Farmers and contractors in Co. Louth were able to see and try out some of the latest Case IH tractors at an on-farm open day with Mid-Louth Garage recently, on March 9.
Held on McGuinness brothers’ farm at Richardstown, near Ardee, the focused event attracted over 60 prospective buyers.
Taking pride of place at the event was the multiple award-winning Optum 300 CVX, recently crowned the Tractor of the Year 2017.
Austrian-built 300hp powerhouse
According to Case IH, the Austrian-manufactured tractor features a “new, strong yet lighter-weight design”. The company says that the Optum line-up meet demands from customers for “a 250-300hp tractor with a high power-to-weight ratio in a compact, manoeuvrable layout”.
Case IH expects that it will be suited to tasks where high power is essential but weight less so — such as working with large, triple mowers.
For heavy cultivation, the company says that the Optum CVX can be weighted up – to make it as capable “as any ordinary tractor of this power”.
The Optum CVX is positioned between the US-built Magnum and the Puma range, which is built in St Valentin, Austria – like the Optum.
Driving through the continuously-variable Case IH CVX transmission, the FPT 6.7-litre, 6-cylinder engine is built around a structural sump (block). This design allows for a maximum gross vehicle weight of 16t.
Fuel-saving features include ‘idle speed management’, which cuts engine speed from 850 to 650rpm if the tractor stands still for two minutes or more. In DLG Powermix tests measured fuel consumption, according to Case IH, was 249 g/kWh.
Host dealership
Mid-Louth Garage, which is headed up by Cormac and Niall McCartney has two depots – one in Ardee and a second in Ashbourne. The firm is a well-known and long-established Case IH dealership, but also handles a plethora of other franchises including Manitou, McHale, Sumo and Kverneland. McConnel, Rauch, Hi-Spec, Strautmann and Fleming also figure in the product line-up.
