While Tumosan may be one of the newer tractor brands in the Irish market, back home in Turkey where the tractors are manufactured, the brand, based on original Fiat tractor designs, is ranked second in the market to New Holland.

For Tumosan, Ireland is their first European market and their first door in Europe – it is so important for them.

Recently, I went to Turkey with Ireland’s Tumosan importer Michael Brogan to see the company, its tractor production operations and assess the brand potential.

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Turkey is one of the world’s biggest tractor markets with annual sales of more than 60,000 tractors in recent years. The Tumosan brand was originally a state-owned tractor company established to build engines some 36 years ago.

It was bought by the Albayrak Group, a family-run business, in a state privatisation programme in 2004. Back then, the tractor designs were based on those of the slightly older generation Fiat tractors.

That design still remains in the Classic versions of the Tumosan range to this day.

For Tumosan, their success has been based on their ability to manufacture their own Fiat design engines. The tractor factory, located in Konya in central Turkey, has the capacity to produce a finished engine every 10 minutes.

In practice, the current production level is closer to 50 per day and that’s only marginally ahead of their tractor production figures of about 45 tractors per day.

The company buys in engine blocks and cylinder heads and machines them at the factory with Italian-sourced machine tools, part of the original Fiat licence legacy of the state ownership times.

After machining, parts are added from well-known brand name component suppliers such as Stanadyne injectors, Lucas and Magnetti Marelli electrics and Bosch fuel pumps.

Each engine is then tested on a test bed at different engine speed levels for 90 minutes before being passed on the tractor assembly line. The engines are tested for power, torque and fuel economy across the rpm ranges.

The company assembles its own gearboxes on site at Konya and these are connected to the engines and the bought-in fully assembled tractor cabs on the assembly lines. Like the engines, each gearbox is tested before assembly.

At the end of the tractor assembly line, each tractor is test-driven and assessed for faults. The tractors are tested by experienced drivers rather than by computer measurement of the engine, gearbox, hydraulics or braking features.

We visited the engine machining and assembly area as well as the tractor assembly lines, but were not in the gearbox assembly area or the painting section. We got an opportunity to see the new Tumosan Maxima tractor that was featured in last week’s Journal and it is impressive in terms of size and features.

Tumosan in Ireland

The first Tumosan tractors were imported into Ireland in 2001 by Curley Tractors, Kiltormer, Co Galway, a company that was formerly a Universal tractor importer and before that imported the Steyr tractor range. Michael Brogan Tractor Sales, based at Cloghan, Co Offaly, brought his first models to Ireland in 2002.

Michael and Joan Brogan then established Tumosan Tractors Ireland Ltd in November 2011 and that company was appointed as the Irish agents. This company operated side-by-side with Michael Brogan Tractor Sales which was a significant Zetor and used tractor dealer. Michael Brogan Tractor Sales was wound up in March of this year, while Tumosan Tractors Ireland Ltd, with Michael and Joan Brogan as the sole directors, continues as the Tumosan tractor importers for Ireland and Britain.

Since 2001, Michael Brogan estimates that there are about 130 Tumosan tractors working on Irish farms. Tumosan Tractors Ireland Ltd is currently establishing a dealer network with the help of Bobby Bolger, formerly of Zetor Ireland.

Tumosan tractor range

Tumosan produces tractors between 48hp and 95hp in two different product ranges known as the Classic and New Series. The Classic range resembles the older Fiat models, both in terms of design and colour.

The New Series models have more modern cabs, and are built around the same chassis and gearbox, while the new bigger Maxima models come with an even newer cab and overall styling.

Tumosan tractors are equipped with three-cylinder and four-cylinder Tumosan 3D 29T and 4D 39T engines with Stage/Tier 3b emission levels all of which are turbo-charged and fitted with intercoolers.

There is a range of gearbox options including 8F 2R, 8F 8R, 12R 3R, 12R 12R and a new 16F 16R gear option will be available in the future.

The Classic models are now available with a 12 x 12 gearbox with a side position gear lever arrangement and a mechanical forward and reverse system.

The Classic design model range will be expanded with the arrival of a new Classic 105 model in the coming months.

Tractor prices start from €18,500 including VAT for the entry level 4100 series models and rise to €36,500 including VAT for the top of the range 105hp 8105 model and all come with a two-year guarantee. They have a two-speed PTO, either 540 at 2,210rpm or 540E at 1,590rpm, but don’t have a 1,000rpm pto speed.

Tumosan has ambitious plans

The Albayrak Group family, owners of Tumosan tractors, have ambitions for the emerging Turkish tractor brand. The current three- and four-cylinder tractor engines are all Tier 3b approved.

Kurtulus Ogun, general manager at Tumosan Tractors, told the Journal that they are planning on having Tier 4 engines in their tractors by 2015. At this stage, they are expecting that this will be an AdBlue-based system using selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology, but they believe that new non-AdBlue options will soon emerge to give other equally effective choices, as he believes that the AdBlue system will not be successful in farming. With the arrival of Tier 4 engines, Tumosan will increase its market penetration into Europe. For the present, Ireland is still the only EU country where the tractors are sold.

Kurtulus Ogun confirmed that the new Tier 4 engine designs are being tested at present in Germany. The company’s new design six-cylinder diesel engine that it is planning to manufacture is also undergoing testing. This bigger engine will be used for a range of other applications and will be the power source for a possible range of self-propelled machines other than tractors. These could include a more cost effective cotton picker and a self-propelled sprayer range.

He said that Tumosan has plans with over $60m in cash reserves within the company to produce these new machines in the near future. Tumosan expects to produce its own machine ranges rather than buying another company.

He confirmed that Tumosan is also in talks with other tractor companies in Europe for the supply of engines. Tumosan confirmed that it is in talks with former Massey Ferguson licence holder IMT Tractors, based in Serbia, and Belarus Tractors, based in Ukraine, about supplying them with its new generation diesel engines.