FrontLink Fie l d Test 11 McCormick X7

The much anticipated and eagerly awaited McCormick X7 models have finally reached UK shores. Time to find out if the all-new, six-cylinder X7.670 and X7.680 machines are really as good as Argo Tractors claim

ince the revival of the name McConnick in 2001, Argo Tractors has worked hard to establish the kind of reputation enjoyed by its rivals. Now it has a range of tractors that, potentially, could really start

nibblin~ at its competitors' heels for an increasmg share of the UK tractor market

The McCormlck X7 Pro Dnve range was launchecl in ltaly last year. specifically to re piace the X70 and its XTxmXIMTX preclecessors in the !XlPLùar 140h[>220hp market sector. This is an all-new ranee

that includes three four-cylinder and three six-cylinder models. which are ldentlfled as X7.4 and X7.6 models respectively.

Power for the tractors comes from new FPT Industriai Betapower Fu el Effictency engines. the smaller models using a stressecl-block four-cylinder. 4.5-litre. Tier 4i-compliant unit producing from 143hp to 175hp. The larger six-cylinder models - which retain a strong cast chassts - use a non-stressecl block FPT 6.7-litre engine with outputs ranging from 165hp to 212hp.

The standard gearbox for the tractors is Pro Drive. a new ZF·built six-range. four-speecl unit featurtng a robotisecl electro-hydraulic contro! system. which allows the opera t or to shift through all24 gears w1thout the neecl for de-clutching. A 40kph or SOkph box can be speciftecl, w!th a synchronisecl creeper gear alsoavailable.

'The transmission provides four inches more ground c/earance than previous models - a useful improvement far tasks such as baling straw'

The transmission used in both the four- and s1x-cylinder tractors is identica! in concept. but beefed up in detail for the X7.670 an d X7.680 models with different differentlal and axle components to suit the available power of the engines. The new transrnission also provides lOcm more ground clearance than previous rnodels-a useful tmprovement for tasks such as baling straw.

Releasing power One interestlng feature is the inclusion of a lube flow reduction valve. which restricts o il flow through the tractor's multi·disc brakes when operating at aver 30kph. Argo Tractors clalms this feature reduces oil-drag. releasing over 12hp in transport applications.

The PTO system found in ali X7 tractors incorporates four speecls. with economy settings for both 540 and 1000 speeds. selectecl using levers mountecl on the right-hand fender console. A neat sw1tch in the seat arm contro! console engages the

Above: Modem styllng makes thc X7 stand out from older models

PTO electronically. The PTO shaft is no longer retained by a circlip, but is now held in by a ring of bolts. increastng the tirne required to change the shaft. but dramatlcally reclucing the risk of premature PTO hub wear.

Hydraulic power is providecl by a three·pump system with individuai purnps for steertng and lubrication.tn additi an to a pressure and load sensing piston pump for the linkage an d remote spool valve contro!. They provi de a combinecl maximurn output of 1671itres per minute.

The tractors tested were fittecl with four electrontcally controlled (cotour-coded) rear spool valves.ln addltlon to •

• an eastly a essed fra flow retum pomt

1t tS worth noung that manual <mechamcal) spool val ves are not avatlab e on 'ÀI models but the electromc 1evers on the seat cortSOle are proporttonal so i t ts poss!ble t o adJust flow hkea tradlttonallever A separate self acuvattng power beyond system. for mJdtmes sudt as potato harvesters nnd self loa 1 1 " fo' ,ge wagons. is mcluded a~ >l1ndard

For addecl vcrsalihty.the optional Zuidberg front hnkage and PTO

package Fitted to our tractors featurecl two hyd raulic spool valves. a front

power poi n l and trailer ligh t socket. and lncluded addilional working

llgh ts. External contro! bu ttons are also included to assist w lth hi tching implements. Other reatures Include a

complement the tractors modem desrgn wh1le the new one-ptece eng111e hood. whtch hfts high out ot the way t o reveal a re<lesJgned radtator a11d fold-out 011 cooler pack system. makes datly malntenance aneasytask

The testtractors The X7.670 Pro Dnve test ed belongs to McConmck dealer Cohn catley. the owner of cauey Engmeenng. Supplied with front axle an d cab suspenston. this 50kph demo tmctor ìs equipped for traìler air braking and the optional creeper·gear transmtssion.

