got it right because we cannot afford breakdowns,” states Tom. “We have run a MEGA combine for many years, and in 2012 we invested in our own foraging machinery based around a JAGUAR 870, which will be replaced by a JAGUAR 850 for this season.”

“We have a good relationship with HAMBLYS and go to Martin Conway for many things, and it was he who suggested the ARION 540. We tried four different makes in all, and looked at all aspects of the tractors including comparing their torque curves with equivalent 6-cylinder models.”

“The ARION really stood out. It was the best looking of the tractors and well finished, but the power to weight ratio was really good and it offered us the best value for the highest specification by a long way. The others couldn’t match it – it ticked all the boxes. On paper it was a step back, but in reality it is a very, very capable tractor. ” For operator Jack Gill, the biggest benefit of the ARION 540 has not only been its

Tom Wills (left) and Jack Gill

reliability, but also the comfort it offers and the ease with which it can be set-up.

Tom concedes that having CEBIS could be considered a luxury for a feeder tractor, but it was specified not only to make Jack’s job as easy as possible, but with an eye to future resale demand.

“Being able to easily set-up the electronic spool valves using CEBIS, makes it very easy and quick to alter things like the flow rate to adjust the speed of the discharge conveyor, depending on what I am feeding into. The visibility from the cab is also excellent, which is important as I do have to work in some tight spaces. The CMOTION control is also excellent and the (REVERSHIFT) reverser makes manoeuvring simple. Everything falls to hand so I can just concentrate on what I am doing without having to keep looking down.”

“For the ARION to have done 3,300 hours in its first year and to have now done 5,500 hours says it all,” states Tom. “We are delighted with it and we have not run such a cost effective tractor for a long time.”

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ARION powerhouse David Boot has been so pleased with the performance of his first CLAAS tractor, bought in 2011, that it has since been joined by a SCORPION 6030CP and a new ARION 540CIS. David farms 40ha at Pleasley in Nottinghamshire, most of which is down to winter and spring feed barley, that is used for the 225 barley beef cattle he rears each year. Bought as calves, mainly Belgian Blues, David aims to take these through to finishing in about 12 to 13 months, ideally at around 350kg deadweight. These are sold through his well respected butcher’s shop in Mansfield, which will have been in business 40 years in November.

“I was looking to replace a tractor and a neighbouring contractor runs CLAAS tractors and obviously gets on well with them, so I thought I would have a look at one,” explains David. “We may not be their biggest customer, but the service from MARSH is spot on and nothing is too much trouble, which I like. Also Will Clark is very good, he obviously knows the job and how to set-up machinery and will listen to what we want. I can’t praise MARSH enough and that is the reason why all the main machines on the farm are now CLAAS.” The latest tractor to arrive is the 155hp ARION 540CIS which was bought last

year. This has taken over most of the cultivation duties from the ARION 620C, including pulling a 4-furrow Kverneland plough and powering a Pottinger 3.0m combination drill. In addition to normal duties on the farm, the two tractors are also used to cart the 80ha of straw that David buys locally for baling.

“The new ARION 540 is a great little tractor,” says farm manager Thomas Mattison. “Everything on it is designed to make life as easy as possible. It’s extremely comfortable; even at the end of a long day, you don’t know you’ve been in it. And it has more than enough power for the job and is ideal for ploughing - it will just keep pulling.

I can’t fault it.”

However, as is often the case on a livestock farm, it is the SCORPION 6030CP which is the most used machine on the farm.

“The SCORPION is in a different league,” states David. “It’s as comfortable as an old shoe and it just does everything that you ask of it. It’s brilliant. Our buildings dictated the size, but despite being small

Thomas Mattison

it has plenty of power. Even with muck that’s a metre deep it has no fear and will just go straight in and keep pushing.

“Overall I could not be more pleased and I can’t fault them. If I hadn’t been impressed with the first ARION, I wouldn’t have come back and bought a second!”

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ARION 600 - reliable with a good resale value The recent purchase by Cowbridge Compost Ltd of a new ARION 650 CIS is the latest in a long association with CLAAS tractors.

“I opted for the new ARION 650 just to have a bit more power for haulage work.

