Calendar farming means cutting hedges in wetter land during the open period can prove challenging. We travelled to Athleague in Co Roscommon to catch up with agricultural contractors Tommy and Mikey Mulhern.
Their father Tom first purchased a hedge-cutter in the 1970s. Today, brothers Tommy and Mikey run three hedge-cutters and know all about the challenges posed by wet conditions. To help overcome this, they recently purchased a Cat Challenger tracked tractor. While the Challenger is generally regarded as a workhorse for pulling implements in straight lines for mostly tillage work, the duo have converted the machine to a hedge-cutting tractor.
The full cost of converting the tractor and hedge-cutter to a compatible unit was around €2,500 including VAT.
“During the winter, hedge-cutting is our game. The winters seem to becoming wetter and wetter and it can be difficult to get the hedges cut. In 2017, we hired out a digger and purchased a 1.2m flail head. We ran it for three months and it worked away very well, but it was much slower getting through the work compared to a tractor and hedge cutter. We felt we were losing a lot of time slewing. When it takes longer to do the job, it costs the farmer more.
“The following winter wasn’t as bad. We could work away with the tractors for the most part. However, the winter of 2019/20 was a disaster. We got through very little of our workload. This meant there were some of our customers which we hadn’t got a chance to cut all their hedges properly for two and three years. If we didn’t get in to cut them this season, these hedges would be getting too thick for the flail head.” 
Despite the tractor weighing in at 10t, Tommy is adamant that it’s much kinder on the ground than the 170/180hp wheel tractors he typically operates.
Tracked tractor
The difficult weather conditions had put the brothers thinking that there had to be another alternative to travel on ground without doing damage. The idea of purchasing a tracked tractor had been on their minds for a few years, but the winter of 2019/20 helped them make the decision.
“I thought hard about moving to a tracked tractor for many years. After the last winter, I said it’s now or never. I contacted Alistair Fingleton at Engine and Transmission Services in Kildare to source me a machine. My father bought our first ever loading shovel [a Cat] off Alistair’s father Jack years ago and we’ve had a good relationship ever since.
The tractor is equipped with a full power-shift transmission (16 forward and 9 reverse), which Tommy says suits the hedge-cutting nicely.
“I had seen a Cat Challenger in action years ago and was really impressed. As a result, I was intending on purchasing a Challenger or a Claas-branded machine. A few days later, Alistair called to say he had sourced a one-owner 1997 Cat Challenger 45 from a tillage farmer in Wexford. It was immaculate and had just 5,800 hours on the clock. A price was agreed and I took delivery of it a month ago.”
The tractor has a 1000 speed PTO output, while the PA7700T runs on 540RPM. To make it work, a new 750RPM gearbox was sourced and fitted
The conversion
To match up with the existing McConnel PA7700T, both the tractor and hedge-cutter needed a number of small modifications. First off was to put the lift arms back on to the Challenger. Tommy noted they were taken off upon delivery from new and never used. The tractor was only ever used for pulling a large disc harrow.
Manufactured in Illinois (US), the Challengers came with a 1,000-speed PTO output. Meanwhile, the PA7700T runs on 540RPM. Tommy wanted to leave the hedge-cutter in such a way that he could run it on one of his other tractors. With this in mind, a new 750RPM gearbox was sourced and fitted to the PA7700T.
The PA7700T is attached to the tractor’s three-point linkage and also via axle brackets. As he didn’t want to interfere with the hedge-cutter’s existing brackets, he had to fabricate axle brackets on the Challenger to suit. 
Axle brackets were fabricated for the Challenger, while the hedgecutter brackets were not modified.
The shorter distance between the tractor’s backend and the hedge-cutter meant the PTO shaft had to be cut a little shorter. A new half-shaft with splines to match the tractor’s PTO stub shaft also had to be sourced, along with a shorter toplink.
The axle brackets and gearbox change were carried out by a local firm Kenneth Kelly Engineering, while Tommy and Mikey also carried out some work themselves. The full cost of converting the unit was around €2,500 including VAT. 
