Instead, there are actually four McCormick Pro-Drive tractors heading across Australia in this extraordinary expedition. The drive is starting in Melbourne and aims to reach the legendary Ayers Rock (the sacred rock of the Aboriginal people ) in the Northern Territory, taking in a distance of 8,500km and travelling through the States of Victoria, New South Wales and the Northern Territory.

BKT, Indian-based tyre manufacturer, and Argo Tractors are organising the expedition, which aims to discover unknown landscapes and cultures through agriculture.

Xtractor – around the world

In addition to the two McCormick X7 Pro-Drive tractors of Italian make, an Xtractor caravan will include three off-road vehicles for the TV crew. The team is composed of two specialised tractor drivers, two drivers for the off-road vehicles, two cameramen, a sound engineer for the TV shooting, a naturalist photographer and a physician.

The video production in UltraHD format will be done through three mobile units, four action cameras, a drone and a motorised steadycam to keep track of all expedition stages. A support vehicle, arranged as a mini-editing studio, will then produce TV and internet clips with the material picked up during the expedition.

It is a highly technological expedition, putting to a tough test both people and equipment – from tyres to motors.

Xtractor – Around the world will undoubtedly thrill television audiences, showing how extreme conditions are mastered by farmers and their equipment.

Xtractor – around the world

Driving across Australia in a tractor

If you had to organise an 8,500km expedition through a tough and wild continent like Australia, you would probably choose a 4x4 off-road vehicle or a well-equipped jeep.