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TRACTORS

Ultimate guide to buying a tractor 2026

The year’s Farmers Weekly Ultimate Guide to tractors is notable for the first-time listing of a mainstream electric model and a driverless tractor range, and the removal of two familiar…

TRACTORS

Mitas creates Granterra tyre for low-speed, high-torque needs

A heavy-duty tyre developed by Mitas is designed for larger tractors, from around the 200hp mark upwards, undertaking heavy cultivation. The Granterra meets the criteria for the industry’s VF category,…

TRACTORS

Nexat wide-span tractor sows 200ha per fill with 28m drill

German manufacturer Nexat and its gantry-style field tractor continue to make headlines as the machine gets new capabilities and early adopters discover its potential. The wide-span vehicle uses a growing…

TRACTORS

First impressions: Fresh Fendt 832 puts power to the ground

Fendt has finally cut all ties with engine manufacturer Deutz. Its new 800-series is the latest to get a heart transplant from sister company Agco Power, and with it comes…

TRACTORS

First impressions: John Deere's 8RX 540 breaks new ground

American heavy artillery of a friendlier type will be shipped across the Atlantic later this year when the first battalion of Europe-bound 8Rs and RXs departs John Deere’s Iowan factory.…

TRACTORS

11 new Valtra S376 tractors – JSE’s buying decision revealed

For some businesses, buying a new tractor is a blue-moon event, others might stretch to one or two a year, but precious few will have landed 11 in a single…

Tractor reviews and tests

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TRACTORS

Driver’s view: McCormick X6.413 P6-Drive

Fitted with a 4.5-litre FPT engine and an in-house six-speed semi-powershift transmission, the X6.4 is McCormick’s premium offering in the four-cylinder sector. This means buyers have access to a host…

MACHINERY

110hp tractor test: Belarus 1025.4

Power Farming Verdict: 2.4/5 It might not have scored highly but the Belarus had a solid engine and a price-tag that’ll catch the eye of plenty of buyers. Noise and…

MACHINERY

Video: Furse four tractor test: Fendt 718 Vario

The Fendt 718 is expensive, but it's a top-quality contractor's tractor, has excellent fuel consumption and has been the most reliable machine on test. The cab is a bit on…

MACHINERY

Six of the best alternatives to diesel

Diesel is less abundant and more expensive than ever. Oliver Mark goes on the hunt for the fuel best suited to power the tractors of tomorrow as the oil wells…

TRACTORS

Video: Valtra's new 135hp G-series tractor on test

Valtra recently unveiled a completely new 105-135hp tractor range, but its choice of components marks something of a departure from traditional Finnish form. Rather than using home-built gearboxes, the new…

TRACTORS

Driver's view: Why Norfolk grower runs trio of Deutz 7250s

Deutz-Fahr tractors are now the go-to prime movers for Norfolk-based potato grower Ian Mason Farms, primarily because of their keen up-front costs and driver-friendly controls. The business runs four of…

TRACTORS

First impressions: New £250,000 Fendt 728 lands on UK soil

What do you do when you’ve nailed the formula for a compact 240hp tractor that accounts for about half your annual sales? If you’re Fendt, you decide to change it.…

TRACTORS

Video: On test - John Deere 6250R v 7250R

The 250hp tractor market is bulging at the seams, so picking the model that provides the best balance of power, chassis size, transmission and fuel consumption requires careful consideration. In…

MACHINERY

Deutz-Fahr 6160.4 TTV on test

Power Farming Verdict: 4/5 Deutz-Fahr has been on a mission to update its higher horsepower tractors. They now have plenty of and radical styling, but the DLG results suggest there's…

MACHINERY

Video: JCB 8310 – a good all-rounder?

With the new engine and semi-mid-mounted cab, the 8310 is a good all-rounder. It may not be a completely jump-on-and-go machine, but you’ll only have to be shown once. Summary…

TRACTORS

On test: 123-143hp M6002 joins Kubota range

Short of a tractor range to bridge the gap between its flagship M7003 and utilitarian MGX ranges, Japanese maker Kubota decided it was high time it introduced one. The M6002…

MACHINERY

On test: Claas Arion 650 Cmatic

When Claas pulled the wraps off its Arion back in 2012, it was the culmination of a Grand Designs-style rebuild of the brand’s mid-rangers. The five-pillar cab came from the…

Tractor guides

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TRACTORS

On test: Time-proven John Deere 6M 155 finally gets 50kph

Some tractors prove to be stinkers, others functional if unremarkable, and a very select few transcend an era. John Deere’s 30-series – the 6930 and 7530 in particular – has…

TRACTORS

Fendt tractors: Common problems and how to fix them

It might be the premium brand of choice for large-scale farms and contracting businesses, but just like any other maker, Fendt’s tractors can suffer the odd mechanical gremlin. Engine problems…

TECHNOLOGY

Video: Auto-tractor to revolutionise Canadian field work

The lead in the race for a driver-free, super-efficient arable farming utopia has been taken up by SeedMaster – a little known name in the world of autonomous agriculture but…

TRACTORS

Round-up of designer tractor ballast boxes with tool storage

A ballast block that doubles as a spacious storage container is rapidly becoming fashionable for tractors operated on arable or mixed enterprise units. Some have been conceived by enterprising operators themselves…

TRACTORS

High-hour horsepower: John Deere 6830 breaks 20,000 hours

Graham Hayllar runs a grassland-based contracting outfit in the picturesque Eden Valley, Cumbria, and uses a fleet of high-hour workhorses, including a John Deere 6830 Premium that has clocked an…

101-200HP

Video: Massey Ferguson's entry-level 5711M on test

Massey Ferguson has enjoyed a fair amount of success in the loader tractor market, with its basic Global Series catering for the keep-it-simple brigade and the comparatively swish S series…

