AT the moment it’s a dedicated WEED-it spray tractor.
And arguably, you would think the new 261kW (350hp) CLAAS 930 Axion was a bit over the top for such a task.
But ‘at the moment’ are the key words as far as Beaumont farm manager Tony Stringer is concerned.
The Axion has a greater role to play as Tony develops the 7000ha property owned by Hasaad Australia.
“We’re running a tramline system and seeding with a 60 foot (18.2 metre) bar pulled by a 510hp (380kW) tracked tractor,” he said.
“But we’re transitioning to controlled traffic and down the track we won’t need the horsepower of the tracked tractor because we’ll go back to a 40 foot (12.2m) seeding bar to match the width of our header front and the multiples of our boomsprayer which has a 120 foot (36.6m) boom.
“And the Axion is in that power bracket of front wheel-assist tractors that are bigger than the small end of the 4WDs and it’s more user-friendly.”
Apart from the features, Tony’s choice of the Axion was related to dollars per horsepower.
“It was very competitive from that aspect,” he said.
“But it did meet the requirements we were looking for.
“We wanted driver comfort, ease of use and easy to teach somebody to operate it and it ticked all those boxes as far as we were concerned.”
As a dedicated tractor to pull the 7000 litre capacity WEED-it, equipped with 36m boom, the Axion has only had 70 hours of work so far. But it will become an annual 700 hours-plus workhorse with normal spray duties, chasing at harvest and back-up for tillage.
“It will give us more options as we head towards controlled traffic,” Tony said.
“Maybe we might even use it for some deep ripping.
“But the transition will be based on generational change of the seeding bar so there’s no set time- frame.
“Our boundaries and run lines are all set so it’s just the seeder bar that has to match the header and the sprayer.”
The 930 Axion boasts a six cylinder FPT engine rated at 261kW teamed with a C-MATIC split-power, continuously variable transmission whose four mechanical ranges deliver a range of ground speeds from 50 metres an hour to 50km/h.
The C-MATIC transmission provides three driving modes – automatic, drive stick or manual – all of which can be activated on-the-go.
The engine, front and rear linkages and PTOs are all fully integrated into the frame, whose long wheelbase (3.15m, 10.3ft) and a compact overall length of 5.56m (18.3ft) achieves optimum weight distribution and traction.
The robust design allows up to 6.5 tonnes to be mounted to the front linkage without the need for additional bracing, while the rear linkage has a maximum lift capacity of 11 tonnes.
There’s no need for front ballast in most situations and CLAAS also has ensured the 900’s design and huge capacity opens up a wide range of applications.
Farmers use it for mowing, tillage, hay, spray, chase and sundry tasks with front and rear linkage.
It can be equipped with dual wheels and rear PTO with three different PTO speeds.
Six hydraulic valves are fitted at the rear and two at the front, which means it is a highly versatile work platform.
