Overall farm tractor sales for the month of April in both Canada and the U.S. were up slightly over last year, but combine and 4-wheel-drive tractor purchases remain well off the 2014 sales pace. According to the Association of Equipment Manufacturers’ monthly report, total Canadian farm tractor sales in April 2015 were 3.5 percent higher than in April 2014…. Read More
Category: Tractors
It’s been almost 30 years since Caterpillar launched the first rubber tracked tractor for farming — the Challenger 65 was created in 1986 and introduced to the market in 1987. There are obvious similarities between the original and the latest version of the Challenger, but there have also been some noticeable changes, including the transition to… Read More
Farm auction season is winding down, but not before things get really heated — there are certainly no shortage of sales to attend, but hot deals have been in short supply. That phenomenon has inspired this latest Kickin’ Tires podcast with co-hosts Shaun Haney and Jim Hale. That’s right, we’re talking online vs. in-person and… Read More
Top-end speed for tractors has climbed over the years, as farmers look for ways to reduce the amount of time spent transporting equipment. Faster road gears have become more valuable as farms grow in size, with longer distances between fields. While it might exceed what’s practical on most North American farms, a new Guiness World Record for fastest tractor speed… Read More
Versatile has developed a new DeltaTrack for low-speed, high-torque requirements, the company has announced. Called the DeltaTrack Creeper, the tractor is the first of its kind to be factory-approved for use in low speed applications such as tile plowing. The DeltaTrack Creeper is based on the DeltaTrack Scraper Special but will run in-field at a… Read More
You could say the day when tractors “talk” to each other in the field has arrived, as John Deere has expanded its field automation system to include coverage map and guidance line sharing between machines. New Machine Sync features unveiled last month build on the application’s ability to link a combine with a grain cart to allow the combine operator… Read More
Case IH and New Holland are the latest ag equipment brands to come out with Certified Pre-Owned programs that offer farmers additional warranty and financing options on used tractors and combines. “This program will offer used equipment customers the reliability, warranty, special financing offers and peace of mind typically found only with new equipment purchases,”… Read More
Not every farmer needs a tractor with every available option — they just need one that fits all their needs. But does having a no-frills tractor mean you spend any less time in the cab or driver’s seat? Of course not, and that’s the inpiration behind the CASE IH 100A Farmall series tractor cab. In… Read More
Case IH launched its 2015 Maxxum line at the 2015 Cattle Industry Convention in San Antonio, with what the company is calling “an aggressive new look.” The lineup includes 4-cylinder models with 116-145 rated engine horsepower (HP), and one 6-cylinder, 145HP tractor: the Maxxum 150 (the name chosen for differentiation). Some of the upgrades and… Read More
Farm machinery dealers are hoping to offset recent declines in equipment sales by expanding the services they provide to producers. After six consecutive years of strong growth, year-over-year sales of new equipment declined by as much as 25 percent for dealers in parts of Western Canada in 2014, according to John Schmeiser, CEO of the newly-formed Western Equipment Dealers… Read More
There’s been a general decline in prices for used farm machinery in North America since late summer, with some notable exceptions, including larger equipment here in Canada, says a well-known follower of farm auctions across the continent. Based in Rochester, Minnesota, Greg Peterson (also known as “Machinery Pete”) has been tracking auction prices for 25 years, publishing… Read More
John Deere has expanded its range of high horsepower tractors, with the recent introduction of the 9R/9RT 4WD Series. The Series includes the 9420R, 9470R, 9520R, 9570R, 9620R and 9470RT, 9520RT and 9570RT, ranging — as the names suggest — from 420 to 620 horsepower. Designed for large arable farms with hillside terrain and tough field conditions, the… Read More
Canadian farmers can expect to see the new Fendt 700 series tractors on dealer lots in January 2015. At the recent Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa, Conor Bergin, AGCO’s product marketing manager for high horsepower tractors gave RealAgriculture.com a tour of the new tractor, the only one currently in North America. The new Fendt… Read More
How do you redesign one of Europe’s most revered tractors to make it fit the needs of North American farmers? At the Farm Progress Show in Iowa, we got the scoop on the new Xerion tractor line makeover from CLAAS Product Manager Drew Fletcher. The German-engineered tractor now comes in three models, ranging from 422… Read More
By Dave McEachren, McEachren Seeds, Glencoe, Ont. It was 1945, and my grandfather was purchasing his first farm. The 100 acres of southwestern Ontario clay-loam soil was much like the land his father before him had farmed. The man he bought the farm from warned of the trouble with modern tractors. “Don’t go buying a… Read More