The X7.680 Power-Pius is that o f farmer Mark Hill, who farms 950 acres a t Peckleton with h is so n Josh. This tractor was purchased from Catley

Engineering an d was

'New working lights, twin cab beacons and LED tail lights complement the tractors' modern design

the first retail X7 mode! to have been delivered tntheUK.

Aside from new styling and a fresh new

patnt scheme. the X7 tractors also feature

hydraulically activated front axle diff lock. which provldes 100 per cent lockìng r~rtion whPn thP rear ctiff lock

is activated. Bot h locks automatically disengage whlle turnlng.

New worklng llghts. lwin cab beacons and LED tall llghts

McCorrnìck's completely new Premi ere cab. Built a t ARGO Tractors· own cab facility, i t is 180mm w i der

than the preVious design and features a completely new interior layout with a distinctly au tom otive flair. Wider doors with adjustable heavy-duty

hmges gtve generous access and there ts a usetu1 ha11d grab-hole

incorporated mto the fender. to ardaccess.

Otmb mstde a11d tt ts refreshmg t o tmmedtately dlSCover the destgners have placed the overhead cortSOie far enough forward t o avoid httting your head every ttme you get m There 1s also enough floor space t o access the seat wrthout adopting any ungamly bodrly postures m the process

McCorrnick offer two dnver seat optrons. one of which mcorporates a vent1lated backrest. Both seat opttons com e with an armrest contro! console that features a multì-function controller as standard. conveniently grouping the m ost com monly used controls at the driver's fingertips.

A one-p iece front window offers much improved visibility a11d a newly designed steering console tips with the steering wheel so the muJti­functlon instrument cluster is always visible. The instrument cluster mcorporates two simple. albeit stylish

drals one wtth the fuel and temperature gauges the other wtth

the tachometer sttuated e1ther stde the alllmpor tant LED menu screen.

Venttlatron is prov1ded by a drm ate

contro! system w tth shoulder-level vents an d a neat httle coolbox mounted mto the left-hand fender console. The X:l's new a1r condlttomng system provtdes 50% addltional capacity over preVious X70/XTXIITX models. For those w ho relish entertainment a t work, the four-speaker audio system is MP3 and Bluetooth compatible a11d includes a built·in microphone for hands-free

communicatlon. As with an modem tractors. there

are acres of plasttc tn this cab. but i t 1s well put together and proved both rattle- a11d squeak-free throughout our tests. The choice of lighter shades for the mterlor trim is, however. qucstionablc. particularly the off·white roof li n ing. Anyone operating these tractors w ith

d irty hands willleave hand prlnts everywhere.

Above: Slx-cylnder FPT englne .... plenty

of-ln-)(7

Rlght: Passenger­can be hldclen -•v when not In use

Outin the fteld In arder to gct cl true feel of tl1e new tractors' potenti .. l t was : ecJded t o

use them for so n e sprlng a tlllvatton work. With a held to be prcpared for

drilling ma!ze. the drmenslonally identica!. but slightly more powerfuJ X7.680 was attached to a 3m Sumo TrioThree.

The functiOnality of the X7 revolves around the versatlllty of the Pro Drive transmtss!on. Uslng the shift push buttons. the transmlsslon works like a full manual powershtft gearbox with the added beneflt of being ab le to skip-shift through elther Individuai gears or enti re ranges. Altematively, at

the press of a button on the armrest. the transm!sston ca n be operated in a

FrontLink Fie/d Test McCormtckX7

programmable. tully-automati that enables the dnver t o ontr

pomts for economy r power depending 011 the

athand "Th1s

X7. "When you flrstget m you

think 1t 1s golng t o be difflcult. hut once

you learn how t o access the set menu on the drsplay

screen. tt is very. very easy AJl the tmporta11t things such as the d1ff lock front-axle suspensron/auto-shlft act1vatton a11d four·wheel drive engagement are placed o n push buttons on the armresl· he continues.

