380 Row-trac, thoughts.

[Will7]

You are quite right. I have done that starting back in 2013, my yields dropped, my profit dropped which resulted in me being grumpy.
We now pull a ld subsoiler through, roll and then drill with a seedhawk the majority of our land. Osr and wheat after legumes is generally still dd. Pulling a 3.5m subsoiler across 70% of 2200 acres of heavy land is tedious.

 

[ollie989898]

You are quite right. I have done that starting back in 2013, my yields dropped, my profit dropped which resulted in me being grumpy.
We now pull a ld subsoiler through, roll and then drill with a seedhawk the majority of our land. Osr and wheat after legumes is generally still dd. Pulling a 3.5m subsoiler across 70% of 2200 acres of heavy land is tedious.

What about a wheeled artic? It could stay in the same gear all day pulling a trailer subsoiler and the transport problems would be limited as you'd only be using it for a set number of weeks per year? No tracks or track maintenance to worry about, either?

 

[alomy75]

You are quite right. I have done that starting back in 2013, my yields dropped, my profit dropped which resulted in me being grumpy.
We now pull a ld subsoiler through, roll and then drill with a seedhawk the majority of our land. Osr and wheat after legumes is generally still dd. Pulling a 3.5m subsoiler across 70% of 2200 acres of heavy land is tedious.

That’s what I do but I only 100% anything coming sbeans at the mo; just headlands of the rest. What legs have you got? I’m pulling 3.1m 7 leg tillso as we speak at 5.5k and my 7530 hardly knows it’s there? This particular field is medium soil but even on heavy land I’m only down to 4.5k and doesn’t need rolling either. I can’t comment if you have very heavy land though.

 

[Will7]

That’s what I do but I only 100% anything coming sbeans at the mo; just headlands of the rest. What legs have you got? I’m pulling 3.1m 7 leg tillso as we speak at 5.5k and my 7530 hardly knows it’s there? This particular field is medium soil but even on heavy land I’m only down to 4.5k and doesn’t need rolling either. I can’t comment if you have very heavy land though.

8 leg tillso. On good land we can romp on, I just don’t have as much good land as heavy stuff. My farm was the testing ground for Simba kit when it didn’t fall apart. Solo, Cultipress, free flow etc. They then started testing sl etc at Speedway corner on sand and people seem surprised the later orange and then green gear fell apart.

 

[Will7]

What about a wheeled artic? It could stay in the same gear all day pulling a trailer subsoiler and the transport problems would be limited as you'd only be using it for a set number of weeks per year? No tracks or track maintenance to worry about, either?

Would love one, but they are like hens teeth.

 

[ollie989898]

Would love one, but they are like hens teeth.

Import one?

 

[alomy75]

Would love one, but they are like hens teeth.

We used to have an FW 30. The novelty soon wore off even little things like finding shed space. We could still see the wheelings in crops 2 years later. Old quadtrac?

 

[Alistair Nelson]

Can’t speak of the cnh version but a good friend has gone from a xerion 5000 to a claas half track and it pulls better and the ride quality in the field is phenomenal even with less hp. Million dollar question will be long term reliability and residual value but so far so good

 

[Lowland1]

Can’t speak of the cnh version but a good friend has gone from a xerion 5000 to a claas half track and it pulls better and the ride quality in the field is phenomenal even with less hp. Million dollar question will be long term reliability and residual value but so far so good

My son was demoing them last year and he says they are the machine to have. Although he managed to block the A17 on a Friday afternoon when he ran out of fuel due to a dodgy fuel gauge.

 

[Lincsman]

I don’t know what the weight distribution is but if 40-50% of it is still on wheels; all of those turning forces on the road concentrated on the back end only and the footprint being a fraction of a proper crawler…I’m struggling to see the point.

"Proper crawler" of the two track design does not keep the tracks flat on the floor due to draft control lifting the linkage, and worse, they cannot oscillate like a track marshal could.

 

[ollie989898]

Can’t speak of the cnh version but a good friend has gone from a xerion 5000 to a claas half track and it pulls better and the ride quality in the field is phenomenal even with less hp. Million dollar question will be long term reliability and residual value but so far so good

I'm not sure Xerions were ever the last word in ride quality.

