Launched at the Royal Highland Show earlier this year, the X7.650 Efficient joins the X7 Pro Drive series and delivers a tractor to customers that want a longer wheelbase, full length chassis and increased torque courtesy of a six-cylinder engine further down the power scale in the series.

The idea behind the Efficient version is to offer a tractor to customers who would have previously had similar machines, such as the Case MX or McCormick MTX series for example, and want a tractor of similar performance and specification.

The Efficient offers these customers a smaller jump in both specification and therefore price, making it an attractive option for larger farmers and contractors alike.

Engine

Underneath the bonnet sits a new Tier 4i, six-cylinder 6.7-litre Betapower engine which was built by FPT to McCormick’s specification.

Producing 152hp at rated speed and 160hp at maximum power, this engine is by no means a slouch. I had 16t of beet and an 18ft Herron trailer behind the X7.650 and it never missed a beat on the hills.

The throttle response was instantaneous and you could really get a sense of the power and maximum torque of 676Nm, which can be reached at just 1,500 rpm. Like its predecessors, the X7.650 features a cast chassis with shock-absorbing rubber mounts which support the engine. McCormick claims this helps to reduce noise and vibration levels within the cab.

McCormick also claims that the optimised electronic fuel injection and the enhanced combustion efficiency, combined with the selective catalyst reduction (SCR), allows the new engines to deliver increased horsepower while reducing fuel consumption.

Transmission

The X7.650 is fitted with a Pro Drive transmission, which is designed and built by ZF. This transmission has a total of 24 forward speeds divided over six ranges (one to six) with four powershifts in each range (one to four) with the same in reverse.

In addition, the X7.650 is also fitted with a creeper box as standard for operations that require slower speeds.

Getting to grips with the transmission is quite simple, as you just have two buttons for gearing up and down with a separate forward and reverse shuttle on the left of the steering column, although when changing gear without looking, you will sometimes find yourself pressing the electric spool valve buttons located below the gear buttons.

Each range has four powershifts, which are selected by simply pressing the up or down buttons. To change ranges, you must hold a button on the rear of the multi controller, which acts as a safety lock, and then press up to switch ranges.

On top of this the transmission also offers three driving modes. In manual mode, the operator controls all the ranges and powershifts, in auto field mode, the tractor looks after the powershifts itself and the operator controls the ranges while in auto road mode, the tractor does it all, making the transmission fully automatic.

These modes are selected by the auto power shifting (APS) button on the multi controller and can be further customised via the dash computer to set various parameters, such as starting gear and shifting points based on engine speed parameters and load.

I found this transmission a pleasure to use on the road and in the field. It was simple to use and does exactly what it’s told, although I did find in auto road that when you came to a stop, such as at a crossroads, it dropped back too far in the gears and took time again to get up to the 40km/h top speed.

Changing ranges when on the road at full revs can make the tractor lunge slightly, which is no problem when travelling straight, but can be annoying when crossing a road.

A particularly nice feature is that when in the top range (six) and the top gear (four), the engine reduces the revs from 1,800 to 1,500 rpm while still maintaining 40km/h. You can also select 6-3 which will still maintain 40km/h, but will increase the engine revs and therefore torque for pulling up hills.

Back end

The transmission and back end are bought from ZF as a complete unit, which is simply then bolted to the engine.

Stopping the tractor is taken care of by a five-brake disc configuration on each side. To improve efficiency and reduce drag, the amount of oil delivered to lubricate the brakes is cut from 30l/min to 8l/ min when travelling over 13km/h. Once the brake pedal is pressed, the flow is then increased.

The transmission also uses a mix of being showered in oil and pressure-fed shafts rather than being immersed in a bath of oil to help reduce rolling resistance.

The rear lift is electronically controlled with two 100mm hydraulic cylinders delivering a capacity of 9,300kg. I found controlling the lift a bit fiddly, as the rocker switch on the multi-controller needs to be unlocked each time the tractor is stopped and the heights have to be set via the right-hand control panel.

It took a bit of time to get used to, but once the lift was set up, it was very nice to use in the field, as the switch falls nicely to hand. Controlling the lift can also be done on the right-hand console as well as the rear fender, which helps when connecting implements. A hydraulic push-back Dromone hitch is also standard spec on the X7.650, which .

