RUBBER TRACKS WERE A GODSEND INWETSPELL
RUBBER TRACKS WERE A GODSEND INWETSPELL
To get maximum grip for primary cultivation work,
contractor Andrew May swapped tyres for rubber tracks.
Geoff Ashcroft reports
AFTER a long, almost relentless wet spell last autumn, Suffolk contractor Andrew May was able to reflect wisely on his purchase of a rubber tracked John Deere 8400T. He was one of only a few in his area who were able to keep working when those on tyres were forced to stop.
"With a seven furrow semi-mounted reversible plough, the 8400T just kept going up and down the field, barely leaving a mark," says Andrew May of his first seasons experience with the rubber tracked Deere.
"The wetter it got, the better the tractor seemed to grip. Its traction is phenomenal in wet conditions which meant we just kept on ploughing."
Since taking delivery of the tractor last autumn, over 1100 hours of work have been recorded.
Mr May, who runs AM Contracting from Pear Tree Farm, Hartest near Bury St Edmunds, bought the 260hp 8400T to replace a 175hp John Deere 7810 which was used as the firms primary cultivations tractor. It joins three conventionally shod tractors in the AM fleet – a 135hp Case MX135, 165hp Case MX200 and 140hp John Deere 6900.
"The 7810 had plenty of power, but just couldnt get enough grip pulling our seven furrow plough – getting adequate traction meant adding far too much weight to the tractor," he says. "And dual wheels were out of the question considering the narrow lanes we negotiate and the amount of road work we have to do. We needed to find a suitable solution."
Working in a 30-mile radius of his base however, the decision to buy rubber tracks was not taken lightly. This aside, Mr May expects to buy only one set of replacement tracks through the 8400Ts planned 6000 hour/five year stint with AM Contracting.
His biggest workload is currently 1214ha (3000 acres) of autumn ploughing, along with 404ha (1000 acres) of drilling, secondary cultivations and sub-soiling – all tasks that the 8400T could be used for, should weather conditions dictate his wheeled tractors have to give up and go home.
More grip
In search of more grip, he turned to Deeres T series having ruled out a Claas Challenger 35 on account of its heavier unladen weight.
"I also liked the balance of the Deere. It appears nose heavy until you hang equipment on the rear and make the tractor sit down properly," he adds. "Its quite a lightweight compared to other tracked machines so I figured it could also be used for drilling and is why it runs on 30-inch wide tracks. Theyre a compromise when it comes to ploughing.
"And after seeing the rubber tracked Deere at work, I decided that we may as well have power in reserve rather than only just have enough, which is why I opted for the 260hp version," he says.
"Our ploughing and drilling outputs are not high, but consistent," he says adding that the 8400T notches up about 20ha/day with a seven-furrow semi-mounted plough working at 10kph, and about 28ha/day when drilling with a 4m Simba Freeflow drill.
"The drills a bit small for 260hp, but we run at about 15kph to make the trash coulters do their bit."
His only criticisms of the machine are its lack of suspension on the road and its lack of traction on a greasy surface occasionally found on hard stubbles after a shower of rain.
Greasy surface
"A greasy surface means theres little grip to be found with the tracks – it needs to be bone dry or wet. And negotiating bumps in the road, or sleeping policemen is just a nightmare – you wonder how on earth the glass stays in the cab."
Despite the runaway success of the rubber tracked Deere, Andrew May has no plans to swap any of his other tractors in favour of a second tracked machine.
"It suits our system to have the option of tyres and tracks and charging £30/acre as a package deal for ploughing, cultivating and drilling, I can make the tractor pay its way in just three or four months each autumn," he explains. "So parking the tractor in the barn for the rest of the year is not a problem – I couldnt be seen sending the 8400T out on round bale silage work." *
Suffolk contractor Andrew May of AM Contracting reckons rubber tracks have proved their worth.
Left: JD 8400T at work.