McCormick exhibit new x50 tractor series at LAMMA

The McCormick X50.50 Power Plus exhibited on the LAMMA show stand of GB distributor AgriArgo UK is the most powerful of four new McCormick X50 Series tractors due to become available to farmers in Spring this year.

With power outputs spanning 85hp to 113hp, the tractors are the first anywhere to be powered by the all-new Perkins 850 Series compact four-cylinder diesel engine.

This 3.4-litre unit may have a smaller swept volume than the 4.5-litre Perkins 1104 series engine used in the McCormick T-Max series that the newcomers will replace. But that certainly does not put the X50 models at a disadvantage.

“The high density power and torque output of this efficient engine should make the X50 a lively performer,” says product specialist Paul Wade of AgriArgo UK. “You only have to look at the torque figures for the 113hp version to see that it is more than a match for the 1104 series engine used at present.”

With a peak output of 450Nm, the Perkins 854E-E34TA engine has a 9% torque advantage over the motor it replaces; yet Perkins engineers also report fuel savings of typically 8%.

Both advances come from improvements in combustion efficiency achieved to help meet the Euro Stage 3B / US Tier 4i emissions rules. In addition, an electronically-controlled fuel injection system with high pressure common rail distribution to the injectors provides precise metering and fine atomisation to achieve as clean a burn as possible.

The process of meeting emissions limits is completed by passing the exhaust gases through a particulate filter and oxidation catalyst contained in a single housing and installed neatly beneath the hood – another advantage of the new engine’s compact size.

The filter, which removes at least 90% of all ‘soot’ particles, is self-cleaning under normal operating cycles but has an active regeneration mechanism for times when the tractor is used repeatedly for duties that impose only a light load on the engine. Physical servicing may occasionally be required but not for at least 3000hrs of operation.

The new McCormick X50 tractors will come with a flexible choice of transmissions using either a synchro or power shuttle for forward/reverse selection, and with a three-speed powershift option on the top-spec transmission.

Thanks to the four-post cab design, operators will get excellent all-round visibility as well as wide doorways making it easy to repeatedly jump on and off the machine. A new instrument panel provides a clear view of essential information.