The tractors are all specced with 50kph gearboxes and PRO-ACTIV front axle suspension.”

The new 184hp ARION 650, which was bought from RIVERLEA in March this year, joins two other CLAAS ARION 640 tractors – a 2013 TIER 4i version which has done nearly 2000 hours and an older 2011 version.

“The main reason that we have always operated CLAAS tractors is because of the incredible sales, service and support we get from RIVERLEA. That is what swings the deal for me and of all the main dealers around, RIVERLEA are streets ahead,” states Mike.

Based just outside Cowbridge in South Wales, the company annually produces around 25,000 tonnes of green waste compost, which it has done for over 30 years, and 10,000 tonnes of food waste compost, all to PAS100 standard.

Currently food waste is composted in a purpose built in-vessel composting building. However this is due to be phased out and replaced by a new 1MW AD plant, from which the heat will be used to dry biomass for chipping.

“I have been really pleased with the two new ARIONs,” states manager Mike Hallet. “The upgrade has been amazing and they are a really good tractor. The cab is extremely comfortable, they are easy to operate and they more than fulfil our needs.”

The company has had a long association with Le Mans built tractors, starting with Renaults, then moving to ARES 697s and now the latest ARION 640s and 650. Mike has lost count of how many tractors they have had over the years, but says it is well into double figures.

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Mike Hallet

The main task for the three tractors is haulage, with the two new ARIONs used to deliver compost to farms within a 10 mile radius for spreading, using high capacity Smyth trailers fitted with commercial axles, air brakes and sprung drawbars. The older ARION 640 mainly stays on the farm hauling a new Hi-Spec 3000 gallon tanker for spreading liquid waste.

“On average, the tractors will do about 2,000 hours a year and are changed when they are three years old. That way we keep up to date with technology and they retain a good resale value. We have found that overall they hold their values very well and have been extremely reliable, but to fix our running costs we do take out full three-year MAXI CARE so that they are always fully covered.”

“The ARIONs work hard, but they are ideal for what we want, have been so reliable and have done everything that we have asked of them. It would take an awful lot to make me change.”

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Impressive new AXION 800s

FOCUS ON AXION

Having run CLAAS ARION tractors for a number of years, the move to the higher powered AXION 830 has taken tractor performance into a different league believes David Lea of contractors John Lea & Sons.

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This March saw the Lea’s take delivery of two 235hp AXION 830s, one of which has the conventional HEXASHIFT transmission and the other a CMATIC CVT transmission.

“The ARIONs did us well, but we had outgrown them and needed to go bigger.

The AXION is a different animal alltogether and certainly ticks all the boxes,” says David. “It has a bigger back-end and oil capacity, but the biggest attraction for us was the FPT engine, which we like alot.”

“With the CEBIS specification, things like electronic spool valves and Power Beyond are all standard. And having front and air brakes also makes the AXION far safer on the road, especially when pulling trailers. The only thing we had to add was wheel weights for the tractor on the clamp. On other tractors we looked at, they all had to be specced up to meet the same specification.”

For clamp work it’s fantastic and it has enabled us to go from a 2.7m wide buckrake up to 3.0m. We will clear up to 80ha a day but the AXION doesn’t struggle and the large cab and the suspension means the driver is very comfortable over a long day.”

The second AXION 830 CEBIS with its HEXASHIFT transmission is more of a general tractor. For silage, the AXION has been teamed up with a new four-rotor LINER 3600 rake which, compared to the two-rotor LINER 2900 it replaced, David says has again transformed this operation and gives the combination the capacity to keep ahead of both the forager and a round baler.

“The AXIONs only arrived in March, but fuel use is already impressive and should only get better as they loosen up. The combination of the FPT engine and either of the transmissions is as good as you will find. They just don’t use the fuel and AdBlue consumption has also been very low.”

One of the main operations for the Lea’s is forage harvesting using a JAGUAR 890 forager. Rather than use a dedicated loader on the clamp, the Lea’s prefer to use a front mounted buckrake and one of the AXION 830’s was deliberately specified with the CMATIC transmission to provide more control on the clamp.

“The fuel tank capacity is also massive and far larger than on other tractors.

Combined with the fuel economy, this means that we are not spending so much time having to refuel which is a further cost saving.”

