Western Australian farmer, Will Nightingale, knew the moment the demonstration CLAAS AXION 960TT ripped through his field, that he was going to purchase the unit, and days later he received delivery of the same TerraTrac tractor.

Like many other properties in Western Australia, they are a cropping-based operation that produces canola, wheat, barley, lupin, and a little fallow. Accessing quality soil to sustain long-term productivity and growth was a challenge they faced to get a better crop yield.

“The difference was immediately noticeable. We were on the paddock ripping at a rate of 2-3km with our wheeled tractor before swapping to the TerraTrac demo unit, which managed 8km without any slip and greater traction. It completely outperformed my tired machine”, says Will.

Having liked the unit off the back of the demonstration, it was an easy decision. There was much less impact on the soil, and its tractive control and pull power (1860Nm max torque) solved some of the deep ripping challenges they were facing with a wheeled tractor.

Upon delivery, the AXION had completed 1,400 hours of demonstration work and the Tracs were worn from being utilised in a variety of demonstration situations. The integrity of the tracs were, however, exceptionally good even with prior heavy use. With no preconceived notion of just how long the tracs might have lasted, the trac longevity has outperformed Will’s expectations. Having now ticked over 3,500 hours, the machine is still handling well in its worn state. The track integrity is still high, and whilst they are now rather worn, there is still life in them yet. A new set remain ready in the shed to swap over when ripping commences in the upcoming summer season. The new set is expected to have an even longer life on-farm, having not been demonstrated at the outset.

Following the change to a tractive tractor, Will has been impressed by its versatility and performance. They are using their AXION to complete more tasks on-farm than other operational machines previously. Will comments that, ‘for a relatively small tractor, it punches above its weight’. The AXION 960TT handles seeding with ease. An AMAZONE ZATS three-point linkage spreader is effortless on the back, at a comfortable spreading speed of 30km per hour. Coupling this with the chaser bin, it handles it all without any drag.

“Quite a bit of weight is carried on the linkage, with the tracs being further back than a wheeled machine it probably helps quite a bit”, says Will.

Whilst fuel consumption was not a significant factor in his buying decision, another unexpected benefit of switching to the Trac model is that it has proven itself to be very fuel efficient.

“We have completed two seedings and have done this with half the fuel, averaging 30L/hr over 500 hours, it’s meant some unexpected cost savings”, he said. In addition, we have been surprised by the in-cab suspension, it’s way more comfortable than our other tractors, and we weren’t expecting that”, says Will. The crawler tracks’ patented geometry and intelligent suspension design achieve high ride comfort, and its capacity to hold fuel is 860L.

When asked what Will would say to someone facing a similar challenge, his response was – “The TerraTrac machine performance is very different, if you haven’t given it a try – you should’.

Having emigrated from the United Kingdom in 2003, Will first managed, and now share-farms the property outside of Northam.

The CLAAS AXION 960TT was Will’s first purchase with Landpower | CLAAS Harvest Centre, and the Northam branch has supported him well with after-sales advice and service.