With just shy of 12,000 hours showing on his Massey Fergsuon 5455, Gerry Loughlin found himself in the market for a new tractor. After keeping a close eye on the secondhand market for over a year, Gerry said that he simply couldn’t find the right spec used 5712S.

“I looked at a lot of fresh secondhand tractors, but none of them had the right spec for me and the money was far too close to the price of a new tractor. When I thought about it, I said this will be the last tractor I’ll be buying so I said I might as well treat myself,” he explained.

Clocking up in excess of 1,000 hours a year means that the mixed beef and sheep Mayo farmer is definitely keeping the tractor busy. Aside from the work on his own farm, Gerry does some hire work for locals in the Kilmaine area.

“I’d handle a few thousand bales each year. For short draws I use a double bale handler on the back, while if the draw is long I’ve a trailer that will carry 17 bales,” he said.

“I also do a little spraying with a 15m mounted machine and do some topping with an 8ft disc mower. Anything to make a pound!”

This means neither Gerry nor the tractor are idle for too long.

Why Massey?

“I decided to stick with Massey because I really like them. I looked at and priced a John Deere but it was slightly more expensive and my heart is with Massey, I’ve had them right the way through the years including a 35, a 135, a 290, a 390 and the 5455,” explained Gerry. He noted that proximity to his local dealer, who sells Massey Ferguson, was another factor.

The low running costs of his previous tractor also played a large part in the decision. In 2009, Gerry gave €40,000 for a 2005 MF 5455 with 1,200 hours. He sold it earlier this year with 11,800 hours for €25,000. After clocking over 10,000 hours on the tractor himself, it only got two clutches, a battery and alternator and a water pump. All in all, Gerry said that its maintenance costs were €3,000 over the 10 years.

Engine and transmission

Moving from a 100hp tractor to a 120hp tractor meant Gerry was always going to notice the extra power. Since taking delivery at the end of July, Gerry has 350 hours put on the tractor.

“The tractor seemed to be very heavy on AdBlue for the first few weeks. However, this has since changed and one tank of AdBlue is now seeing out three tanks of diesel. Across its 350 hours, it’s averaged 5.5l of diesel per hour, which I think is very similar to the 5455,” he said.

Gerry’s tractor is fitted with a Dyna 4 transmission. He much prefers this to what was in his 5455.

“With the Dyna 4, I’ve a lot more options. My 5455 only had two torques while this tractor has four. I went for the 40km/h option, 50km/h on the roads around here would be far too hard on the tractor and the implement behind it,” he said.

Cab

Gerry really likes the cab in the 5712S.

“There’s a good wide door that offers loads of room for entering or exiting the cab. The sloped bonnet also means there’s super visibility. My previous MF 5455 had a straight bonnet so visibility was much more limited”.

He added that he’s fond of the multifunction joystick. This controls the forward and reverse shuttle, moving up and down through the torques and all front-end loader functions. Gerry joked that he doesn’t use the forward reverse shuttle, as he “was reared on a 135”.

The tractor came as standard with two spool valves, but Gerry opted for a third and since regretted not going for the fourth. The only issue he has with the cab is that he feels storage space is limited and there’s no bottle holder. He also doesn’t like the new lift dial, as it’s a little restricted compared to his previous 5455.

Manoeuvrability

Gerry’s own farmyard posed physical restrictions on the size of a tractor that he could buy. This, combined with the fact he also cleans out some sheds for locals meant that he was after a tractor that was nimble in tight spaces and had good visibility.

“When spec’ing out the tractor. I opted for the high flow hydraulic pump,” he said. The larger lifting capacity and the better steering lock means that Gerry doesn’t know himself with his new tractor.

“I also went for a larger loader this time. The new loader has a 3.8m reach and a 1.9t lifting capacity which is ample for me,” he added.

He opted to spec the tractor on Michelin tyres. “I would have loved to have gotten Goodyear tyres, but they weren’t on the market at the time. When I sold the 5455, it was on the original rear Goodyear tyres with a good 35% thread left after clocking up 11,800 hours,” he said.

“Overall, I’m very happy with the tractor. But it has one big fault, the price of it. You’d want a right good pension to pay for it!”