“The AXION is bigger and heavier but its pushing power is something else.

“By making the move from the smaller ARION up to the AXION, this will allow us

David Lea

to be more efficient and with the same number of staff we will be able to do more in the same number of hours, saving both man time and fuel and giving us the capacity to take on more work.”

Annual workload for all the mainstream tractors amounts to over 2000 hours, but with the new engines and stronger backend, David says he is confident about running the AXIONs to at least 10,000 hours.

“The key for us is the service and support that we get from MORRIS CORFIELD. They are always there when we need them and that is the main reason why we buy CLAAS machinery.”

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Reliable 14,000 hours Reliability and the service and support that he gets from his local CLAAS dealer have been key reasons behind Michael McDonnell’s use of CLAAS tractors.

The latest tractor to arrive on the McDonnells’ 400ha farm near Drogheda in Co. Louth, Ireland is a new AXION 850 CEBIS bought last Autumn through local dealer LEINSTER FARM MACHINES. The first CLAAS tractor to arrive on the farm was a 2006 ARION 640, which now has over 14,000 hours on the clock, which was followed by an AXION 820 in 2010, which now has about 6,000 hours on the clock. Completing the line-up of CLAAS machinery on the farm is a new JAGUAR 850 forage harvester and supporting grassland machinery.

The main enterprise on the farm is a high yielding 500-cow dairy herd, which is housed all year and with the associated followers, there are some 1350 cows on the farm.

With this many mouths to feed, a key tractor is the ARION 697 which is used on the diet feeder. “The ARION has to be one of the best tractors I have ever

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had and despite having done so many hours, I have never had to touch it,” states Michael.

One of the main jobs for the new AXION 850, which has a maximum power output of 264hp, is to drive a 9.0m wide set of DISCO triple mowers, working ahead of the new JAGUAR 850 forager. In order to maximise forage quality and reduce production costs, by running his own foraging machinery this gives Michael the flexibility to harvest when conditions allow, and he will take at least three and ideally four cuts each year.

When not mowing, the other main job for the new AXION during the winter is to haul out and spread slurry using a 5000 gallon slurry tanker. Working alongside it is the older 820, which operates a smaller 4500 gallon tanker, and until this year had been responsible for mowing.

Michael McDonnell

“We have been very pleased with the new AXION 850,” says Michael. “All the controls and the way they are laid out are very well thought out, making it a very easy tractor to set-up and use.”

“However the most important thing for us is the service and support that we get from LEINSTER FARM MACHINES as we are very reliant on the tractors. We get on very well with the whole team there and it helps that one of the service team lives in the village; the back-up that they provide is excellent.”

High pulling AXION Their local CLAAS dealer may be over 70 miles away, but this in no way affects the high level of service and support that Challans Partners receive from MARSH, and the main reason they run an increasing amount of CLAAS machinery.

One of the latest CLAAS machines to arrive was a 320hp AXION 920, bought in 2013. The AXION is mainly used with a set of DISCO triple mowers, for heavy cultivations and pulling a large tri-axle Larrington trailer.

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Farming 650ha at Yoxall near Burton-onTrent, the Challans association with MARSH at Markham Moor in Nottinghamshire started six years ago when they bought a used JAGUAR 820.

This was subsequently replaced with a JAGUAR 890. Also to be found in the yard is a LEXION 420, various CLAAS grassland machines and a SCORPION 7044, another recent addition.

The Challans’ aim to do as much as possible in-house on the farm, home to around 1200 cattle, including a 425-cow high yielding Holstein Friesian dairy herd that is housed all year round, together with followers and 300 beef cattle. In addition there is 120ha of cereals and a similar area of maize.

“The service and support that MARSH provide is excellent and if there is a problem, there is always the back-up there, which is important to me. You may like a machine, but if you can’t get parts or support for it, that gets remembered,” states John Challans. “MARSH is very good to deal with and the distance is not

an issue. We trust them and we are over the moon with the product.”

“The AXION 920 has been fantastic and it does everything we ask of it. The transmission is superb, but overall the tractor is so easy to use compared to other tractors that size we have tried.

Also the cab is so comfortable and the visibility is excellent.”

