Based near Borrisokane, Co Tipperary, Pat Harverty is a beef farmer and baling contractor. Running just the one McHale Fusion 3 Plus baler and baling somewhere in the region of 12,000 bales annually, Pat likes to run a fresh tractor and baler for performance and reliability.
Last autumn, Pat made the decision to upgrade his four-year-old McCormick X7.690 for its replacement model, the McCormick X7.621, equipped with the latest and fully revamped Clever Cab.
Background
Farming runs through Pat’s veins. Having kept a herd of suckler cows in the past, he has since changed his system to better suit the contracting business and reduce labour.
Every year, he buys in the region of 150 Charolais and Limousin store heifers and feeds them through to finishing. To keep things as simple as possible, his aim is to finish as many heifers as possible off grass.
Pat is also an agent for Ashbourne Meats in Roscrea and is kept busy over the winter and on the shoulders of the year hauling cattle for neighbouring farmers with a 26ft Broughan livestock trailer and JCB Fastrac 4220.
The idea of keeping things simple follows through to the contracting business, specialising in baling only. With the exception of one man raking with a Fiat 88-94 and a Kuhn rake, Pat is a one-man band. Mowing is subbed out to another contractor.
“I started out with a Krone RoundPack baler 20 years ago. Soon after, the McHale Fusion soon took off. Impressed by the concept, I later changed the Krone for Fusion 1 and have had every generation since. I’m hoping to upgrade to Fusion 4 Plus now soon,” he said.
Why McCormick?
Currently baling in the region of 400 bales daily in the midst of first cut, Pat is kept busy from one end of the day to the other just to get through the busy workload.
Not really aligned to any tractor brand when starting out, Pat was more focused on buying a machine that could be backed up and supported by a local dealer in the event of a breakdown.
This was one of the main factors when deciding to buy his first McCormick from McCormick dealers, Byrne Machinery in Roscrea.
“My first three McCormicks were second hand, an MC115, MTX150 and then an X7.660. I bought the first new McCormick five years ago, it was an X7.690 which ran the Fusion until it was traded last year with 3,800 hours. To be fair, all the McCormicks over the years have trouble free.
Clever cab
Last July, McCormick launched its new and updated Clever Cab for its X7.6 and X8 tractor to its Irish dealers and customers at Gurteen Agricultural College. Pat attended the launch and was instantly impressed by what he had seen.
Features of the new cab include more headroom and an improved control layout. The standard mechanical cab suspension can be upgraded for a new semi-active cab suspension system.
Headroom has been increased by 76mm which in turn has helped contribute to the cab’s volume increase of 14%.
Visibility has also been improved as a result of a 14% increase in glass coverage. There is also an additional 120mm of seat travel.
McCormick claims that the Clever Cab offers a quieter working environment, with up to 66dB in VT models and up to 68dB in P-6 Drive powershift models.
“The extra space and visibility were the first two improvements I noticed that day in Gurteen. Now well into first cut, the new cab is much quieter to the extent that you nearly wouldn’t hear the baler running. I’ve had several farmers in the cab over the past weeks remark on how quiet it is,” Pat said.
To the rear of the cab, there is now a larger rear window, new rear mirrors and a new fender design, with new LED lights and fender controls for the rear PTO and lift, as well as hydraulic services. Pat noted that the larger window leaves for a much-improved view of the baler’s pickup.
The 360-degree lighting kit is another major upgrade he noted with the new cab.
In terms of controls, Pat says that everything is relatively unchanged in terms of the control armrest’s layout; he is well familiar by now with the tractor’s controls and the layout of the Italian firm’s terminal run screens.
After what was an extremely warm week just past, with temperatures in the high 20s, Pat noted that the cab does stay cooler, compared to the cab on his previous X7.690.
For the Clever Cab, McCormick has sourced Comfort Sky factory tinted glass panels which is proven to lower the cab temperature by up to 6°C during summertime.
New DSM Plus display
McCormick has now fitted a 12in tablet like digital dashboard alongside the standard 12in DSM Plus (Data Screen Manager Plus) touchscreen monitor. The updated cab brings about technology improvements and sees the GPS receiver integrated into the cab roof. It is also equipped with McCormick’s newly developed suite of management software for in-field operations and remote diagnostics.
However, given that Pat mainly uses the tractor for baling, he doesn’t have much requirement for all its onboard capabilities.
Engine and transmission
The X7.621 replaces the older generation X7.690, the previous model Pat owned. Both tractors feature an FPT N67 6.7l engine. To be completely technically correct, the X7.690 produces a maximum 225hp with boost, meanwhile the newer X7.621 boosts to 210hp. So far, Pat has found both tractors to offer an abundance of power for the Fusion 3 Plus baler.
The previous tractor was fitted with the P6-Drive ZF powershift transmission offering 30 forward speeds and 15 reverse speeds which could be controlled manually or automatically.
This time around Pat decided to opt for the VT-Drive Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) which he described as a super job for baling, purely down to the control over the tractor’s forward speed.
“I had got well used to the CVT in the JCB Fastrac 4220 and decided to give it a try this time around when buying the new McCormick and so far, it’s been a gift to operate,” Pat said.
The X7.621 VT-Drive is equipped with a ZF CVT unit, with four electronically managed stages, offering infinite speed adjustment from 0.04km/h to 50km/h.
The tractor has a 350 litre diesel tank which Pat says will be almost empty after a day’s work, baling just over 400 bales, which he is averaging at the moment.
All in all, he feels that however hard the tractor is running, fuel consumption is good. The tractor achieves 1,000rpm on the PTO, at an engine speed of 1,995rpm.
The X7.621 is equipped with a closed centre hydraulic system and offers up to 160l/min from its variable displacement pump. Maximum rear lift capacity is 9,300kg and a four speed PTO is offered as standard.
Verdict
“Since my first McCormick, I’ve found them a great tractor performance and reliability wise. Service too from Bryne’s is top class. The cab on the X7.690 was a little on the small size for a tractor of its size and was probably the main area for improvement, if I were to be fussy. It’s a much more comfortable place to be now, which I’ve noticed after the past few weeks, spending up to 12 hours in the cab.
“It’s a higher tractor than the last because it’s running on 710/60 R42 rear tyres, but at the same time it’s not a massive tractor for its horsepower and is very manoeuvrable.
“In terms of controls, everything is where you’d want it to be. Even outside the cab, the new controls on the rear mudguards are a well improved, so too is access in around the backend. While I wouldn’t be the most tech savvy, I find the terminal easily navigated. While I could go down the route of controlling the baler over Isobus, I rather use its own terminal so that I can see everything at a glance, along with all the cameras,” Pat noted.
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