Derek McMahon from Kilbeggin, Co Westmeath, runs a modern and up to date silage harvesting outfit with a classic twist. Drawing in from his meticulous Claas Jaguar 870 are three immaculate Case IH 1455XLs, keeping the Volvo L90 busy on the pit. From speaking to Derek, it is evident he is a passionate Case man with a particular love for the 1455XL model.

Workload

Derek’s three 1455XLs are maintained to the highest standard. It is difficult to comprehend that these classic machines are clocking up more hours than many new tractors at over 1,000 hours per year. This work is mainly haulage, being silage in the summer and on a low loader or dump trailers for the remainder of the year with some tillage work also being carried out.

Derek McMahon runs a fleet of classic Case 1455XLs.

The 1455XL are a good solid heavy tractor well capable of haulage work with no shortage of power, but most importantly they are an extremely reliable machine, very rarely letting me down

Maintenance

Derek and his father Mattie carry out all maintenance on his fleet of machinery. He emphasised that these tractors are serviced at regular intervals of every 400 hours.

They receive a full run-through to ensure they are in tip-top shape to avoid any downtime. Derek said: “The simplicity of these tractors makes it easy to carry out any maintenance or repair works.”

I put the question to Derek, in three words why do you have such a passion for the Case 1455XL? He responded with: “Power, weight and reliability.” Derek remarked: “The 1455XL are a good solid heavy tractor well capable of haulage work with no shortage of power, but most importantly they are an extremely reliable machine, very rarely letting me down.”

In addition, Derek commented on the fact these tractors are “misers” on diesel. They are fitted with 52.8 gallon tanks (199.8 L) and Derek remarked that these tractors will run for a day and a half while being worked hard.

I asked Derek if he could alter one thing from the production of these tractors what would it be? He responded: “It would have to be the installation of front axle suspension, although for their era they were a comfortable tractor.”

Derek has a significant collection of Case tractors ranging from vintage to the newly purchased Case Puma 200. Mattie operates this Puma 200 which drives butterfly Kvernealand mowers. Derek’s collection extends to three 1455xl’s, a 1255xl, a 956, a 5150.

1455XL fleet

The first of Derek’s 1455XLs was built in 1987. This tractor has been owned by Derek for over 20 years and was originally imported from the UK. This machine spent six years driving two different trailed harvesters, a JF 900 and a JF 1050, before being used for general work such as drawing in silage. To date, this machine has clocked up over 20,000 hours. The next tractor was also built in 1987 and has been owned by Derek for over 12 years. This machine has been used for drawing silage and pulling a dump trailer and has clocked up over 16,000 hours.

The final 1455XL was built in 1993 and is exposed to similar work conditions. Derek purchased this tractor seven years ago and to date has registered over 13,000 hours on the odometer. Going forward, Derek is adamant he has no intention of departing with these classic workhorses.

1455XL history

These Case IH 1455XL tractors replaced the comparable International Harvester 1455XLs which were in production from 1981 to 1985. The Case IH 1455XL tractors were in production from 1985 right up until 1996. This move from International to Case was due to the unification of the brands where the Case IH brand name was established. This unification witnessed the change in colour of the machine from the traditional International colours to the Case colours.

These tractors were built in Neuss, Germany. They were powered by an International Harvester DT-402 turbocharged six-cylinder diesel engine which comfortably put out 145hp. They were fitted with ZF transmissions with 12 forward and five reverse gears with a maximum forward speed of 40km/h. They were a relatively solid tractor weighing in at 6.42t.

Derek McMahon runs a fleet of classic Case 1455XLs.

It goes without saying that these Case IH 1455XL tractors are very well regarded and have become rather scarce across Ireland and the UK. In recent years, this particular model has become a collectible item. Less than a month ago we witnessed a 1987 Case IH 1455XL sold at an auction in Bedfordshire, UK, for £27,000 plus VAT. This particular tractor had 7,829 hours on the clock.

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