Reviews, Tractors

Review: Case IH Farmall JXM tractor

We got the first taste of the new Farmall JXM and came away impressed by the practical all-rounder

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The Farmall range of tractors has been a staple of the Case IH brand for 95 years. It’s an icon, and for farmers across the globe the Farmall has been a trusty workhorse, tasked with anything and everything on the farm.

But a new generation of Farmall has arrived – the JXM – joining the likes of the Farmall B, JX, C and U, and Farms & Farm Machinery was given an exclusive first look and test drive before its big debut at this year’s AgQuip field days.

You won’t see any fancy gizmos or GPS monitors on the Farmall JXM, but what you do get is a hardy all-round tractor that will complement hobby farmers or your smaller-operation farmer looking to include a utility tractor for more general-purpose work.

ENGINE

I’ll let it be known early, the 90hp JXM was a blast to drive. Starting with the engine, the JXM 75hp offers a 2.9-litre turbocharged and intercooled three-cylinder FPT, while the 90hp variant (which we drove) has the 3.9-litre, four-cylinder option.

She’s not going to set any land speed records, but a maximum road speed of 34.5km/h isn’t too shabby. And the four-cylinder FPT engine on the 90hp JXM was grunty, providing ample power as we bummed around a paddock out in Gatton, Queensland.

Servicing the FPT will be a breeze thanks s to the efficient one-piece bonnet that is opened by a press of a button.

Gatton is some of the best farming country in the state, with many vegetable farms just down the road from our test site, which had me thinking that the 90hp JXM wouldn’t look out of place at one of these operations; something that was echoed by Case IH Australia New Zealand product manager Seamus McCarthy.

“Yes, definitely,” McCarthy says. “It also has the benefit of having a creeper transmission, for when you really need to get down to those low speeds in operations like vegetable farming.”

The new Case IH JXM tractor
The 90hp JXM is grunty

TRANSMISSION

The transmission we used was the basic 12×12 mechanical synchroshuttle, but the JXM series does offer a 20×20 synchroshuttle transmission with creeper options, or a 24×24 mechanical synchro synchroshuttle transmission with a splitter. While our machine didn’t offer the creeper gear, it was still obvious that this was a jack-of-all-trades kind of machine.

The 12×12 synchro box was perfectly fine. The JXM has a hand throttle and foot throttle – while relatively stock-standard on tractors, personally I find you either prefer one or the other, but strangely enough both are convenient. I found myself switching between the two without favouring or disliking either. Thumbs up there for the JXM.

But the real winner on the JXM is its hydraulic powershuttle. If you’ve got a loader on the front – which we did – the powershuttle will make loader work extremely easy when you’re repetitively driving forward and reverse.

In regards to the PTO, both the 75hp and the 90hp models receive 540/540E PTO speeds. For the hobby farmer, I couldn’t see you needing anything more than the 12×12 box. It’s very simple to use, with a quality clutch. For farming operations such as vegetable farming or operations with cattle I’d definitely suggest the transmission with the creeper.

 

HYDRAULICS 

The JXM offers two remotes as standard with an option of a third. In terms of the hydraulics system itself, it offers 60L/min flow which will cover most implements. While we didn’t attach anything to the 90hp JXM, Case IH is confident that the JXM’s power and hydraulic flow will comfortably pull a small plough, hoe or even a small square baler.

The JXM also comes with a three-point hitch capable of lifting and handling implements up to 2,500kg which is pretty impressive for a utility tractor. Hydraulic controls and levers are placed on your right-hand side.

The few from the driver seat
The Farmall JXM driver seat sits quite high

 

OPERATOR COMFORT

The first thing you’ll realise when jumping aboard the JXM is how high you sit. For a value-line product, Case IH hasn’t shafted us in terms of the materials.

They’re never going to be Magnum series standard, but they’re certainly quality for the price you’ll pay: a comfortable seat; a quality dash; same goes for the handle throttle and powershuttle which I mentioned before.

However, while you get  fantastic visibility by sitting up high, my only criticism of the JXM would be the space between you and a few of the controls positioned on its flat deck floor. It’s a bit of a stretch for my little arms, but I’m really only nit-picking there. I’d rather where they are then cramped around me.                                                                       
          

VERDICT

Case IH has a reason to be excited by the newest member of the Farmall family. It’s put together a fun, well-built utility tractor from the company’s Indian manufacturing plant. It’s proven itself overseas so why shouldn’t it work here?

Like McCarthy says, Case IH has always had tractors of this horsepower range but they’ve always come with a premium price tag.

“We’re hoping it satisfies a lot of customer needs and we’re looking forward to getting out onto the market and looking forward to the opportunities the JXM will provide.”

The JXM is for the value-line customer who wants a basic tractor with a lot of capability “without burning a hole in the pocket” – when deliveries commence early next year I’m sure the Case IH JXM series will be a hit.


Specs
 

Case IH JXM 90hp:

Engine                                               FPT (Iveco S8000), Tier 3, 3.9-litre four-cylinder

Rated engine power                          90hp

Transmission                                     12×12 mechanical synchroshuttle

Torque                                                350Nm

Hydraulic Flow                                   60L/min (rated)

Three-point Linkage                           2,500kg

Rear remotes                                      3

Fuel tank capacity                             90 litres

Ground Clearance                               415mm

PTO                                                      540/540E

Video: Sean Lander

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