260hp giant breaks cover
260hp giant breaks cover
This years tillage events got
underway last week at
Alconbury, Cambs, where
visitors had the chance to
see equipment pushed to the
limit. Ian Marshall reports
TRACTORS of below 150hp were a rare sight at the Alconbury Tillage event, where the emphasis was on the reduction of establishment costs through the use, primarily, of large, high output surface cultivators and one-pass, stubble-to-seed-bed implements.
Visitors to the 70ha (173 acre) wheat stubble site at Weybridge Farm had the opportunity to compare the performance of a wide range of cultivations and drilling tackle – all of it pushed to the limit by heavy, rain sodden ground conditions.
Pulling and lifting power are an essential large part of the output equation and Same Deutz Fahr took the opportunity to give farmers and contractors a sight of its largest model to date, the 260hp Agrotron 260.
Power comes from a 7-litre, 6-cylinder water cooled engine, turbocharged and intercooled and fitted with an electronic engine control system which allows the operator to preselect two constant speeds.
In performance terms, the company quotes a constant power range from 2300rpm down to 1900rpm, with a 30% torque rise between 1750rpm and 1350rpm.
The engine drives through a turbo-clutch and new 50kph powershift transmission. Its standard creeper box gives a 40 forward/40 reverse combination, with a shuttle reverser pre-selected on a steering column-mounted lever and engaged through the clutch.
At the back end, the 260 boasts a maximum lift capacity of 10.5t and a 21-spline 1000rpm pto.
Operator comfort comes from the combination of the current Agrotron cab fitted with self-levelling air suspension and a hydro-pneumatically suspended front axle.
Prospective buyers have to wait until October for the official unveiling of the Agrotron 260, when it and a – relatively – smaller model, the 230hp Agrotron 230, will be launched with prices tags of £89,950 and £87,220, respectively. *