SO HOW DO THEY SHAPE UP?
Read our reports on four pocket rockets |
 Farmtrac
675 DT
£21,040
|
 Kioti
FX751
£26,263
 |
 Zetor
Proxima 85
£21,536
|
 Case IH
JX 70
£24,359
|
The full
results – details of the tests at the University of
Wageningen |
We're having technical difficulties with the video of the test –
it'll be online on Monday.
If you can’t wait – and you want to have a go at understanding
Dutch – have a look at the videos published by our sister magazine,
Boerderij.
Just follow these links to see the
tractors in action:
Zetor |
Kioti |
Case |
Farmtrac  |
Not everyone wants CVT, powershift or an
electronically-governed engine. Some still yearn for a simple,
mechanical tractor which they can take a spanner to if something
goes wrong. And this is where these tractors come in.
Maybe you're looking for a main tractor, or perhaps
something to drive the feeder wagon; if so one of these four is
bound to tickle your fancy.
Most western tractor makers have
small, budget models in their product ranges, but you're often
still talking around the £35,000 (retail price) mark.
These tractors also have to compete against
second-hand machines, too. For £30,000, you could find a more
highly-specified tractor with a couple of thousand hours on the
clock. So service, manufacturer back-up and spec all have to come
into consideration.
Don't get us wrong - these tractors are far from
spartan. All have at least the basic of creature comforts, and all
come with optional air-con.
The four tested? The
Case JX 70 and Czech-made
Zetor Proxima 85 are well-known brands. The Polish
Farmtrac 675 DT and Korean
Kioti FX751 are somewhat less so.
All have mechanical 12/12 transmissions (with the
exception of the Kioti, which has a 24/24 powershift), load-sensing
hydraulics, draft control and in some cases more sophisticated
features like on-board compressors.
Why did we choose these four? There are others
makes available in the EU, like
Branson,
Armatrac,
Pronar,
Belarus,
YTO and
Tym, (the last three available in the UK) but for a variety of
reasons these four were the ones we were able to get our hands on
for this test.
Scoring system Scores are out of
five
Key specifications of the four
tractors
The test itself
The test was carried out by an international team,
headed up by Dutch magazine
Boerderij. Also involved were
France Agricole and German title
Top Agrar. It took place at the research facility of the
University of
Wageningen near Lelystad in Holland.
The four tractors were tested carrying out typical
tasks for this size of tractor - pulling a 3m cultivator, mowing,
tedding and raking as well as towing a trailer on the road.
Engine performance and fuel usage were tested using
a
Maha dynamometer. Hydraulics were measured at a local
dealership,
LMB Nieuwstad, and measurements like weights, turning circles,
sound and braking were all taken by the test team.