'One of the things I find very useful ls that the primary spool valve is controlled by a button on the muJti-controller. where the linkage lift a11d gear-shift buttons are. The spool val ves canali be set to operate for a pre·deterrnined time an d shut off automr~tir.i'llly

When l'm ustng the Sumo for

example. I set the spool valve- using the instrument pane! display menu - to operate for si x seconds. which is •

: r PTO l (electro·bydraullc) l 54 l1000 Mu l Steerìnt lnfle ~ 1 degrees; Turaìnt 1 bdius "'" ..,. tres l (wltliOU' br il<> ,} 1 Wbeelbase 2 82rr l Tetal Welfht (ao l bllast) 7350Kg. ~ Max llh Capacity l (Rear) 9300Kg; l Max Llft Capacity 1 (Front Link) 3500Kg

Below: Proven FPT englne ls powerful an d f rugai o n fu el

Below lelt: Fold·out oli cooler pack ls easy to access un der bonnet

Below far left: LEO

FrontLink Fie l d Test Il McCormick X7

THE DEALER'S VIEWPOINT

Coli n Catley establlshed Catley Engineering In 2007. Located at Peckleton In Lelcestershire, he has held a McCormlck franchise slnce2011 l am very excited about the new McCormick X7 range. llove what they have done with the styling. Argo Tractors have approached the design of the X7 very carefully. They have taken the most rellable, well·proven components avallable, including: FPT engines, a ZF transmission, the Carrara independent front axle suspenslon system, Zuldberg front linkage/PTO, Bosch-Rexroth electron le servo-valves (spools), and comblned them with a well-deslgned, high speclficatlon operator station.

The cab ls now one of the best on the market, with plenty of room and excellent operator comfort. The controls are well laid out and the electronic systems are simple to use. The standard specification on these

.i---+.Jractors ls very high and there are numerous optlons to 1m prove the tractors' versatllity. We have yet to see the new Autosteer/GPS systems, but these will be lntroduced at a later stage and should prove to make what is already an excellent product, even better.

Above: SCR technology means Ad Blue ls required

• ]ust long enough for the transport wheels to lift the lmplement out of the soli. As I approach the headland. lifting the Surno out of work to tum around is as slmple as flicklng the linkagc fast ratsc/lowcr lift switch an d pressing the butto n to activate the spool valve. I fs so easy:

A neat feature of the multi· controller that some operators might

'Shuttle engagement, it shou/d be added was

arguab!y one of the best ever experienced'

also appreciate isthe'My Switch' that allows the operatorto selectand activate four

Below,lelt lo right: Farmer Josh Hill with Catley Engineerlng's Derek Bailey, Ada m Beeston, Harry Millner, Darren Wainwrlght an d Coli n Catley. The team a Iso includes foreman James Barker (not pictured)

functions separately ono ne butto n. includlng: Autoshlft activation. four-wheel drive engagement. diff-lock engagement and de-clutching.

Playtng the trwnpcard If the X7 does have an ace up its sleeve. lt ls perhaps the shift quality of the tractors· ZF gearbox. Gear changes withln the ranges are almost seamless. even under full power. Whether manually shifting or leaVing the Pro Drive t o automatically change gears. the transrnission behaved flawlessly during our evaluation, provldtng smooth, succinct gear changes. ttme and time again.

It was noted during the test that the gearbox dtd not like being hurried to make shuttle changes. preferrtng the tractor to be stationary before allowing a dlrectlon change.

g WWW.FARMMACHINERYJOURNALCO.UK JULY 2014

A warntng buzzer identified th ts human oversigh t as a potential abuse an d the gearbox rebuked us by remalnlng in neutral until the engtne was stopped an d restarted.

