Ultimate guide to buying a tractor 2018

Our ultimate guide to 50hp-plus tractors available in Britain has been published online for 2018 with a host of changes from last year’s edition.

With the removal of discontinued models and ranges, the addition of several new and substantially updated lines and the appearance of a new marque in the shape of the Arbos range, the guide provides a quick-reference summary of all the models available.

See also: Combine buyers guide 2018

In terms of specifics, the Case IH Farmall U range has made way for the Luxxum and among newcomers is the Maxxum with new ActionDrive 8 transmission.

All Challenger entries have been replaced by Fendt tracked tractors, the latest Claas Arion 500 and 600 models feature for the first time and there are four-cylinder additions to the Deutz-Fahr 6-series.

The John Deere, Massey Ferguson, Valtra and Zetor line-ups remain much as before; but a second-generation M7-series features in the Kubota listing and there are new and updated models pretty much across the board for Landini and McCormick.

In the New Holland family, there are new models and transmission upgrades that bring more powershift speeds for the T6 range and seamless CVT for the T9 articulated tractors.

There are also new list prices throughout and, in the topsy-turvy world of farm tractor pricing, some are up and some are down.

List prices rarely reflect the transaction cost of acquiring a new tractor, of course, because the differing amounts of margin dealers have to play with for discounts and trade-in valuations is hidden, but they do provide a starting point for negotiations.

Take a look at and download every manufacturer’s offering in the tractor spec tables (PDF).

You can also get it in Farmers Weekly magazine on 30 March.

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