Know How / Tractors

Latest tractor articles

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…

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…

Tractor reviews and tests

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MACHINERY

GPS tracking devices on test

GPS trackers are becoming a popular way for farmers to safeguard their tractors, but do they work? Emily Padfield and David Cousins fitted seven different models to one tractor to…

ARABLE

16 top 170-200hp tractors for arable farms

Tractors around the 200hp mark have become the workhorse machines of most sizeable arable farms and with even more choice, here is what you should consider when looking for a…

MACHINERY

Kubota M135-GX first drive

From a driver’s perspective, the M135-GX has loads going for it:A roomy four-post cab with the best views around, loads of clever gadgets and an incredibly smooth ride, combined with…

MACHINERY

Video: Fendt 828 v Deutz-Fahr Agrotron TTV

  [fwi_vidyard code="ERTd4JlyKIZRqdrGXQVCqA"] Power Farming Verdict There’s nothing new in Fendt’s approach – it’s still a driver’s tractor. Buy the tractor, send the driver on a course and you stand…

MACHINERY

Claas Arion 550 on test

Power Farming Verdict: 4/5 Claas’ Arion turned out to be a pretty good all-rounder. The cab was comfortable and well thought out, and the gearbox performed well in tests. We…

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

Versatile's Quadtrac challenger on test

Versatile Engine Transmission In the field Cab Maintenance Versatile has had a chequered history. The past 20-or-so years have proved turbulent, with paintwork changing colour with chameleon-like frequency and ownership…

MACHINERY

Case IH Maxxum 130 EP on test

Power Farming Verdict: 3.7/5 CNH was represented by the red-liveried Maxxum and its economical FPT engine scored highly. But it had a limited number of transmission settings and the monitor…

101-200HP

Kioti bids to undercut rivals with 140hp HX tractor

Name an up-and-coming East Asian tractor manufacturer that starts with K and has a penchant for orange paint. The Pointless answer, for fans of the BBC's favourite teatime quiz, is…

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

Top-end tractor test: MF 8690

Verdict: 3.7/5 Good transmission and driving comfort. The Sisu engine kept up with the test averages. Easy working thanks to effortless shuttle change, roomy cab and SpeedSteer system. Computer controller…

TRACTORS

Driver's View: Ben Sharp’s Case IH Optum 300

Case IH’s Puma 260 might be the obvious match for the 300hp tractors featured in this series, but, with the near-identical T7.300 already covered, we’re instead focusing on a model…

Tractor guides

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TRACTORS

Tractors: where are they made?

Long gone are the glory days when the vast majority of tractors used on UK farms were built in UK factories. Today, only CNH Industrial’s New Holland plant in Essex…

MACHINERY

How alternative fuels are helping to reduce farm emissions

Diesel-powered transport and machinery have been under scrutiny globally for some time now due to their large environmental impact in the form of hefty CO2 emissions. Recent years have seen…

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…

TRACTORS

Buying a 150hp tractor? We look at 12 options

For sheer choice and variety, the 150hp bracket marks the tractor sector’s sweet spot, with most makers offering four- and six-cylinder alternatives and a multitude of transmission types and spec…

MACHINERY

Smaller tractor brands and horsepower- what's available

Recent months have seen several new tractor manufacturers at the lower-horsepower end of the market looking to establish a foothold in the UK. The newcomers Armatrac Farmtrac Branson Iseki While…

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…

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

Machinery milestones: Driverless tractors

The UK played the leading role in the early stages of driverless or autonomous tractor development and the first experimental tractor designed to carry out a range of tasks without…

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…

TRACTORS

11 biggest tractors of all time

The average horsepower of new tractors in the 1920s was just 25hp, but it's now nearing 160hp. Michael Williams takes a look at the 11 most powerful tractors built over…

TRACTORS

Driver's view: Tom Mixture's John Deere 6R 250

Sitting at the apex of John Deere’s “mid-size” tractor line-up, the 6R 250 offers a healthy slug of power in a modestly proportioned chassis. Its versatility in tackling jobs both…

TRACTORS

Driver’s view: Versatile Delta Track - brawn on a budget

When Case-IH chose to bolt four track units to one of its articulated prairie monsters it created a new tractor concept that had no direct rivals for more than 15…

Tractor technology

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MACHINERY

How alternative fuels are helping to reduce farm emissions

Diesel-powered transport and machinery have been under scrutiny globally for some time now due to their large environmental impact in the form of hefty CO2 emissions. Recent years have seen…

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

Machinery milestones: Driverless tractors

The UK played the leading role in the early stages of driverless or autonomous tractor development and the first experimental tractor designed to carry out a range of tasks without…

Road legal

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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…

Tractor insights and practical advice

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TRACTORS

Tractors: where are they made?

Long gone are the glory days when the vast majority of tractors used on UK farms were built in UK factories. Today, only CNH Industrial’s New Holland plant in Essex…

MACHINERY

How alternative fuels are helping to reduce farm emissions

Diesel-powered transport and machinery have been under scrutiny globally for some time now due to their large environmental impact in the form of hefty CO2 emissions. Recent years have seen…

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…

TRACTORS

Buying a 150hp tractor? We look at 12 options

For sheer choice and variety, the 150hp bracket marks the tractor sector’s sweet spot, with most makers offering four- and six-cylinder alternatives and a multitude of transmission types and spec…

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

Machinery milestones: Driverless tractors

The UK played the leading role in the early stages of driverless or autonomous tractor development and the first experimental tractor designed to carry out a range of tasks without…

TRACTORS

11 biggest tractors of all time

The average horsepower of new tractors in the 1920s was just 25hp, but it's now nearing 160hp. Michael Williams takes a look at the 11 most powerful tractors built over…

TRACTORS

Driver’s view: Versatile Delta Track - brawn on a budget

When Case-IH chose to bolt four track units to one of its articulated prairie monsters it created a new tractor concept that had no direct rivals for more than 15…

TRACTORS

Machinery Milestones: The most unusual tractor launches

Publicity spectaculars featuring tractors are unusual, but they have been used to give an extra boost to new developments that prove difficult to sell. An example is the introduction of…

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…

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?…

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…

Video

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MACHINERY

Grassland UK: McCormick X70 makes UK debut

[fwi_vidyard code="koYUDkQ3R1yidzwP-OsKNA"] Grassland provided the launch-pad for McCormick’s latest range of 150hp to 214hp tractors. Now dubbed as the X70 series, five new models replace outgoing TTX and XTX machines.…

TRACTORS

Video: 160hp CVT tractor test 2020 preview

Farmers Weekly's big annual tractor test saw the machinery team take four 160hp CVT tractors from some of the industry's biggest players to a Hampshire farm during this autumn's cultivation…

MACHINERY

VIDEO: Tour around New Holland's Ad Blue T6

[fwi_vidyard code="BkCL2t0KIs24emNHXNG-AA"] Watch New Holland's T6 product specialist Mark Howell's&nbsptalk about how the machine uses Ad Blue to meet Tier 4 emissions regulations

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…