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Climbing the three gently sloping steps into the compact yet bright cab, first impressions of this tractor are that it has been designed with loader work in mind. The one-piece windscreen stretches from the floor right up to the roofline. Instead of stopping there, another large glass panel fills the space directly above the drivers line of sight forwards.
Claas has obviously put a lot of thought into this as visibility to the wheels and the entire loader’s working arc is second to none provided the large glass area is kept clean.
You can follow the loader from ground level to full height with almost no need to strain your neck. On sunny days, a wide roof blind can be pulled forward which also houses the windscreen sun-blind. This took some substantial effort to move but then again you don’t want it rattling out of place when adjusted to where suits you.
Machinery editor Micahel Collins at the wheel of the Claas
On the driver’s right-hand side is an arm rest with integrated multifunction control lever. This has a number of functions such as rear linkage, gear change and pre-programmable switches. Conveniently, it also controls the loader which for a stock or dairy farmer doing a lot of loader work is a big bonus.
A yellow rotary dial under the driver’s thumb controls the 16x16 Quadrashift transmission. Rolling the dial slightly forward changes one of four speeds within one of the four A to D ranges.
Pushing further beyond the detent changes the range – very straightforward and works in the opposite manner when the dial is pulled back. The only quibble we had was sometimes we changed range when all we wanted was to change gear such was the lack of resistance in the dial.
We were told this would become more intuitive in time by the representative from Claas.
There is also a lot of gearbox automation possible on this tractor. Pre-programming start-up gear, take-off adjustment when changing from forward to reverse and fully automatic gear change are all possible. Rear linkage raise, lower and stop buttons are on the right of this lever.
Further afield
Beyond the armrest-mounted lever is a pretty straightforward side console. Colour-coded mechanical hydraulic control levers are easily pulled and pushed away from the driver with distinctive detents. There is a choice of three different hydraulic circuits: 60l/min is standard, with 98l/min and 110l/min optional.
A button on the right console diverts more oil to the front loader, which really speeds up loader cycle times. Rear linkage controls are set at a slight angle away from the driver which fall nicely into the driver’s hand. A blister panel on the B-pillar selects one of three PTO speeds: 540, 540E and 1,000rpm. All very well laid out.
Criticism
If we had any criticism of the cab it would be the bright grey colour scheme at floor level that would show up dirt pretty easily. Also, cab storage was a premium in this tractor. There was minimal space behind or to the side of the driver’s seat for tools or a nose bag. To address this, there is a small storage tray big enough for a few pens under the armrest and another beneath the padded passenger seat for a bottle.
In Claas’s defence, they have installed a toolbox on the right-hand side under the cab which is watertight. Access to this is by opening a small door which also gives access to the battery. This is good in terms of keeping tools out of sight of potential thieves and keeping them dry but would be much more convenient on the left-hand side.
Serviceability on the Arion fared well. An engine oil interval of 600 hours would see most farmers getting a full year between changes. However, an inverted oil filter had me thinking it could be a bit messy as some oil draining from the used filter would end up on the electrical harness underneath and on the ground. The one-piece bonnet lifted up easily out of the way. Access to almost all engine components was achieved without much clambering over the front wheels or loader that was fully lowered. The dipstick is short and also acts as the engine oil filler neck.
Cleaning the air filter and radiator pack on this tractor is made easy thanks to four gas struts that swing the coolers away from the radiator meaning blowing them out will more likely be done. Then engine air filter is positioned at the very front and was released by undoing four plastic clips. The transparent radiator coolant tank is squeezed in on top of the engine with inspection possible from ground level.
Walking around the rear of the tractor, we noted a few clever ideas to make this tractor pretty user-friendly. The rear axle oil level can be checked by looking at a sight glass beside the PTO. A heavy-weight drawbar lies in a cradle parallel to the right of the Dromone pickup hitch making storing it easier.
The linkage-balls have a dedicated rack to store them that’s nicely integrated above the windscreen washer bottle. Lastly, the cab air filter sits below the rear window and can be opened from ground level. All very well thought out.
Getting going
Firing up the 115hp 4.5-litre four-cylinder FPT (Fiat Powertrain Technologies) engine, we set about the various tasks that a tractor of this size would be expected to complete on a mixed farm. The tractor had plenty of power for the loader and was responsive, especially when the extra hydraulic flow was activated – this really speeded up bale handling and meant we got our work done that bit quicker around the farm.
The left-hand reverser and multifunction control lever are a good combination which work well together as the driver can keep one hand on the steering wheel at all times. When we attached it to the loaded dump trailer, the tractor wasn’t found wanting.
From our dynamometer test, we recorded a maximum PTO power of 112.5hp and 1,056Nm torque, which is impressive from a four-cylinder tractor. This tractor was tested on the 1,000rpm PTO shaft.
Implement and loader attachment
Once we got the hang of it, attaching the loader to this tractor was a straightforward affair. A multi-coupler takes care of the hydraulic hoses and electric cable. Two on-board legs carry the weight of the loader along with an attachment once off the tractor. Hydraulic self-levelling on this loader means irrespective of loader height, the attachment was kept level at all times which is useful say when stacking round bales in a shed.
However, one observation we did make of the loader was how close the plastic panel protecting the hydraulic valve inside the loader frame was to the front protective “bull-bars” as we reattached it. It could be easily caught and damaged. This is to be expected on a tractor of this size due to the nature of the restricted spaces it is likely to be found in where a compact package is key.
At the other end of the tractor, hooking up to a fertiliser spreader was a more-pleasant-than-expected affair. Both the left and right mudguards have switches to raise and lower the linkage arms along with PTO switches. Great specification on a small tractor.
The top-link holder was also straightforward to line up with the spreader. Another big help was the angling outwards of the hydraulic couplers towards the wheels. This made pushing in the hydraulic hoses a lot easier as we had more room to work.
One remark we did make here was the poor coverage the rear mudguards offered. The aforementioned switches were quickly covered with mud. Again, Claas said that mudguard extensions are available if required but do increase the width of the tractor which is designed primarily for yard work.
Conclusion
Claas has done its homework and has a good idea about what is needed in a loader tractor that also works as a general stockman’s tractor. Claas has delivered a well-thought-out, functional, powerful tractor ideally suited to working in confined spaces. Unfortunately, tractors in this segment often have little cab storage space. Designers must fit a lot of tractor into a small bundle, ultimately resulting in compromise in some areas. The Claas Arion 440 is not immune to this. These minor indiscretions aside, this is a tractor definitely delivering a big punch from a small package.
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