Italian firm Landini celebrated its 130th anniversary by inviting 130 journalists to partake in a 130-hour endurance run. Naturally enough, this Landini endurance event was staged in the hills of Tuscany after the heat of summer and before the winter snows arrive. The event took place on an offroad track, which had been adapted to suit an agricultural tractor.

The track was situated in an extremely hilly area of the country with slopes that would test anyone’s nerve, going up or down.

A road section added an extra dose of adrenaline for those used to driving on the correct side of the road. This was largely down to the fact that the roads were narrow and seriously steep. Also, the Italian driving style didn’t help.

The tractor Landini used for this event was the flagship model from its recently launched 7-series, a 7-215. The Irish Farmers Journal recently tested the slightly smaller 7-175 from the new series and was suitably impressed.

In developing the new 7-series, Landini unusually promoted the suppliers of the major components used in its construction. These included Fiat Powertrain engines, ZF-transaxle, Bosch-Rexroth hydraulics, Michelin tyres, Grammer seats and Denso a/c.

In running the endurance event, a total of eight of these supplier firms were involved with Landini in promoting the firm and its tractors.

Landini history

The Landini brand was founded in 1884 in Fabbrico within the province of Reggio Emilia, by Giovanni Landini. Reggio was 25 and had a workshop to repair farm machinery and equipment. From here, he began designing and manufacturing farm machinery himself. This is where the Landini brand grew. In 1994, the Argo SpA Group, owned by the Morra family, took over the ownership of the Landini brand. Today, Argo brands include Landini, McCormick and Valpadana.

Argo Tractors manufactures its products in four Italian factories and has a production capability of 24,000 tractors per year.