Choice is one thing buyers aren’t short of when it comes to picking a New Holland T5, with five transmission options, two engine sizes and myriad hydraulic outputs spread across the 80-140hp range.

Most of the models on offer are relatively basic and perfectly suited to the rudimentary life of a stock tractor.

But for those hankering after a bit more power, a slicker transmission or a fancier cab without making the leap to the bigger T6s, the Dynamic Command versions come into play.

See also: On test: New Holland T5.140 DCT

The most powerful of these is the T5.140, one of which has been in the hands of Lance Howey for the past six months. He farms 144ha, 300 sheep and 100 suckler cows at Broomiebank Farm, Westruther, Berwickshire.

Lance Howey © MAG/Oliver Mark

Why a T5.140 Dynamic Command?

We were replacing a five-year-old T5.105 with a loader and didn’t want the same again, mainly because it had a basic manual gearbox and we’d had a taste of the slicker Dynamic Command in our T6.175.

We also fancied a bit more power so that we had two tractors that could take care of the round bale silage.

It turned out that Lloyds, our local dealer at Kelso, had a T5.140 ready to go.

They put together a keen deal with a four-year warranty, which made it far cheaper than ordering a factory build. We put pen to paper in January and the tractor arrived in June, just in time to cut some grass.

What extras did you opt for?

The tractor was already in stock so our options were limited.

The biggest decision was to not bother with a front loader, as we already have a T5.120 with one, plus a JCB Robot skid-steer and a Manitou telehandler.

However, I did ask for a front linkage. This had to be a retrofit Sauter unit with manual taps out the back window to divert the oil, which cost an additional £2,500 and was the main reason for the delay on delivery.

© MAG/Oliver Mark

We need it to carry a stone box on the front that we can ballast up when mowing, as the tractor is a bit light, and carry the crop roller when baling.

The other alteration was to swap the 600mm-wide tyres for Mitas 460/85 R34s.

They sit well inside the mudguards and look tiny, but we’ve got some very tight sheds that it wouldn’t otherwise fit between. \

As we cut our own silage with a rear mower, they also minimise the amount of grass we drive over.

The one thing I’d probably swap is the four-post cab. It’s spacious and comfortable, which we’re always grateful for when we’re making silage in the summer, but it’s unnecessarily big for yard work.

The extra height over the simpler, low-profile version on the T5.120 meant we had to chop some metal off the roof girders to fit down the feed passage.

© MAG/Oliver Mark

That said, we like the Sidewinder armrest as all the controls fall to hand, there’s plenty of space to mount implement control boxes and it’s easy to notch through the gears by flicking the joystick.

Plus, the transmission has a brake-to-neutral function that saves getting leg ache constantly dipping the clutch when baling.

However, with the revs set high, the tractor does have a habit of tearing off a bit quickly once the pedal is released.

The only other downside is the mushroom-shaped pto switch on the armrest – it’s far too easy to disengage by accident when bouncing over a bumpy field.

Pto on/off switch © MAG/Oliver Mark

How has it performed?

It’s only done 126 hours – fewer than expected – because first cut was so heavy that we didn’t bother with a second this year.

We like it though, particularly that it has so much power for its size. In that respect, it’s surprising that there aren’t many of them round here.

However, there have been a few teething problems. The first was the AdBlue pump, which needed replacing, and the second was an engine valve problem.

This caused a major shortage of power, but Lloyds took it away and had it sorted withing a day.

Now that its summer workload is complete – mainly on the mower and rake – it’ll sit on the Taarup 853 bedder until late spring.

Hopefully, it’ll then do a bit of reseeding with our 6m Opico grass harrow and Aitchison Grassfarmer drill pre-silage.