A new half-shaft with splines to match the tractor's PTO stub shaft and a shorter top-link were sourced.
To get the most work done from each pass, the brothers decided to upgrade their existing 1.2m head with F10 flails for a new, larger 1.6m head with F14 flails. “The move to the larger head with the larger flail has made a massive difference. It means less travel over the ground, especially beneficial when things are a little wetter,” explained Tommy.
Tommy is very happy with visibility from the cab
Flotation
After three weeks of working his new setup in the fields in Co Roscommon, Tommy has seen a fair share of wet weather and challenging ground conditions. Despite the tractor weighing in at 10t, its weight is spread across two 10ft by 25in tracks. Tommy is adamant it’s much kinder on the ground than the 170hp/180hp wheeled tractors he typically operates. Obviously, this is down to the increased surface area of the tracks over the tyres.
“I’m very happy with how the project has worked out so far. The farmers I’ve cut for to date are very happy too. When moving in straight lines, the Challenger will beat a wheeled tractor for flotation hands down. The only thing to watch is when turning at the corners, you’ve to take it nice and easy or you will rip the ground,” explained Tommy.
The McConnel PA7700T has electric joystick controls
Functionality
Some people will think that running a 240hp (6.6l, six-cylinder) tractor on a hedge cutter is madness, but at the end of the day, like any decision, it comes down to horses for courses.
“The tractor has a 470l tank. It runs at 1,500rpm, which is solely for a bit of pep in the tracks. These days, I’m cutting for around eight to nine hours per day. At this rate of going, the tank last for around three-and-a-half days,” said Tommy.
The tractor is equipped with a full power-shift transmission (16 forward and 9 reverse).
The tractor is equipped with a full power-shift transmission (16 forward and nine reverse), which Tommy says suits the hedge-cutting nicely. As for the usability of such a machine, he has no complaints and says that visibility isn’t an issue. It has a maximum speed of 30km/h. Up to now, Tommy has driven it to an area, and cut all the hedges there, before moving to the next area. However, long term he intends to transport it on a low-loader, simply to minimise track wear.
“I bought the tractor solely with the intention of cutting hedges. Some guys have said I’m mad, but cutting hedges for us is a six-month season. Meanwhile, a self-propelled harvester nowadays is a massive investment and only works for two months.
“I’m not sure what we’ll use it for during the summer months, some guys have mentioned to us about working an umbilical system or subsoiling. We’ll see, time will tell.”
GET IN TOUCH
If you have a unique conversion project, feel free to get in touch at pkeaveney@farmersjournal.ie.
To get the most work done from each pass, Tommy upgraded his existing 1.2m head with F10 flails for a larger 1.6m head with F14 flails.
History of the Challenger
Challenger is a brand of tractors that was established in the late 1980s. The range was manufactured by Caterpillar in Illinois, US. Caterpillar offered a total of 17 different variations of the Challenger from the 65 model in 1986 up to its final introduction of four models (65E, 75E, 85E, 95E) in 2001.
Meanwhile, horsepower offerings ranged from the initial 270hp 65 machine right up the 410hp 95E. Caterpillar has used the same general style since about 1994. Challenger was later marketed in Europe under the Claas livery from around 1997, a number of which exist in Ireland. Caterpillar later sold the Challenger brand to AGCO in 2002. Today, Challenger continues as a brand under the AGCO umbrella and offers both tracked and wheeled type tractors. Earlier this autumn, AGCO demonstrated its latest Fendt-branded tracked tractors around the country.
"When moving in straight lines, the Challenger will beat a wheeled tractor hands down. The only thing to watch is when turning at the corners", said Tommy.
The spec
Production run: The Challenger 45 was manufactured from 1995 to 1998.
Manufactured: In Illinois, US.
Engine: Caterpillar 6.6L six-cylinder.
Horsepower: 240hp.
Transmission: power-shift (16 forward and nine reverse).
Forward speed: 30km/h.
Hydraulics: 118.1 litres/min.
PTO: 1,000-speed.
Weight: 10,296kg.
Fuel tank: 470l.