TRACTORS

Deutz-Fahr unveils new 287hp 8280 TTV tractor

Deutz-Fahr has filled the 280hp hole at the top of its tractor line-up with a sole 8-series model that packs a brand-new CVT transmission and an enviable power-to-weight ratio. The…

TRACTORS

Worn-out tractor seats: How to refurbish or replace them

Thousands of hours subjected to bouncing backsides, grubby overalls and flatulence can take its toll on a tractor seat. But considering it’s such a crucial contributor to driver comfort, this…

MACHINERY

Top-end tractor test: New Holland T8.390

Power Farming Verdict: 3.5/5 Fiat engine very frugal on fuel – but AdBlue is also required. Good performer in the field for heavy draft work, helped by effective engine-transmission management…

TRACTORS

Driver's view: Charlie Flindt's John Deere 6155M

Hampshire farmer and FW columnist Charlie Flindt gives us the 410-hour lowdown on his John Deere 6155M tractor in his inimitable style. Find out what his likes and gripes are,…

TRACTORS

High-hour horsepower: Deutz-Fahr 165.7 smashes 21,000 hours

Cornish dairy farmer Paul George’s Deutz-Fahr 165.7 has overcome worn-out clutches, tired gaskets and an overheating engine to battle its way to an impressive 21,000-hour clock read-out. It arrived at…

TRACTORS

Ultimate guide to buying a tractor 2022

The tractor guide listings for 2022 contain a significant number of changes. New and upgraded models having been introduced over the past 12 months, and the last tractors in our…

Tractor technology

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TRACTORS

Agritechnica 2019: Steyr shows zero emissions hybrid tractor

Steyr is no stranger to out-of-the-ordinary tractor launches, and the Austrian firm maintained its reputation with a wacky diesel-electric hybrid concept unveiled at the show. Having made headlines a decade…

TECHNOLOGY

Video: Auto-tractor to revolutionise Canadian field work

The lead in the race for a driver-free, super-efficient arable farming utopia has been taken up by SeedMaster – a little known name in the world of autonomous agriculture but…

TRACTORS

Novel hybrid tractor drivetrain developed by CNH brand Steyr

Any Formula 1 fan will be used to seeing its high-performance cars harvesting unused energy and deploying it as a tactical power boost further down the track. Farmers could be…

Road legal

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TECHNOLOGY

Tractor makers grapple with yet more emissions rules

Much of the development costs of new tractors these days involves engine emissions. Will that soon end? Probably not, says Peter Hill. Just when everyone thought the clampdown on tractor…

Tractor insights and practical advice

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TRACTORS

Fendt tractors: Common problems and how to fix them

It might be the premium brand of choice for large-scale farms and contracting businesses, but just like any other maker, Fendt’s tractors can suffer the odd mechanical gremlin. Engine problems…

TECHNOLOGY

Video: Auto-tractor to revolutionise Canadian field work

The lead in the race for a driver-free, super-efficient arable farming utopia has been taken up by SeedMaster – a little known name in the world of autonomous agriculture but…

TRACTORS

Worn-out tractor seats: How to refurbish or replace them

Thousands of hours subjected to bouncing backsides, grubby overalls and flatulence can take its toll on a tractor seat. But considering it’s such a crucial contributor to driver comfort, this…

TRACTORS

Ultimate guide to buying a tractor 2022

The tractor guide listings for 2022 contain a significant number of changes. New and upgraded models having been introduced over the past 12 months, and the last tractors in our…

TRACTORS

High-flexion tractor tyres - how they work and what they cost

Slice open one of the latest high-tech tractor tyres to compare it with a “lesser” design and, without the trained eye of a tyre engineer, you would be hard-pressed to…

TECHNOLOGY

Tractor makers grapple with yet more emissions rules

Much of the development costs of new tractors these days involves engine emissions. Will that soon end? Probably not, says Peter Hill. Just when everyone thought the clampdown on tractor…

TRACTORS

Ultimate guide to buying a tractor 2021

Among the changes to the Ultimate Guide to tractors for 2021, the addition of Massey Ferguson’s new 8S is arguably the most significant as it sets a new style and…

TRACTORS

Handy checklist for buying a second-hand tractor

Having a comprehensive checklist to hand when going to view a second-hand tractor could make the difference between bringing home a stalwart and shelling out for a disaster. The second-hand…

TRACTORS

Machinery Milestones: Wood-fuelled tractors

It might sound a bit wacky, but tractors have the potential to be powered by wood – as proven by several farming inventions over the years. The tractor fuel produced…

TRACTORS

Understanding CVT and powershift transmissions

Tractor transmissions have come a long way since the days of double-clutching and crunching your way between the three or four gears of a basic, unsynchronised box. Through the introduction…

MACHINERY

Tractors on the road: Rights, wrongs, rules and regulations

When harvest is in full swing, tractors take to the roads up and down the country. It may seem unfair to farmers and contractors, but the presence of a greater…

Video

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VIDEO: MF5475 and 5480 tractors: Which is best?

Four or six cylinders? It's a debate that has raged for decades and is not one that will be settled easily. To make some sense of it, Nick Fone got…

TRACTORS

Video: On test - John Deere 6250R v 7250R

The 250hp tractor market is bulging at the seams, so picking the model that provides the best balance of power, chassis size, transmission and fuel consumption requires careful consideration. In…

MACHINERY

Video: John Deere e23 tractor v Autopowr

John Deere’s high-horsepower tractors have been hankering after a new powershift transmission for years and at last it’s here. Nick Fone and Oliver Mark find out if it is any…

Video: Tractors decorated in Christmas lights on parade

Tractors festooned in Christmas lights have brought a bit of festive joy to the streets of a small town in south-east Ireland. A group of 15 tractors paraded around the…