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 of goodies such as a multifunction joystick, electric spool valves, GPS autosteer and a front linkage with pto, allowing them to configure the tractor just the way they want.

See also: First drive: McCormick pins hopes on updated X7 tractor range

Three maximum power outputs are available – 125hp, 135hp and 145hp – all of which get the benefit of a 10hp boost for pto and transport work.

Giving us the lowdown on this range is Patrick Gilman, who milks 170 cows with his parents, Andrew and Helen, and grandparents, Eric and Alethea.

His tractor is the smallest X6.413 model and was bought new in March.

Patrick Gilman © James Andrews

Why a McCormick X6.413?

We’ve had McCormick tractors ever since our local dealer, HJR Agri, started selling them and they’ve always been good.

Breakdowns are few and far between, they do everything we need and they come in significantly cheaper than bigger name brands. We’d much rather spend the extra money on the cows.

This model replaced an older-type X6.420 and it has become our main tractor, backed up by a X6.430 and a couple of Cases on the feeder wagon and bedding machine.

We got it for a good price as it was a cancelled order, and it has a lot more extras than we would have chosen to pay for.

What extras did you opt for?

One of the most expensive upgrades is the front linkage, which has been great for taking weights on and off – something that doesn’t get done as often as it should on the other fieldwork tractor.

The fact it’s got a front pto has made us think about getting a front mower.

We actually had a 3m model out on demo, which we ran in tandem with our 3m rear and it coped fine, able to cruise along at about 10-12kph. We haven’t yet taken the plunge, though.

There are also four electric spool valves, one of which has pipes running to the front linkage.

These are nicer to use than manual levers, but you can’t jiggle them in the same way to reduce pressure when removing pipes.

One thing we don’t have on it is a loader, as all our handling work is carried out with a Merlo 33.7.

McCormick X6.413 cab interior © James Andrews

How has it performed?

It goes well and has plenty of power in reserve on the jobs we put its way.

The only time it’s struggled was trying to pull our four-furrow Dowdeswell plough on wet ground this autumn, and that was grip rather than power that we were short of.

The cab is also spacious, has plenty of storage, and visibility is better than it was on the old model.

This is the first tractor we’ve had with the six-speed semi-powershift transmission, which is a big improvement over the previous version with three splitters.

As well as having double the number of speeds to play with before needing to change range, it’s smoother and seems to have a better overlap between gears.

Since it arrived in March the tractor has worked 220 hours and there have been no problems other than a small oil leak at the back, which HJR is due to fix soon.

Front linkage and pto © James Andrews

Any room for improvement?

Although I like the transmission, I can’t get the auto mode to shift the way I want, despite playing around with the shift point. It’s not a big problem, though, as I’m happy to change the gears manually.

The headlights also aren’t great, which is surprising as the work lights are fantastic, and having three spool valves on the joystick can make it difficult for first-time drivers to work out where they are.

However, this setup would be ideal if there was a loader fitted.

McCormick X6.413 multifunction joystick © James Andrews