Claas steps up tractor range overhaul with new Arion 4

This week, Claas launched a new range of 120-150hp tractors at the EIMA show in Italy.

Tagged Arion 4s, with a dot and a number to denote their rated power, these four models are offered exclusively with a stepless CVT gearbox, setting them apart from the existing Arion 400 line-up.

Claas is at pains to point out that these new Arion Cmatics aren’t just successors to what has gone before.

Packed with a host of clever technology common to the company’s larger tractors, they’ll command a 20% higher price than the existing, simpler-spec models that run alongside them.

We’re told the powershift-only Arion 400s will continue to roll down the firm’s Le Mans production line together with these new models, at least for the next couple of years.

See also: On test: Four-cylinder Claas Arion 570 proves punchy and nimble

Claas Arion 4f © Nick Fone

So, what’s new? Most significantly, Claas has switched from FPT’s four-pot power plant to a 4.5-litre Cummins block.

The reasons for this aren’t entirely clear but, as you might expect, the German manufacturer promises greater performance from the new engine, both in terms of torque response and fuel economy.

That is interlinked with the shift to using its in-house-built Cmatic CVT gearbox.

The clever computer control for the two-range transmission is packed with additional functions that are promised to improve the overall efficiency of these new tractors.

Like recently launched Axions, the Arion 4s get “auto load anticipation” – a feature that uses a self-learning algorithm to pre-empt load spikes by fuelling up the engine and tweaking the transmission accordingly.

As an example, dropping an implement into the ground will trigger the system to increase revs and set the gearbox ready for a sharp increase in draft loading.

Getting the engine and transmission prepared in advance apparently avoids that rpm-sapping slump as the plough beds itself in and, as a result, has a significant effect on fuel efficiency.

There is also an auto-droop function that constantly monitors engine loading and adjusts how far it will allow revs to drop before it changes transmission ratios.

On tractors equipped with stepless drivetrains, this is often a parameter that has to be preset and altered by the operator.

Finally there is an over-run “stretch-braking” feature that senses when a trailer starts to push the tractor and automatically applies the air-brakes accordingly, reducing the risk of jack-knifing or overloading the tractor’s in-board anchors.

© Nick Fone

Brighter cockpit

The new five-post cab apparently boasts 24% more glass than before and has a clear-span roof window that’ll make you think twice about hoisting round bales too high.

Shared with larger models in the Claas line-up, the Cebis Connect touchscreen deals with all the usual stuff, as well as providing a feed from forward- and rear-facing cameras grafted into the Arion 4’s roof, snout and, when fitted, loader jib.

Recognising that a good chunk of tractors of this size will be sold with a loader, Claas has integrated a range of functions that you would normally find on the firm’s Torion loading shovels.

At the most basic level, this means direction changes can be made with a toggle switch on the loader joystick as well as via the shuttle lever and multifunction transmission controller.

In addition, the transmission’s sensor-controlled electronics will limit drive to the wheels the moment they start to scrabble so that you don’t dig trenches when you’re pushing into a heap.

There are also pre-programmable “return-to-dig” settings that, at the squeeze of a button, will send the attachment back to the same height and angle time and again.

And there’s a push-button bucket shake function to deal with stubborn, sticky muck and soil.

Finally an integrated weigh-log will record individual loads on a job-by-job basis. Those records are then available through Claas’s Connect data-logging system, accessible through a smartphone app or on the farm office PC.