Power upgrades on Claas’s Axion tractor range show the manufacturer has the high end of the Australian market firmly in its sights
Tractor manufacturer Claas has used a dealer and customer conference in Melbourne to declare its intention of making a bigger impact in the high horsepower market.
Claas, through its Landpower and Claas Harvest Centre networks, said it was serious about being involved in the high-end of the Australian tractor market and showed off upgrades to its Axion 900 series units.
The upgrades provide an increase in horsepower and torque with the Tier 3 FPT engine and boast a new transmission, among a host of features.
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A variety of upgrades to the Claas Axion 950 were announced at a recent conference
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The biggest model in the range – the Axion 950 – has seen a power increase from 410hp (306kW) to 423hp (315kW) and has an extra 110Nm of torque, going from 1,650Nm to 1,760Nm.
Claas has added reinforcements to the front axle to improve reliability in heavy duty conditions, as well as increasing its serviceability with greaseable pivots and improving the steering force.
The Axion 950 also features a 30cm CEBIS touchscreen with increased brightness and a new navigation system, plus features such as a tinted rear window and newly designed steering wheel to improve the operator experience.
One Claas customer at the conference, Andrew Kluck from Goondiwindi in Queensland, has owned four Axion 950s for broadacre grain farming.
“To change from what we were using to Claas was a pretty big step for us, but the service from Claas was just outstanding,” he says.
“It comes down to probably the transmission and engine, how they’re just so in sync with each other.
“You just get the power to the ground, you get the fuel efficiency out of it, it’s just effortless, which is totally different to anything else.
“Everything comes down to time really, how long it takes to plant paddocks or spray paddocks or fertilise, so when you’ve got an efficient machine, you’re doing things a certain percentage quicker. That’s why we’ve kept on going with Claas for that reason. Everything just works.
“Everyone that drives them loves them for the ride and the smoothness you get out of it.
“You can set up in another tractor to do exactly the same job, it will be revving higher engine revs.
“These Claas tractors will be half the engine revs, using less fuel and doing exactly the same job so it’s just a win-win.”
The move follows Claas introducing the Axion Terra Trac to the Australian market last year.
Also on display in Melbourne at the conference, the 930 and 960 Terra Trac has front wheels and rear tracks.
It was described by Claas during last year’s launch as “the world’s first fully suspended halftrack tractor”.