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TRACTORS

Claas pulls the wraps off revamped 264-313hp Axion 8 tractors

As part of an update programme across its entire tractor range, Claas has launched revamped versions of its 800-series machines. Three new variants – the Axion 8.240, 8.270 and 8.290…

TRACTORS

Quicke improves weighing on tractor-mounted Q-Series loaders

Tractor loader control and automation is reckoned to have reached new heights with the latest updates to Quicke’s Q-companion digital system introduced alongside changes to the flagship Q-Series loaders. Existing…

TRACTORS

Cereals 2026: John Deere 6M tractor and 500R sprayer updated

Cab size is now the only real differentiator between John Deere’s 6R and 6M series tractors, thanks to a handful of new optional extras on the latter. These include a…

TRACTORS

Revamped John Deere 6R gets new cab and sharper handling

John Deere has overhauled the top end of its popular 6R tractor range, fitting a bigger cab and uprating the running gear for better handling. For now, only models on…

301-400HP

First impressions: New 8340’s cab is a Deutz-Fahr revolution

Not for the first time, green tractors of German provenance stole the headlines at November’s Agritechnica show. Only this time, John Deere, Fendt and Claas bods were among the spectators…

Tractor reviews and tests

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MACHINERY

Mid-range tractor test: MF 7624 Dyna-VT

Power Farming Verdict: 3.5/5 The French-built Massey has plenty of features and a new joystick. It performed averagely at the test station and its unreliable terminal can be hard to…

201-300HP

On test: 300hp New Holland is best T7 yet with fresh cab

New Holland has kept the best bits and reworked the worst of its long-wheelbase T7 tractors to create what it hopes will be a John Deere and Fendt slayer. In…

MACHINERY

Video: First Drive: Deutz Fahr 7250 TTV

If first impressions are anything to go by then the 7-Series looks like it should be a real contender in an already competitive horsepower segment.The ride is comfortable and the…

MACHINERY

First Drive – Massey Ferguson 7618

You can make the 7618 as complicated (or not) as you like. We’d probably opt for the changeable ratios of the Dyna-6 box.   Modern powershifts are clever enough so…

MACHINERY

Case-IH Farmall 95U Pro on test

Case-IH Farmall 95U Pro Price: £58,800 RANKING: 1st   Cab The Austrian-built Farmall shares the same six-post cab frame as the New Holland. This offers pretty much everything you need…

MACHINERY

Mid-range tractor test: Valtra T203 Direct

Power Farming Verdict: 3/5 The Valtra was the least powerful of the test group. It performed averagely in the DLG tests, although the usability of its gearbox was its biggest…

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…

MACHINERY

John Deere 6150R six months in

New tractors cost a pretty penny these days so it’s wise to do your homework before dipping your hand in your pocket. Simon Henley visits a farmer in Warwickshire who…

101-200HP

Driver’s view: Claas Arion 450 CIS Quadrishift

Packing 130hp and 500Nm of torque, the Arion 450 is the third most powerful model in Claas’ compact four-cylinder tractor range, behind the 140hp 460 and 155hp 470. Since 2014,…

MACHINERY

On test: Massey Ferguson 7720 Dyna VT

The other tractors on test Fendt 720 Vario New Holland T 7.230 Case IH Puma 175 CVX Valtra T 214 Direct Dig down and MF’s 7720 Dyna VT is a…

MACHINERY

Video: First Drive: Claas Arion

The old Arion was a pretty good tractor so the fact the new one shares many of the same internals is no bad thing. The five-pillar cab is a big…

401+HP

Driver’s view: Louth Park Farms’ New Holland T8.435

Buyers looking to harness some extra grip from their New Holland T8.435 can ditch the regular rear rubber and opt for a set of triangular track units instead. But rather…

Tractor guides

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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…

MACHINERY

Mid-range tractor test: MF 7624 Dyna-VT

Power Farming Verdict: 3.5/5 The French-built Massey has plenty of features and a new joystick. It performed averagely at the test station and its unreliable terminal can be hard to…

201-300HP

On test: 300hp New Holland is best T7 yet with fresh cab

New Holland has kept the best bits and reworked the worst of its long-wheelbase T7 tractors to create what it hopes will be a John Deere and Fendt slayer. In…

MACHINERY

Video: First Drive: Deutz Fahr 7250 TTV

If first impressions are anything to go by then the 7-Series looks like it should be a real contender in an already competitive horsepower segment.The ride is comfortable and the…

MACHINERY

First Drive – Massey Ferguson 7618

You can make the 7618 as complicated (or not) as you like. We’d probably opt for the changeable ratios of the Dyna-6 box.   Modern powershifts are clever enough so…

MACHINERY

Case-IH Farmall 95U Pro on test

Case-IH Farmall 95U Pro Price: £58,800 RANKING: 1st   Cab The Austrian-built Farmall shares the same six-post cab frame as the New Holland. This offers pretty much everything you need…

TRACTORS

Machinery Milestones: Steam-powered tractors

Britain once led the world in developing agricultural steam power, with stationary engines arriving on farms in the 1790s, followed later by portable and traction engines as well as cable-operated…

TECHNOLOGY

Diesel-electric drives offer give cheaper tractor power

The Autonomous Tractor Corporation (ATC) has found a way to recycle old tractors to get another 25,000 hours of labour from a wornout workhorse. The US company, tucked away in…