When they bought the AXION, the Challans were already running 260 and 280hp tractors and looking to make the next step to over 300hp. For them, the AXION stood out on account of its compact size and specification, compared to most competing tractors, which at that size were mainly prairie type tractors where even the drawbar was optional.

“The best things about the AXION are its pulling power and CVT transmission with its various driving modes,” says David Campion. “For ploughing or heavy cultivations, it’s so easy to just set the speed that you want and the AXION will sit quite happily at about 1300 rpm, which has to be good for fuel consumption.

The transmission is so easy to use, there is not a downside to it.”

John Challans

In addition to mowing and cultivations, during the winter months one of the main

jobs for the AXION is hauling muck using a tri-axle trailer. “You need a tractor that size on the trailer and the AXION has both the power and weight to be in charge of the trailer, but also the braking power to stop it safely,” states John. “When we bought the AXION, we also took out full MAXI CARE for it, which means that I know my costs and it provides complete peace of mind. Now nothing will be bought without full warranty and servicing.”

John and his team have also been just as impressed with their SCORPION 7044.

In all there are three handlers on the farm and initially he had no intention of changing make.

“However, Will (Clark) at MARSH left a demonstration machine with us and asked that we at least give it a try. We were all very impressed with it. There was no comparison and when it went to a vote, everyone opted for the SCORPION.” “It’s absolutely brilliant. The lift capacity and height is excellent, the transmission is ideal for doing a lot of shuttling work and the pushing power for filling the clamp or mucking out is excellent. Also the cab is comfortable and the controls well laid out, making it very easy to use. It does a lot of work each day, but so far, so good.”

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Chipping power The rapid rise in the use of biomass boilers, both domestically and commercially, has opened the door to a completely new operation for Powys contractor Mark Ricketts.

For the past 20 years, Mark has concentrated mainly on foraging, baling and muckspreading. But the increased use of biomass boilers, both in large houses but also on local chicken farms, provided the opportunity to offer a new service – wood chipping.

“I run a CLAAS JAGUAR 960 forager and offer a complete range of services for local livestock farmers,” says Mark, who is based at Glasbury near Hay-on-Wye. “But I have never been involved in forestry. I was looking at new ventures that could be incorporated into the business, and woodchipping was an attractive option due to the rapid rise in the number of biomass boilers in the area, and also it is a ‘one man/one tractor’ operation.”

An added bonus was that Glasbury-based log merchant Ioan Jones of Wye Valley Logs was also looking at expanding into supplying woodchip, partly to power a new biomass boiler he has installed to kiln dry logs.

Twelve months ago Mark took the plunge and invested in a refurbished Jenz 581 chipper and Palfinger Epsilon M70F crane, which he initially used on a 360hp reverse drive tractor. This has the capability to handle logs up to about

0.5m diameter and will process around 25 tonnes of wood an hour.

While the tractor had more than enough power for the chipper, which can take up to 500hp, the low position of the cab restricted visibility. So this Spring Mark set about looking for a suitable replacement, and took delivery of a used XERION 3800 in April.

“I had a demonstration of a XERION about five years ago, and although very impressed with it, I just couldn’t justify it,” states Mark. “When you look at any Jenz brochures, the only tractor you see them being used with is a XERION, so it was an obvious choice.”

“With the cab turned round, the visibility over the crane and the chipper is fantastic. Also cab comfort is excellent and it’s so easy to set-up and use. Also, although the XERION is a big tractor, it’s very manoeuvrable which will be important as I will also be using it for mowing with a set of DISCO 8500 triple mowers. And having used CLAAS foragers and grassland equipment ever since I started contracting, I knew that the support would be excellent.”

The 388hp XERION 3800 was bought through MILL ENGINEERS, and is a 2009

Mark Ricketts

model which has done about 4000 hours.

“I explained to Richard (Charman) what I was looking for and wanting to do with the tractor, and he recommended this one. It was previously owned by Phil Trim in Dorset for slurry injection, and was fitted with an extra pump which could be useful as I might well want to use it for umbilical work in the future.”

