By Charlie McCarron

 DAN KING farms 200ha (500 acres) of arable land on a min-till system just west of Bourne in south Lincolnshire. A further 400ha (1000 acres) of stubble-to-stubble contracts, spraying and liquid fertiliser applications contribute to the workload.

Mr King runs the entire farming and contracting business single-handedly. Previously, his only tractor was a 175hp John Deere 7810, which cost him the modest sum of 4.50/hr, counting depreciation and repairs over the four-and-a-half years it spent at Pasture Hill Farm.

When it came to replacing the tractor, Mr King was keen to get hold of a new 7020 model. Aware that the tractors were available in America, he held on to his 7810 for longer than he would have liked until the first 7020-series machines became available in the UK.

Rated at 185hp, a new 7820 was delivered to the farm in early 2004. Since then the tractor has been back to the dealer three times, twice for servicing and once to have a gearbox gremlin ironed out.

 In the first year the machine has not been idle, having clocked up over 800 hours already. Without taking depreciation and fuel into account, the tractor has cost Mr King 38p/hr in maintenance so far. The basic 100-hour and 600-hour services totalled about £300.

Fuelling is one gripe for Mr King, but not the amount used, although he does reckon the 7820 is harder on fuel than the old 7810.

 “The tractor has a 400-litre tank and under full load uses about 38 litres/hr. That gives about 10 hours” work,” he says.

 “But after about eight hours the tractor starts beeping to warn of low fuel levels. It is extremely irritating and can”t be turned off.”

 What Mr King does like about the machine is the cab, but he feels aggrieved that specifying a mechanical powershift gearbox means he misses out on certain key features.

“The cab really speaks for itself. It is roomy and comfortable.

 “However, I do feel a bit disappointed that electronically controlled spool valves are only available with the CVT transmission, they would be really useful for drilling.”

Many farmers are quick to point to the 9.3t working weight of the 7020-series as a downfall, but Mr King considers it a bonus.

 “It means I don”t have to run with a front weight and I don”t have to ballast the tyres,” he says.

So, all in all, Mr King is happy enough with his choice of machine.

 “Minor grievances such as fuel capacity and options availability are easily outweighed by the good aspects. Dealer service cannot be praised enough, it”s a deciding factor in tractor choice for me.”