Hydraulics

Hydraulic power is delivered by a closed-centre piston pump system that provides a flow rate of 123l/min, as well as also having a separate 44l/min gear pump which is dedicated to the steering and auxiliary systems.

The X7.650 comes with three mechanical spool valves as standard that are operated in-cab by three levers. The tractor also features an electro-hydraulic spool with push button operation on the multi-controller.

This particular spool valve is set and cannot be changed to other valves although the oil flow can be adjusted via the dash computer while the oil flow for the mechanical spool valves can be adjusted individually via dials conveniently located outside the back window.

The Power Beyond function is fitted as standard, with the plumbing located beside the auxiliary couplers at the rear.

PTO

The X7.650 has a four-speed PTO as standard with 1000, 1000 Eco, 540 and540 Eco being easily changed via levers in the cab on the right-hand console.

There is also an Auto PTO feature which will automatically disengage and reengage at predetermined heights set by the operator whenever the lift is raised or lowered, for example during headland turns.

For safety you must press a button in the cab before getting out to tell the tractor to keep the PTO running for operations such as slurry pumping or agitating. Although some people find this annoying, it is an important safety feature, I feel.

Suspension

Cab and independent front suspension is fitted as standard with the front axle being manufactured by Carraro which has a steering angle sensor which disengages the differential lock when working in auto mode.

Up top, the cab is fitted with a hydraulic suspension system at the rear and is mounted in rubber bushings at the front. This combination of front and cab suspension works well travelling across rough terrain or at 40 km/h on the road.

The X7.650 is also equipped with combined front and rear differential locks to reduce wheel slip and maximise traction. The differentials are electronically controlled by the Auto Function, which engages or disengages both the differential lock and four-wheel-drive during headland turns.

McCormick claims that the 55° steering with 5,400mm turning radius makes this tractor very manoeuvrable, although I found the lock poor, often resulting in three- or four-point turns on the headland.

Cab

McCormick manufactures their own cabs in Italy. This new Premiere cab is very different to the design of previous McCormick models and now features a flat floor, rear hinged one-piece doors and a one-piece windscreen which has no cross beams to obstruct visibility.

The new cab also provides several new features as standard including an inside mirror, additional 12V sockets for portable devices, a cooler box, a bottle holder, a passenger seat and opening sunroof which is very handy for letting in fresh air as there are no side windows as well as aiding visibility if operating a loader.

Visibility is the biggest thing you will notice in this cab, the large one-piece doors, single-piece front windscreen and large cured rear window offer a near 360° visibility with only four pillars getting in the way.

The doors themselves are large and rear hinged allowing for easy access while the flat floor makes cleaning out the cab much easier. Controls are well laid out and grouped together, with some clever colour coding for different functions such as transmission, hydraulics, etc.Everything is located where you would expect it to be and falls easily to hand.

The cab itself is quiet inside with a sound level of only 70 dBa while the standard air conditioning keeps you cool during the long summer days.

Comfort in the cab is second to none, you perch in an air seat and have the hydraulic cab suspension absorbing all the bumps the rough Irish roads can throw at you making it one of the most comfortable tractors I’ve driven.

It is not all good news inside the cab though. The finish I felt was a little bit lacking while the handbrake was something you would find on a tractor from the 1980s.

The particular thing that annoyed me the most was that the steering wheel crossed right in front of the dash display meaning you had to stoop down to see the information each time.

Lighting

The X7.650 comes with up to 10 work lights as standard as well as twin beacons. These work lights produce great light, aiding visibility when working at night. However, when travelling on the road the standard headlights I feel are lacking in brightness.

Tyres

The X7.650 on test was shod on BKT 420/85 R28 up front and 520/85 R38 at the rear, both on solid wheel rims. There are of course other wheel and tyre options available to suit different customers’ needs. Keeping the muck away from the windows is the job of full-width one-piece rear fenders with extensions to suit various width tyres and swivel front fenders.

Verdict

First impressions of the X7.650 is that it is by no means small. It’s a very substantial and beefed up tractor that gives you the sense that it can tackle the real heavy duty work, but not too big that it couldn’t happily feed animals around the farm with a front loader giving the operator the best of both worlds in one machine.

This tractor offers a high specification as standard, including four spool valves, full suspension, four-speed PTO, front weights and air conditioning.

The tractor gives the same level of specification that was found on premium level tractors just a few years ago. For most operators there are plenty of options and controls to carry out most tasks.

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Special focus: tractors 2016