Shiftlng manually o n the road. an audible bleep reminds the opera t or that the gearbox needs to change ranges. which is done by slmply double pushing the up-shlft button. For road work. auto mode would be best. It reqUires much Iess button pushing and offers automotive quallty gear changes.

Shuttle engagement. !t should be ad d ed. was arguably o ne of the best ever expertenced on a tractor . Engagement in either direction was always positive. never harsh and more akin to a CVT transmission than a multi-range powershift.

Following behind the X7.680, catley Engineering's X7.670 was attached to a 6m folding Kuhn power harrow, which was used to produce the final ttlth. The tractor had no problem handling the weight or power reqUirement of the Kuhn.

Engine power in both tractors was abundant with no notlceable fluctuation In the power or torque charactertstics that rnight cause the engine t o stall a t low RPM. The FPT engines are qui et performers. even when pulling hard. an d diesel consurnption of the X7.680 was reported as very acceptable. with lmprovement expected as the englne gradually broke in Expertence with other manufacturers· products

powered by FPT engines has proved these englnes can be extremely frugai performers.

Driving the McCormlck is a pleasurable experlence. The X7 feels solidly bUi l t sure-footed and reassurtngly stable both in the fteld and on the road. The controls fall easily to hand and working Visibility is excellent. Thls ls no Ionger a product that feels like i t has been built onabudget.

The Grammer alr seat in both tractors ls supremely comfortable. lndeed the comblnation of the canaro electronlcally controlled independent suspension front axle an d cab suspenslon proVided almost unparalleled rldequality. Well-proven an d rellable. the X7's Carraro suspenston can be programmed to raise or lower the working height of the suspenston. in addition to disabllng l t al together.

Operator troubles Minor operational gripes included the ability to confuse the auxiliary contro! push buttons wlth the transrniSSion shift buttons o n the multi-controller. Dimples or serrations on one se t of these buttons would help prevent that.lt is llkely that the My Switch will be overlooked by some. particularly more mature operators. but it is useful, and ls best used when setto de-clutch mode.

Another minor lssue is that the engine alr vents on the bonnet direct dust stralght up o n to the front

wlndow. reqUiring occasionai use or the tractor's- somewhat fiimsy -wlndscreen wiper to clear i t.

The cab ftlters. which are mounted In the si de of the roof. wiii require a long ladder to reach them to keep the door shut and avoid dust contamtnatlon inside the cab. Then there's the plastic toolbox, whlch appears to have come from a .El shop. The optional steel toolbox should be standard fare.

Above: Controls seem dauntlng al ftrst but are easy to master

Top: Cab is made of plastlc, but doesn't feel cheap because of il

It ls hard t o judge any tractor in just eight hours and give an entirely accurate appralsal of the machine's true potentlal. But Argo Tractors are on to something here. The X7.S70 and X7.680 Pro Drive models are undoubtedly the best McCormick tractors bullt t o date and offer a leve! or speciftcation comparable with anything else in thelr prtce league.

!t could be argued that these tractors have been designed for the up-coming iPad generation. but even a dedicated rniddle-aged technophobe could learn and understand how to operate the X7's multitude of features. without too much problem

In short. the McCorrnick )(7.6 iS a well-built. well-equippecl easy-to­operate. comfortable tractor. !t beckons a new era for the company, which finally has a tractor to compete against its big-name rivals. FMJ

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thanks to Colin cattey at Catley Engineering. New Farm. Desford Lane. Peckleton LE9 7RB (01455 698087). Mark and Josh Hill for their co-operatlon and assistance. Ada m Presto n (Preston's Contractors. Leics) for the test location.

**** l Best McCormick yet has raised the bar and c:an now mix with the best

JULY 2014 WWW.FARMMACHINERY JOURNALCO.UK IIID