Calendar farming means cutting hedges in wetter land during the open period can prove challenging. We travelled to Athleague in Co Roscommon to catch up with agricultural contractors Tommy and Mikey Mulhern.
Their father Tom first purchased a hedge-cutter in the 1970s. Today, brothers Tommy and Mikey run three hedge-cutters and know all about the challenges posed by wet conditions. To help overcome this, they recently purchased a Cat Challenger tracked tractor. While the Challenger is generally regarded as a workhorse for pulling implements in straight lines for mostly tillage work, the duo have converted the machine to a hedge-cutting tractor.
The full cost of converting the tractor and hedge-cutter to a compatible unit was around €2,500 including VAT.
“During the winter, hedge-cutting is our game. The winters seem to becoming wetter and wetter and it can be difficult to get the hedges cut. In 2017, we hired out a digger and purchased a 1.2m flail head. We ran it for three months and it worked away very well, but it was much slower getting through the work compared to a tractor and hedge cutter. We felt we were losing a lot of time slewing. When it takes longer to do the job, it costs the farmer more.
“The following winter wasn’t as bad. We could work away with the tractors for the most part. However, the winter of 2019/20 was a disaster. We got through very little of our workload. This meant there were some of our customers which we hadn’t got a chance to cut all their hedges properly for two and three years. If we didn’t get in to cut them this season, these hedges would be getting too thick for the flail head.”
Despite the tractor weighing in at 10t, Tommy is adamant that it’s much kinder on the ground than the 170/180hp wheel tractors he typically operates.
Tracked tractor
The difficult weather conditions had put the brothers thinking that there had to be another alternative to travel on ground without doing damage. The idea of purchasing a tracked tractor had been on their minds for a few years, but the winter of 2019/20 helped them make the decision.
“I thought hard about moving to a tracked tractor for many years. After the last winter, I said it’s now or never. I contacted Alistair Fingleton at Engine and Transmission Services in Kildare to source me a machine. My father bought our first ever loading shovel [a Cat] off Alistair’s father Jack years ago and we’ve had a good relationship ever since.
The tractor is equipped with a full power-shift transmission (16 forward and 9 reverse), which Tommy says suits the hedge-cutting nicely.
“I had seen a Cat Challenger in action years ago and was really impressed. As a result, I was intending on purchasing a Challenger or a Claas-branded machine. A few days later, Alistair called to say he had sourced a one-owner 1997 Cat Challenger 45 from a tillage farmer in Wexford. It was immaculate and had just 5,800 hours on the clock. A price was agreed and I took delivery of it a month ago.”
The tractor has a 1000 speed PTO output, while the PA7700T runs on 540RPM. To make it work, a new 750RPM gearbox was sourced and fitted
The conversion
To match up with the existing McConnel PA7700T, both the tractor and hedge-cutter needed a number of small modifications. First off was to put the lift arms back on to the Challenger. Tommy noted they were taken off upon delivery from new and never used. The tractor was only ever used for pulling a large disc harrow.
Manufactured in Illinois (US), the Challengers came with a 1,000-speed PTO output. Meanwhile, the PA7700T runs on 540RPM. Tommy wanted to leave the hedge-cutter in such a way that he could run it on one of his other tractors. With this in mind, a new 750RPM gearbox was sourced and fitted to the PA7700T.
The PA7700T is attached to the tractor’s three-point linkage and also via axle brackets. As he didn’t want to interfere with the hedge-cutter’s existing brackets, he had to fabricate axle brackets on the Challenger to suit.
Axle brackets were fabricated for the Challenger, while the hedgecutter brackets were not modified.
The shorter distance between the tractor’s backend and the hedge-cutter meant the PTO shaft had to be cut a little shorter. A new half-shaft with splines to match the tractor’s PTO stub shaft also had to be sourced, along with a shorter toplink.
The axle brackets and gearbox change were carried out by a local firm Kenneth Kelly Engineering, while Tommy and Mikey also carried out some work themselves. The full cost of converting the unit was around €2,500 including VAT.
