Derrin Hill Ltd is a spring and winter crop tillage enterprise run by Willie Morrin alongside his father Liam based in Enfield, Co Meath.

Aside from tillage farming, heavy haulage is an industry the Morrins have been involved in for a long number of years with two trucks on the road moving predominantly track machines from site to site.

Willie explained that the haulage work suits his farming enterprise well given the fact he’s not required to be about the farm on a daily basis. Last year, Willie took delivery of two new Massey Ferguson 8S.265 Exclusive spec tractors.

Background

The Morrins’ tractor history has strong Ford and New Holland roots, dating as back as far as Fordson Majors. Willie believes that New Holland hasn’t since built a tractor to match the quality of the TM series and what came before it.

“The last New Hollands we owned were TMs and a T7050. Taking into account the size difference, between the two, the TM was much heavier built. The T7050 just never seemed to grip as well either. Thats said, it performed well on the PTO when I ran it on butterflies”, he said.

After moving away from New Holland, the Morrins kept Claas tractors for a stint from 2009 until 2018. They started out with a new Axion 820 and Axion 640 which proved better tractors to grip, Willie pointed out.

In 2015, a new Claas Arion 650 and Axion 830 arrived. Again, Willie couldn’t fault either of the Claas tractors throughout his ownership having been well tested ploughing, tilling and sowing as well as baling and spreading fertiliser. The Morrins tend to opt for two versatile tractors capable of all jobs instead of one small and one large tractor.

The move to Massey

By 2018, Willie made it the decision to trade in the Arion 640. He and his father decided to price Massey Ferguson among the other brands. A new 7718S was later bought and later Willie traded in his two Claas machines for a 7722S and a 7724S, both with Dyna-6 transmissions.

“The difference in price between brands was too much to ignore. We did a deal for two full-spec Exclusive models with all the bells and whistles including LED lights.”

Willie said they performed well during his ownership. The only downside to the 7700S series was the outdated cramped cab and control layout. But once he heard Massey was working on a new range of 8S tractors, he decided to trade his 7722S and 7724S tractors and order two new 8S models before the first one had even arrived into Ireland.

Willie’s reason for acting fast on this was to avoid any potential drop in value of his 7700Ss once official word on the 8S had been announced. A deal was later struck on two top-spec 8S.265 Exclusive models.

“We had full GPS auto steer kits fitted to both tractors. We went for the largest models within the range for the comfort of the additional 45hp and 65hp. The chassis is unchanged in size across the series so we thought we’d go for the flagship 8S2.65 models knowing they’d be working at their ease. Dad always said, ‘when it comes to power you’re better looking at it rather than for it’, so we opted for the 8S.265 Dyna-7 models anyway.”

Engine and transmission

The 8S range has a marginally longer wheel base of 3.05m (it was 3.00m on the older large frame 7700S models). Under the bonnet, the 7.4l Agco Power engine remains, albeit in Stage V form.

Willie never found any fault with the engines in the previous Masseys. The 8S models also benefit from the additional Engine Power Management (EPM) 20hp power boost which engages during transport, PTO and hydraulic applications.

When buying the two new tractors, Willie decided to opt for the Dyna-7 gearbox as opposed to the new Dyna-E Power option as he’s always liked the Dyna-6 powershift transmission and felt it was a safer bet. The Dyna-7 semi-powershift transmission is essentially a revised Dyna-6 unit with an extra powershift. It offers four ranges with seven powershifts totalling 28 forward and reverse speeds.

Automatic shift aggressiveness and auto shift speed can be adjusted to the required work conditions. Willie noted that the Dyna-7 transmission provides plenty of gear selection and does all he asks of it.

Cab

Having moved from the 7700Ss tractors, Willie noted that the cab is a massive step forward for visibility and quietness. Some of this quietness he puts down to the large gap between the cab and the engine.

Visibility along the bonnet has improved due to the way in which it tapers off, he said, noticeable especially when working with the front linkage.

The quality of material inside the cab has improved greatly with less hard plastics and more aluminium. The new MultiPad joystick and Control Centre armrest bring about much more customisability than before.

The assignable F buttons can be used for a host of different functions from turning on lights to answering the phone. All of these buttons and features are assigned through the screen.

Willie was quick to point out how much easier the new 9in Datatronic terminal is to navigate compared to the terminal in his previous 7722S and 7724S. The pickup hitch, for example, is much easier to operate than it was previously. Visibility of the pickup hitch is aided by a reversing camera although resolution is quite poor.

“One of the only faults I’d see with the cab is the lack of storage and lack of places to mount a toolbox. It’s always good to have somewhere to store tools. I hate storing tools on the cab floor. When I have a bit more time to spare I intend on taking the time to maybe mount a tool box on the right-hand steps.”

Verdict

All in all, Willie and his father Liam are impressed by the 8S tractors. “For a long time the 7700S cab had been outdated. It was one of the main areas holding the series back. It was cramped and it was like some controls such as electric spools were an afterthought when it came to their positioning.

“The 8S cab is a major leap forward. The difference is like night and day going from one of the most dated on the market to one of the most spacious and quiet.

“The updated control arm and terminal too is more intuitive and much easier to use. All buttons, even those controlling the radio and air conditioning, are now accessed through the control arm and terminal meaning all is at your fingertips.

“In terms of physical size, the 8S is a larger tractor compared with the 7700S but I’d say they’re every bit as manoeuvrable. I wouldn’t hesitate putting a baler on it. Comparing the 8S to our previous Claas Axion 830, it feels much more manoeuvrable.

“In all honesty I hadn’t intended changing the 7700S so soon until I’d heard about the 8S. So far I’m impressed with how they’re performing and expect them to stay about for a good number of years.

“WBD Farm Machinery have been great from a service point of view too and have been quick to sort out any issue,” Willie said.

? Likes

• Control layout.

• Cab space.

• Manoeuvrability.

? Dislikes

• Fuse box relay issue.

• Lack of external storage.

Spec

Engine: 7.4l Agco Power six-cylinder.

Horsepower: 265hp (285hp with EPM boost).

Transmission: Dyna-7 semi-powershift (28F x 28R).

Hydraulic capacity: Closed centre load sensing 205l/min.

Lift capacity: 10,000kg rear, 4,800kg front.

Fuel tank capacity: 460l.

AdBlue tank capacity: 43l.

Weight: 8,700kg.

List Price: €242,000 plus VAT.