The tail-end of April saw Ireland’s biggest tractor – a Case IH Quadtrac 620 – finally get to do what nature intended.
This video (below) was shot by the ‘Cooney Furlong Machinery Company’ – the Co. Wexford dealership that supplied the tractor. The unit is owned by Walter Furlong Grain Ltd; the operator is Mick Sharkey.
The tractor, equipped with an ‘auto-steer’ system, is shown here coupled to a Vaderstad TopDown 700. Given the right weather conditions, this outfit clearly has a capacious appetite for work.
Upcoming Case IH event
In related news, the Cooney Furlong Machinery Company will host a special Case IH event on May 22; a welcome is being extended to farmers and contractors in the region.
The event – part of Case IH’s ‘Red Power Tour 2018‘ series – will take place at ‘Cooney Furlong Grain’, Dranagh, Enniscorthy (Co. Wexford).
Implement in tow
In any case (no pun intended!), it’s not surprising that the 620 (featured in the above video) is teamed up with a Swedish-designed implement. The supplying dealer is, after all, also an agent for Vaderstad equipment.
Vaderstad is an interesting entity; it can trace its beginnings back to 1962 – to the 30ha farm of Rune and Siw Stark in a locality of the same name (Vaderstad) in southern Sweden.
Apparently, Rune Stark first used a rigid-tine harrow to till his soil – just like other farmers in his area. These had always been made of wood and, as such, their durability was best described as “limited”.
As the story goes, he grew tired of making a new wooden implement at the start of every season – so he set about making one from steel instead.
Soon enough, ‘Rune Starks Mekaniska Workshop’ was in business and the first building blocks were laid of what is now Vaderstad AB. The rest, as they say, is history.
What about the tractor?
Meanwhile, Case IH’s 620 is the biggest model in the Quadtrac/Steiger line-up; in fact, it’s the biggest tractor in Case IH’s range.
Like its 580 sibling, the 620 is fitted with a ‘PowerDrive’ full powershift transmission. Other models in the Quadtrac range can be fitted with either the ‘PowerDrive’ or ‘CVXDrive’ continuously-variable ‘box’.
Interestingly, while not currently available on the flagship 620, CVXDrive was a relatively recent addition to the Quadtrac arsenal.
It offers stepless travel from standstill up to 40kph and can be programmed to work at a desired forward speed or a set engine speed. ‘Automatic Productivity Management’ software can then adjust the engine and transmission accordingly.
