Tractor news tends to be dominated by the relentless push towards packing an ever greater number of horses under the bonnet, with smaller tractors relegated to the role of yard scrapers or estate keepers.
However, there are applications where huge power and massive torque is not required, yet the modern trappings of cab comfort and technological competence are very much appreciated.
Clutchless shifts boost productivity
Massey Ferguson has recently delivered one of its smaller machines to the John Innes Research Institute at Norwich in the UK, a customer which required a small but well equipped tractor for plot-drilling duties.
The tractor chosen is a Massey Ferguson 4708 M which is the smallest tractor of the trio in the 4700M range, and it will help sow 12,000 experimental plots of wheat and oilseed rape over 20ha, alongside two Claas Arions.
The 4708M produces 82hp from its three-cylinder, 3.3L AGCO Power engine.
This drives the latest Dyna 2 gearbox which allows clutch-less shifting of the 24 gears in both forward and reverse via a gearstick-mounted thumb button.
This set-up allows quick gear changes without a break in power delivery and is greatly favoured by the operators for some of the sowing can be as slow as 2.5km/h and the facility to flick up and down through the gears helps with overall accuracy.
MF 4708M narrowed down
Another major attraction for the institute was the ability to specify a narrower wheel centre of 155cm, 10cm less than the standard 165cm.
This allows plots to be sown closer together and although it might not appear to be much of a difference, some fields can have 100 plots and it soon adds up, allowing more plots to be squeezed in.
The generous specification of the tractor also included linkage height controls on the mudguards, essential for setting up the drill as it avoids the need to clamber in and out of the cab, saving a good deal of time over season.
The plan is to keep the tractor on the fleet for a 10-year period before selling it on. Narrower tyres may also be fitted at some point to reduce the space between plots even further.
The John Innes Centre was established in 1910 and describes itself as an independent, international centre of excellence in plant science, genetics and microbiology, covering a variety of crop types.
