AgriArgo has been running a range of tractors under two different names ever since it added the McCormick brand to its Landini holding back in 2001.
This has a degree of logic when there are two dealership networks to placate, but it was always on the cards that the parent company would move the brands in different directions, and this division appears to be gathering pace.
Choice of colour from AgriArgo
All of the models, standard or specialist, remain available in either livery and from either dealership network, yet there is now a growing emphasis on how each brand is focusing on certain aspects of farming.
Another noticeable move by the company is to look to the automotive sector for advances in styling, operator comfort and certain mechanical features, such as hill holding.
EIMA is the venue for showcasing what each of the two brands has been up to over the past year and they have a quite different outlook, with Landini nurturing its compact credentials, while McCormick pushes the power and effectiveness of the larger models.
Landini – the specialist provider
Shown for the first time, will be the Landini Serie 6H which achieves 127hp from its four-cylinder 3.6L engine. There is also a smaller model with 119hp on offer.
Mechanically, the tractor is blessed with full cab and front axle suspension, while electronically, the company has made a determined effort to accommodate third party GPS systems through its adoption of an open software architecture.
Landini has also upgraded its Trekker4 crawler range with a category 4 cab, allowing it to be used for pesticide application in vineyards. EIMA will be its first public outing.
Otherwise the focus appears to be very much on increasing the efficiency of smaller specialist tractors for fruit growing in climates sunnier than Ireland.
McCormick for main crop
McCormick, on the other hand, is very much looking to enlarge its presence in the general agriculture sector with improvements being made to the tractors which will appeal to stock and tillage farmers alike.
The company cites the main changes as including Improved comfort, reliability and fuel consumption in the top-of-the-range tractors which are designed in particular for VT-Drive, AgriArgo’s own continuously variable transmission.
One new feature highlighted is EazyGrip, a tyre pressure monitoring and inflation system operated via ISObus using the data screen manager.
This allows the adjustment of tyre pressures for the operation being undertaken, be it transportation or field work. It inflates automatically until the pre-set pressure is reached.
Hill starts made easy
Also brought to our attention by AgroArgo is the Smart Power Zero system which is said to be similar to the Hill Holder in the automotive sector.
This allows the tractor to remain stationary on any type of slope, once the reverse shuttle has been engaged, and is released once the accelerator pedal or the joystick are activated.
It also communicates with the trailer braking system at the same time, meaning that the driver does not always have to use the brake pedal to hold a tractor even when towing.