A new half-shaft with splines to match the tractor's PTO stub shaft and a shorter top-link were sourced.
To get the most work done from each pass, the brothers decided to upgrade their existing 1.2m head with F10 flails for a new, larger 1.6m head with F14 flails. “The move to the larger head with the larger flail has made a massive difference. It means less travel over the ground, especially beneficial when things are a little wetter,” explained Tommy.
Tommy is very happy with visibility from the cab
Flotation
After three weeks of working his new setup in the fields in Co Roscommon, Tommy has seen a fair share of wet weather and challenging ground conditions. Despite the tractor weighing in at 10t, its weight is spread across two 10ft by 25in tracks. Tommy is adamant it’s much kinder on the ground than the 170hp/180hp wheeled tractors he typically operates. Obviously, this is down to the increased surface area of the tracks over the tyres.
“I’m very happy with how the project has worked out so far. The farmers I’ve cut for to date are very happy too. When moving in straight lines, the Challenger will beat a wheeled tractor for flotation hands down. The only thing to watch is when turning at the corners, you’ve to take it nice and easy or you will rip the ground,” explained Tommy.
The McConnel PA7700T has electric joystick controls
Functionality
Some people will think that running a 240hp (6.6l, six-cylinder) tractor on a hedge cutter is madness, but at the end of the day, like any decision, it comes down to horses for courses.
“The tractor has a 470l tank. It runs at 1,500rpm, which is solely for a bit of pep in the tracks. These days, I’m cutting for around eight to nine hours per day. At this rate of going, the tank last for around three-and-a-half days,” said Tommy.
The tractor is equipped with a full power-shift transmission (16 forward and 9 reverse).
The tractor is equipped with a full power-shift transmission (16 forward and nine reverse), which Tommy says suits the hedge-cutting nicely. As for the usability of such a machine, he has no complaints and says that visibility isn’t an issue. It has a maximum speed of 30km/h. Up to now, Tommy has driven it to an area, and cut all the hedges there, before moving to the next area. However, long term he intends to transport it on a low-loader, simply to minimise track wear.
“I bought the tractor solely with the intention of cutting hedges. Some guys have said I’m mad, but cutting hedges for us is a six-month season. Meanwhile, a self-propelled harvester nowadays is a massive investment and only works for two months.
“I’m not sure what we’ll use it for during the summer months, some guys have mentioned to us about working an umbilical system or subsoiling. We’ll see, time will tell.”
GET IN TOUCH
If you have a unique conversion project, feel free to get in touch at pkeaveney@farmersjournal.ie.
To get the most work done from each pass, Tommy upgraded his existing 1.2m head with F10 flails for a larger 1.6m head with F14 flails.
History of the Challenger
Challenger is a brand of tractors that was established in the late 1980s. The range was manufactured by Caterpillar in Illinois, US. Caterpillar offered a total of 17 different variations of the Challenger from the 65 model in 1986 up to its final introduction of four models (65E, 75E, 85E, 95E) in 2001.
Meanwhile, horsepower offerings ranged from the initial 270hp 65 machine right up the 410hp 95E. Caterpillar has used the same general style since about 1994. Challenger was later marketed in Europe under the Claas livery from around 1997, a number of which exist in Ireland. Caterpillar later sold the Challenger brand to AGCO in 2002. Today, Challenger continues as a brand under the AGCO umbrella and offers both tracked and wheeled type tractors. Earlier this autumn, AGCO demonstrated its latest Fendt-branded tracked tractors around the country.
"When moving in straight lines, the Challenger will beat a wheeled tractor hands down. The only thing to watch is when turning at the corners", said Tommy.
The spec
Production run: The Challenger 45 was manufactured from 1995 to 1998.
Manufactured: In Illinois, US.
Engine: Caterpillar 6.6L six-cylinder.
Horsepower: 240hp.
Transmission: power-shift (16 forward and nine reverse).
Forward speed: 30km/h.
Hydraulics: 118.1 litres/min.
PTO: 1,000-speed.
Weight: 10,296kg.
Fuel tank: 470l.
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