In all, Mark is now chipping for eight customers over a 30 mile radius, but conveniently the large majority of his work is for Ioan, and at peak times can be at his yard up to three times a week in order to keep pace with the rapidly increasing demand for woodchip. Ultimately, Ioan belives demand could rise to around 10,000 tonnes a year as demand shows no sign of slowing, especially with an increasing number of local chicken producers installing biomass boilers to reduce their costs.

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SCORPION SPECIAL

SCORPION justifies change

As on any dairy farm, the Dutton’s new SCORPION 7035 VP is by far the busiest machine. With 11 attachments, it just shows the wide range of work it has to do.

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Bought through MORRIS CORFIELD, the arrival of the new SCORPION 7035, which has a maximum reach of 7.0m and a lift capacity of 3.5 tonnes, marked a change of brand for the Dutton’s, who have used the same make of machine since they first bought a forklift back in 1968.

“We have never dealt with MORRIS CORFIELD in the past, but a friend works for CLAAS and suggested that we have a look at the SCORPION, so we arranged to have one on demo, which was left with us for four days,” says Chris Dutton.

“Our previous make of handler had not really changed for years and having the SCORPION brought home to us how things have progressed.”

SCORPION is spreading bedding sand, which is done twice a week.

“The biggest difference between our old machine and the SCORPION is its gearbox and lift capacity,” states Simon.

“The gearbox is amazing; it’s so smooth and easy to use. This is what gives it the edge over what we have been used to and key to what it does. The high oil flow and VARIPOWER gearbox means that we can now bed a shed in one pass rather than three previously.”

Chris and his son Simon run a 200 cow pedigree dairy herd at Oldfields near Market Drayton in Shropshire, producing around 2 million litres of milk a year. In addition to the main herd, which has been closed for over 50 years, there are also around 170 followers.

“For loading work, the automatic boom retraction (Bucket mode) and self levelling are absolutely fantastic, but it’s also things like the automatic wheel alignment when changing steering mode, automatic boom suspension and the braking systems that make it so good. The all-round visibility is excellent and there are no blind-spots when loading. Having a button by the headstock to depressurise the hydraulics makes changing attachments very easy.”

Aside from general handling work around the farm and loading the mixer wagon, which will do up to five mixes a day at peak periods. Another main job for the

“Our main considerations for a handler are power, versatility and having a 7.0m reach and the SCORPION easily meets this,” adds Chris. “CLAAS are well ahead

of the competition and we are very happy with the SCORPION, which has fully justified our decision to change brand. I would happily sell its benefits to others.”

Chris (left) and Simon Dutton

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Robust SCORPION

The Cottons have run the same make of telescopic handler for many years, but due to the workload these have generally needed replacing every two to three years. By changing to the heavier-built SCORPION, they hope that they should be able to extend replacement to six years.

When R & P Farming came to replacing their telescopic handler, the SCORPION 7044 VP really stood out on account of its superior build quality and performance.

The Cottons’ SCORPION is kept busy all year round, and will annually clock up over 1,000 hours. In addition to handling and loading the 6,000 tonnes of wheat, barley, oats and oilseed rape from the 1,000ha of combinable crops they grow around Mamhead near Exeter, there is general handling work from their South Devon suckler herd, 300 commercial ewes and the 400 rams they contract rear for Innovis.

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In addition, 6,000 tonnes of green waste compost is produced on the farm every year. All the straw on the farm is baled and sold to livestock farms, so the green waste compost is used to put organic matter back into the soil. The green waste is collected from Devon Waste Management in Exeter, who clean and shred the material. On the farm, the

Unbeatable SCORPION A new SCORPION 7044 has proven to be a worthy replacement for a trusty 14-year-old telescopic handler, but only after MS Smiths had taken a thorough look at all options on the market.

When it came to replacing the older of the two telescopic handlers run by MS Smiths, the second of which is a ‘mere’ 10 years old, Michael Sly and his team considered a number of options before making a decision on which machine would best suit their requirements.

The search started at Agritechnica in 2013, where they had looked at all the main machines on the market to get an initial impression. They then drew-up a shortlist of the machines they would like to have on demonstration.

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“In its time the old machine, which had a lift capacity of about two tonnes, was probably quite advanced, but telehandlers

have come on a long way since then,” states James Burgess. “Of the five of us on the farm, we all very impressed by the SCORPION when we had it on demo and none of the others matched it for performance.”