MACHINERY

Mid-range tractor test: Valtra T203 Direct

Power Farming Verdict: 3/5 The Valtra was the least powerful of the test group. It performed averagely in the DLG tests, although the usability of its gearbox was its biggest…

TRACTORS

Ultimate guide to buying a tractor 2020

Major updates for the Case-IH Magnum, Fendt 900 Vario, John Deere 6 and 8 families, and New Holland T5 and T8 lines are among the changes for this year’s Ultimate…

TRACTORS

10 scraper tractor options for dairy farms of all sizes

No tractor is less mollycoddled than the one hooked to a muckscraper. Slathered in slurry from dawn ‘til dusk and shunting back and forth with monotonous regularity, these machines have…

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…

Tractor technology

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TECHNOLOGY

Converted Leyland 255 powered by used electric car parts

A quick drive-by of Ben Bament’s low-key workshop in Farmborough, Somerset would reveal nothing of the wizardly engineering cloaked under the most ordinary of machines berthed outside. Among his curious…

HEALTH AND SAFETY

Tractor cab filters: are you protected?

Most operators and farmers will be well aware of the potential risks that working with agricultural chemicals brings, but with the right precautions, users will be kept free from any…

TRACTORS

£50k Sabanto Steward kit gets Fendt 700 working autonomously

Long, lonely hours spent cultivating, drilling and mowing could be a thing of the past with the advent of a plug-in kit that can get any autosteer-ready tractor operating autonomously.…

Road legal

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MACHINERY

Rules reminder: Stay road legal this harvest

Whether it's harvesting grass, cereals or vegetables, extra numbers of wide machines will be heading up and down Britain’s roads. But in all the rush to get ready, don’t forget…

Tractor insights and practical advice

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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…

Big power outputs lift 4wd performance

A neat hydraulic suspension installation for the front axle is designed to help avoid “power hop” with the most powerful three tractors in John Deere’s latest big four-wheel drive range.…

HEALTH AND SAFETY

Tractor cab filters: are you protected?

Most operators and farmers will be well aware of the potential risks that working with agricultural chemicals brings, but with the right precautions, users will be kept free from any…

TRACTORS

£50k Sabanto Steward kit gets Fendt 700 working autonomously

Long, lonely hours spent cultivating, drilling and mowing could be a thing of the past with the advent of a plug-in kit that can get any autosteer-ready tractor operating autonomously.…

TRACTORS

Tractor buyers guide 2017

Times might be tough in the current farming climate, but that hasn’t stopped the major manufacturers making big changes to their tractor line-ups. High-horsepower models have been beefed up, the…

Why energy maize could spark steel track crawler comeback

Having to work arable land late after an energy maize harvest, when slippery surface conditions can show up the limitations of rubber tracks, could result in a comeback for steel-track…

TRACTORS

Is a future of methane-powered tractors viable?

If you remember New Holland’s first attempt at a methane tractor back in 2013, you’ll probably recall being hugely sceptical and quite underwhelmed by what was a T6 tractor with…

MARKETS AND TRENDS

How tight margins on farm are hitting ag machinery sales

Machinery dealers are feeling the pinch as reduced demand from farmers for new kit hits their bottom line. With fewer than 9,000 machines being registered in 2025, the Agricultural Engineers…

TRACTORS

Tips for maintaining a JCB Fastrac 2170

Hip-busting dry clutches, a tanker-like turning circle and shonky wiring are just a few of the common grumbles levelled at early JCB Fastrac models. The list of ailments has been…

MACHINERY MAINTENANCE

Tips for maintaining a Fendt 700-series tractor

Few tractors hold their value quite like a 700-series Fendt, and even when the hour clock has clicked to five figures, they can still have price tags of more than…

TRACTORS

Best sellers: Our top 10 tractors of the noughties

Modern tractors are getting ever more complex, with layers of electronic controls, fancy touchscreens and a medley of soot-stifling gizmos to keep exhaust emissions in check. When the tractor is…

TRACTORS

Buying a tractor? How to make sense of engine statistics

Hands up who knows the difference between a tractor’s rated and maximum power? Or what the perfect torque curve should look like? How about torque rise? Or six-point fuel tests?…

Video

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MACHINERY

JCB Fastrac 4000 tractor gets first test

JCB’s all-new Fastrac is finally here. It’s good, but is it good enough to grab sales from other marques? Nick Fone finds out. With its deeply furrowed brow and waspish…

TRACTORS

Video: 400hp reverse-drive Valtra S-series on test

Valtra has finally let its heavyweight S-series loose on the 400hp tractor scene and, armed with lorry loads of torque, a proven driveline and a redesigned cab, promises to unsettle…

MACHINERY

Video: Fendt demos driverless tractor

Driverless technology How it works Safety What's next? Several manufacturers are experimenting with driverless tractor technology, but it looks like Fendt will be the first to launch a viable system.…

MACHINERY

Driven: Valtra Powershift v CVT

[fwi_vidyard code="vYeLMkbMi0FNEz-3s1vwBw"] Power Farming Verdict Star Star Star Star Star The CVT version of Valtra's mid-sized T202 is a very competent performer. However, if the tractor was destined solely for…