#Farm Machinery & Equipment
Case IH intros new Maxxum range
Utility tractor series available in both CVT and the new award-winning Multicontroller option with ActiveDrive 8 transmission
Australian producers and contractors can soon look forward to three new Case IH Maxxum tractor models – the 115, 135 and 150 scheduled to arrive in the country in a couple of months’ time.
Case IH Australia recently lifted the cover off its new Maxxum 135 model with CVT at its annual dealer conference in the Gold Coast in late July.
The new Maxxum models will be available with two transmission options – either the continuously variable transmission (CVT) or the new Multicontroller option with ActiveDrive 8 transmission which took out multiple awards overseas in the past two years, including 2018 Machine of the Year and 2019 Tractor of the Year.
The ActiveDrive 8 is a new dual-clutch, semi-powershift transmission offering eight gears in three ranges, providing a total of 24 speeds in both forward and reverse.
The amount of speeds available allows farmers to cover a wide range of tasks on farm, from loading applications to heavier draft work.
Maxxum Multicontroller models also come with Case IH’s Multicontroller armrest and joystick which put multiple operating functions at the drivers’ fingertips.
What made Case IH’s Maxxum Multicontroller rig a cut above the rest is the fuel efficiency it achieved, which was an impressive 258g/kWh as tested by the German Agricultural Society, DLG.
According to DLG, the Case IH Maxxum 145 Multicontroller model, which it tested, achieved the lowest specific fuel consumption ever recorded for a four-cylinder tractor.
The Maxxum 115 and 135 are powered by FPT Industrial’s 4.5-litre four-cylinder Tier 4 emissions compliant engine, offering 115hp and 135hp respectively. The range-topping Maxxum 150 has a 6.7-litre six-cylinder engine with an output of 150hp.
The new and improved Maxxum models also feature new styling that has been borrowed from Case IH’s Optum tractors. Changes include a new LED lighting package up in the roof for 360 degree illumination around the tractor for night time work.
More technology has also been packed into the Maxxum units, including the HMC II headland management control system which automates headland turns at the press of a button.
“You tie this in with our AFS Accuturn which allows you to design the turn and speed of the turn to make your headland management more efficient and reduces driver fatigue,” said Case IH ANZ Mid-horsepower Tractors Product Manager, Seamus McCarthy.
In a similar vein, Case IH has introduced a number of features designed to improve operator comfort and reduce fatigue such as adaptive and reactive steering into the new Maxxum units.
Adaptive steering allows operators to turn the tractor around at headlands with just one or two complete turns of the steering wheel.
“Reactive steering means when you let go of your steering wheel, it goes back to your center position,” McCarthy explained.
The wheelbase of the new Maxxum models is now longer to give extra stability and a smoother ride without compromising on the turning radius, Case IH added.
“The new model’s wheelbase has been extended by 255mm in the four cylinder model but that still allows us to maintain a turning radius of 5.4m,” McCarthy said.
“The new Maxxums will satisfy our contracting market, so those professional farmers who want efficiency, technology advancement and a reliable tractor to perform their tasks.
“We believe this tractor series will complement our current Tier 3 models.”
Other features on the new Maxxum range include front linkage and PTO options for specialty applications, optional electronic or mechanical rear hydraulic remote valves, and a rear linkage with a lifting capacity of 7.8 tonnes.Pricing for the 2019 Case IH Maxxum tractors is yet to be finalised, but McCarthy said the new models will be about five to seven per cent dearer than the current models.
“But for the features you get, it's a cheap tractor,” he said.