Cropping on the 1500ha farm based at Thorney near Peterborough includes milling wheat, oilseed rape, beans, peas, spring barley, sugar beet and 80ha of mustard grown for Colmans. One of the main jobs for the new handler would therefore be to handle and load the resulting 6000 tonnes of grain, pulses and oilseed rape, plus around 500 tonnes of bagged N and 100 tonnes of sulphur N. “The one thing that stood out was the

James Burgess

SCORPION’s hydraulic power. It’s very quick to react and the fact that you can lift-up, push the boom out and tilt simultaneously saves a lot of time, which a lot of other machines couldn’t do,” explains James. “The various loading modes, especially the Bucket mode, are ideal as you can just concentrate on manoeuvring and not worry about the boom or bucket position when loading.

CLAAS TractorTimes / Summer 2015

Matt Cotton

compost is stacked in the field and turned at least three times a year, before spreading using two high capacity rear discharge spreaders at a rate of about 1,000 tonnes a day.

The SCORPION 7044, which has a maximum lift capacity of 4.3 tonnes and lift height to 7.0m, was supplied by local dealer HAMBLYS, and arrived on the farm in March, where it joins a CLAAS LEXION 580TT, a DISCO 3500 mower and ROLLANT 354RC baler.

“Of the machines we looked at, the build quality of the SCORPION was far superior, which you can see in the headstock and

Also the colour coding of the controls and the joystick control make it very easy to operate.”

Another important feature is the tilt-lock function for when a man-basket is being used, which was not standard on all the other machines they looked at. Apart from routine work around the farm, the SCORPION is also extensively involved in the set-up for the two-day Open Farm & Vintage Weekend which is held on the farm as part of Open Farm Sunday and attracts over 5,000 visitors, making safety an an important consideration.

So that most of their existing attachments could be used with the SCORPION, MARSH supplied an adaptor plate, but in order to maximise its lift capacity a new high capacity grain bucket has been bought.

“We have seen a big difference in loading times,” says James. “When loading grain lorries, with the old handler it would take up to 30 minutes to load a lorry – with the SCORPION it now only takes about 10 minutes. It will also help reduce turn-

frame,” says Matt Cotton. “It’s a well built, strong machine. It is physically bigger than we are used to, but is far more stable as a result. Also the lock is brilliant and is very manoeuvrable, and the brakes are hugely better.”

“Having been used to a hydrostatic machine, we did not want to go back to one with a torque converter and I really like VARIPOWER transmission which is extremely smooth. I am also really impressed with the hydraulic power.

Even at tick-over you have full use of the hydraulics and for turning and loading the compost, the crowd-out force and pushing power is massive.”

A unique feature that Matt finds particularly useful is the SMART HANDLING overload protection system with its Bucket, Stack, Vertical Lift and Manual modes. Of these, Matt says the Bucket mode is by far the most useful, especially when loading grain lorries. Also the Bucket Return, which allows the bucket to return to a set height at the press of a button, is ideal when stacking and turning the compost out in the field.

“The cab is really comfortable and the air conditioning is good so you can go around with the door closed. Everything you need is on the joystick, so it’s easy to operate and the visibility is excellent.

For working at night, the lights are at a good height so they actually shine over the attachment. And I really like the fact that the boom suspension turns off at low speed which is good for precision work. Also the fact that the brakes are automatically applied when you leave the seat is a great safety feature.”

around time when filling the fertiliser spreader, which has a 4-tonne capacity, as we will be able to lift four 1-tonne bags in one go, so daily output will increase.”

With land spread over various blocks, the SCORPION’s high 40kph road speed and greater towing capacity has also been beneficial, and the boom suspension also ensures a smooth ride on uneven fenland roads.

“The other important aspect was dealer support. Having run LEXION’s since 2001, and with a new LEXION 770 arriving for this harvest, we know the support from MARSH at Sleaford is superb. With the combination of a good product and fantastic back-up, the SCORPION is unbeatable,” concludes James.

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TractorTimes is published for CLAAS UK Ltd by Four Seasons Publicity Ltd.

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