Tipperary contractor with a long-standing Deutz-Fahr connection

Brand loyalty has traditionally been strong in Ireland. In saying that, as dealers change, prices rise and brand competition increases, more and more farmers and contractors have been willing to look to the market in recent years. However, despite all this, no more than politics, some people just aren’t interested in changing colours.

We visited Norman Taylor on the Tipperary-Kilkenny border near Urlingford. Norman runs an agricultural contracting business alongside his tillage and beef enterprises. Deutz-Fahr tractors are at the heart of the operation, having been the brand of choice for the Taylor family now for four decades.

It was Norman Sr who initiated the long-standing relationship with Deutz-Fahr equipment with the purchase of a new Deutz DX 120 from the then local dealership and importer, IAM Machinery. Since then, Deutz as a brand has changed importers at a national level and several times through local dealers, but the Taylors have stayed loyal to the brand.

“We have always had Deutz tractors as long as I can remember. They have served us well over the years and we got to know the equipment very well. We liked the fact Deutz always used reliable powerful engines, while on the other hand the tractors were never too bulky. I suppose we liked the tractors and just stuck to what we knew. As they say, you don’t fix what’s not broken,” said Norman Jr.

History with Deutz

“The DX 120 my father bought new in the early 1980s was a brilliant tractor. We put 8,000-9,000 hours on it without a glitch. We liked it so much so that we bought a two-wheel-drive DX 90 with a front-end loader shortly afterwards, followed by a DX6.05. The DX 120 was then traded for a DX 650. This was a big step up, it was a tractor which was ahead of its time. We clocked over 10,000 hours on her.

“It was great powerful tractor with brilliant traction, but towards the end of her time here it began to give some gearbox trouble so we decided to trade it. We went to the local dealer, IAM. This was in 1996 and IAM had the last of the new DX 650s in stock. However, we were afraid of repeated gearbox trouble so they brought us into the showroom and showed us the first two new Agrotrons which were after arriving into the country.

“These were a complete new design of a tractor with a sloped bonnet, under which lied a water-cooled common rail engine. We took the plunge and bought the new Agrotron 645S. This particular tractor was a great servant for us, but they had a reputation of having poor brakes. This was later improved with the introduction of the MKII version a few years later,” said Norman.

The 645S Agrotron was traded for the 165 Agrotron which is in the present fleet. This brings us to Norman’s existing fleet which expands to five Deutz tractors and a Deutz combine. This is broken down to include a 135 Agrotron, a 165 Agrotron, a 165.7 Agrotron, an M650 Agrotron and the most recently added 6215 TTV. Meanwhile, the Taylors are now on their third Deutz combine, currently running a 6090 HTS which was purchased ahead of the 2020 harvest.

6215 TTV

In the summer of 2019, Norman was looking to add another tractor to his fleet. He decided to take a demo of a new 6215, the flagship model in the 6 Series. This tractor was a TTV version, meaning it was equipped with a continuously variable transmission. Despite taking a few days to get a feel for the change of transmission, Norman soon had his mind made up this was the route for him to go.

He said: “Up to the autumn of 2019, we only ever had powershift tractors. The thoughts of moving to a continuously variable transmission were always in the back of my head, but hearing the occasional horror story of the high cost when it comes to rebuilding the transmission would soon put me off again. However, after taking a demo of a new 6215 TTV, I decided to take the plunge”.

CVT v powershift

Norman took delivery of the new tractor in 2019. After over 2,000 hours of work, he has been more than happy with his decision to go down the line of a CVT.

“I now do the majority of the ploughing with the 6215 TTV. I really like it. When I’m in straight going, I plough in automatic mode, meaning the tractor will cut back engine revs to 1,400rpm, helping to save diesel. If it comes under sudden load, it doesn’t conk out. Instead, it will bring itself to a stop. Fuel consumption is averaging around 13l/h while ploughing with a Kverneland ES85 five-furrow reversible plough, a saving of five to six litres an hour over its powershift counterpart,” he explained.

However, Norman was quick to point out the same fuel saving isn’t visible when sowing corn. When not being used at tillage operations, the tractor is tasked with pulling a sizeable Krone ZX400 forage wagon (40m³). He noted that he very much prefers the CVT transmission over the powershift for operating the wagon.

“I feel the CVT is much easier on the tractor itself when the outfit is fully loaded. When your loading the wagon in the field and the pressure comes on, you can easily knock it back a little, rather than having to drop a gear which may be the case in a traditional power shift.

“With a gross load in the region of 30t, the CVT means there’s no clunking or jumping of the clutch, it’s just a simple, smooth takeoff. I’ve noticed a small fuel saving when driving the wagon, probably in the region of one litre per acre less than the power shift,” added Norman.

Features

The tractor is equipped with five electric spools to the rear and one to the front. Each spool can be configured to whichever controls desired through the computer. This is a feature Norman is very fond of. However, he was quick to note the usability of the computer could be improved.

The two larger models in the 6 Series (6205 and 6215) are the only tractors fitted with the new high-performance disc brakes on the front axle (positioned inside the hubs), alongside the traditional braking system. The capacity of these brakes to hold the tractor and a big load at their ease was one of the most impressive designs features that stood out for Norman.

While talking about brakes, the TTV models come as standard with an electronic parking brake. This automatic system acts on the rear brake discs to relieve any pressure from the pinion shaft. Once the driver leaves the seat, the handbrake will engage. Meanwhile, once the shuttle direction is activated, the handbrake will automatically disengage. When sowing corn, Norman uses the quick-steer function. This allows him to turn the tractor at the headlands in half the number of revolutions of the steering wheel. Once lined up again and ground speed surpasses 5km/h, this function disengages automatically.

For the 2021 season, Norman is intending on moving to GPS guidance and Isobus implement connectivity.

How does the newer Deutz compare to the older generations?

“Obviously, Deutz have improved the comfort and control layout as the years have progressed. You would feel a lot fresher getting out of the new tractor after a day’s work. Control layout was an area Deutz were lagging behind, but they have certainly came on in leaps and bounds in recent years. The computer on the new Deutz is probably still a little complicated compared to Fendt or John Deere.

The cab is now fitted with more glassware, meaning visibility has been improved, especially to the rear. The latest 6215 is the first Deutz where I can clearly see the first furrow of the plough when in operation. The older tractors in our fleet now have up to 14,500 hours clocked up and have been largely trouble-free.

"The only trouble I’ve got from the new tractor was to do to with the AdBlue system, notably corrosion building up inside the injector. Deutz stood over this, but you would hope the modern tractors will give the same service as the older ones did over the years,” concluded Norman.