 

[nib4722]

8 leg tillso. On good land we can romp on, I just don’t have as much good land as heavy stuff. My farm was the testing ground for Simba kit when it didn’t fall apart. Solo, Cultipress, free flow etc. They then started testing sl etc at Speedway corner on sand and people seem surprised the later orange and then green gear fell apart.

Farmer at Wilsford has an 8RX coming as his Rowtrac spends more time broken down , the standby wheeled Case supplied by new dealer aint much better either.

 

[alomy75]

"Proper crawler" of the two track design does not keep the tracks flat on the floor due to draft control lifting the linkage, and worse, they cannot oscillate like a track marshal could.

We’ve had tm 90, tm 120, tm 155, cat d4d, cat d4e and currently on our second challenger so like to think we know our crawlers. You’re quite right; but a crawler works best if it’s pulling trailed stuff for the reasons you outline. Having said that; the big back wheel challengers have a lot of weight out of the front so that when the back digs in with a mounted implement you achieve the desired balance. That’s why the flat track ones only had the linkage as an option. For the few circumstances where an oscillating track would come in useful I’d still rather have a proper rubber track. Ideally a quad track design as 2-tracks do scuff but they’re just so large.

 

[Will7]

Farmer at Wilsford has an 8RX coming as his Rowtrac spends more time broken down , the standby wheeled Case supplied by new dealer aint much better either.

That narrows it down a bit!!!!

 

[snarling bee]

"Proper crawler" of the two track design does not keep the tracks flat on the floor due to draft control lifting the linkage, and worse, they cannot oscillate like a track marshal could.

Most rubber tracked tractors have oscillating front 'axles'.
I know flat track challengers do as does a 8000RT JD.
Original 8000T didn't.

I fully agree with front to rear balance though. Need the right front ballast for the job in hand, and preferable on the drawbar not the linkage.

 

[warksfarmer]

You are quite right. I have done that starting back in 2013, my yields dropped, my profit dropped which resulted in me being grumpy.
We now pull a ld subsoiler through, roll and then drill with a seedhawk the majority of our land. Osr and wheat after legumes is generally still dd. Pulling a 3.5m subsoiler across 70% of 2200 acres of heavy land is tedious.

I’d stay with smaller tractors and run 2 x 3.5m subsoilers. They have a better residual value and if one breaks the other is still moving.
I’ve been looking for a heavier duty 6m disc/press having just sold a vaddy carrier I didn’t like, but in the end bought a 3m disc/press which will run on 120hp so I’d rather have two of those than one bigger one which needs more hp.

 

[snipe]

I’d stay with smaller tractors and run 2 x 3.5m subsoilers. They have a better residual value and if one breaks the other is still moving.
I’ve been looking for a heavier duty 6m disc/press having just sold a vaddy carrier I didn’t like, but in the end bought a 3m disc/press which will run on 120hp so I’d rather have two of those than one bigger one which needs more hp.

Finding drivers is the problem and running 2 tractors you are likely to have double the brake downs as 1 tractor so the same downtime

 

[alomy75]

I’d stay with smaller tractors and run 2 x 3.5m subsoilers. They have a better residual value and if one breaks the other is still moving.
I’ve been looking for a heavier duty 6m disc/press having just sold a vaddy carrier I didn’t like, but in the end bought a 3m disc/press which will run on 120hp so I’d rather have two of those than one bigger one which needs more hp.

I kind of agree…I personally don’t believe there’s any need for wheeled tractors with more than 200hp from a soil protection point of view BUT it’s finding people to drive them. I think when robotics finds its feet we/our children will have multiple smaller machines operating 24/7 and achieving the same result

 

[warksfarmer]

Finding drivers is the problem and running 2 tractors you are likely to have double the brake downs as 1 tractor so the same downtime

Smaller tractors don’t cost anywhere near the same to repair as a 500hp monster on tracks.

 

[snipe]

I bet 1 500hp tractor gearbox is less than 2 250hp tractor Gearboxes. Same with engine oil, filters, labour to service them.