On a visit to the Case IH factory in St Valentin, Austria, last week, the company introduced some new tractor models and gave its views about tractors for the future.

Case IH is part of the CNH Industrial Group, largely owned by the Fiat Auto company in Italy.

Under this arrangement, it shares some technological developments with New Holland, although New Holland as a brand is rarely mentioned at the Austrian headquarters of the Case IH and Steyr brands.

The Case IH operations for Europe, Middle East and Asia (EMEA) are controlled from St Valentin while the company builds tractors at various locations around the world.

The Case Puma, Maxxum and some of the Farmall models are built in Austria, which has been the home of the Steyr brand, now part of Case IH.

Steyr-branded tractors continue to be built at the factory where they account for less than 20% of the production.

Farmall C models

Case IH has upgraded the Farmall C range with a new, bigger and more efficient Fiat Power Train (FTP) engine and some minor cab changes.

This tractor range fits in between the smaller three-cylinder Farmall A range and the Farmall Pro models, with power from 58hp to 107hp from an upgraded 3.4-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine.

There are now six models in the Farmall C range, compared with three in the past.

This is the same engine as is used in the Farmall Pro models. This engine replaces a 3.2-litre engine from the previous Farmall C models to give slightly more power and Case IH claims it has better fuel economy.

Despite the new engines, the power outputs remain almost the same and Case IH claims that the engines give the tractors the ability to generate more power at lower engine speeds.

These Tier 4 engines are fitted with a cooled exhaust gas recirculation (CEGR), where exhaust gases are cooled, blended with fresh air and then returned to the cylinder. They are fitted with what is called a particulate matter catalyst.

When particulate matter contained in the exhaust gas passes through it, it is burned off.

It is claimed that this filter will never block due to the high flow of exhaust gas, and does not require regeneration.

This system requires no additional effort from the operator to activate the cleansing process and is claimed to be maintenance free.

The system has been designed to last the life of the product and extend the engine service intervals to 600 hours.

There are two bands in the Farmall C range. The Farmall 55C, 65C and 75C models come with a 12-forward 12-reverse speed gearbox and a 40km/h top speed.

The larger Farmall 85C, 95C and 105C models have a 20-forward and 20-reverse speed gearbox, also limited to 40km/h.

The tractors are fitted with a mechanical shuttle as standard with a power shuttle option. Top speed is 40 km/h, while a creep option allows speeds down to 123 metres per hour.

These are designed as livestock farmer tractors with a basic level of controls.

These are more compact tractors with a shorter wheelbase than the Farmall Pro models to give a tighter turning circle of 3.7 metres for work in farmyards.

These Farmall C tractors come with a flat-deck cab, providing a completely flat floor throughout the cab area. The cab roof comes with an integrated loader visibility window for optimum control of the front loader working area.

Tracks for Magnum

The Case IH Magnum tractors of the future could be fitted with tracks according to Christian Huber, managing director of the Case IH St Valentin factory and CNH head of tractor product development.

Speaking at St Valentin last week, he said that, as they know about the benefits of tracks from the success of the large Quadtrac tractor in North America, they are looking at the prospect of fitting rubber tracks to the Magnum tractors.

“We have looked at two-track systems and rear-track options for the Magnum but we have not decided yet on the approach to take,” said Christian. “We are considering the need to have a steering axle on the front, with the possibility of a steering-wheeled front axle used with rear tracks for the Magnums for the future,” he added.

Braking trailers the Case IH way

One of the new features for me on the trip to St Valentin was the Case IH braking system for the larger Maxxum and Puma models, about which I was not aware before. The tractors are 50km/h tractors and come with air braking as standard. One of the unique features of the braking system on the tractors is the ability to engage the trailer brakes in advance of the tractor brakes to give a form of retardation and protect the tractor brakes and transmission.

With an air brake trailer attached, it is possible to use the power shuttle control buttons to engage the air brakes on the trailer separately from the tractor brakes. You simply press the forward button on the power shuttle controller while engaging the foot brake pedals. This engages the air brakes on the trailer while disengaging the tractor’s own brakes.

This is a preferable stopping method to using the tractor brakes or using the power shuttle controller to bring the tractor and trailer to a halt. This latter method will stop the tractor and trailer, but will exert considerable pressure on the transmission at high speed and with a high load.

The use of the power shuttle button and foot brake to engage the trailer’s air brakes in advance gives better braking ability as the brakes on trailers should be rated for the trailer load, which is usually higher than the load or weight of the tractor itself.