Martin Hayden along with his father Ned and brother Thomas run a haylage business alongside a growing agri plant hire and contracting business on the outskirts of Thurles, Co Tipperary. The business has strong pedigree running tractors from the CNH family. “In the past we’ve had Steyr, Fiat and in more recent times New Holland and Case IH.” After expanding the business, buying a second digger and a McHale Fusion 3 baler, there was a need for another tractor.

Martin Hayden, Thurles, Co Tipperary.

Why Case IH?

Having heard about the ActiveDrive 8 transmission Case IH launched last year, Martin was interested in learning more about the dual clutch, eight-step semi powershift system. He drove a four-cylinder Maxxum 145 fitted with the transmission at an event in Kildalton and was impressed: “I knew this was the transmission for me. It was the major selling point.” At this point the transmission was only available on the four-cylinder Maxxum models, the 145 being the largest model with it fitted.

Martin opted for front linkage in the hope of running a front- and side-mounted mower in the future.

Martin wanted a six-cylinder tractor given the nature of his work, moving his 13t diggers from job to job, pulling the 3,500 gallon slurry tanker and Fusion baler. Reliability of previous Case IH tractors and the service provided by his local dealer were factors in choosing the Maxxum also. So he traded in his CS 105: “The CS was a great tractor. We just needed something bigger and it was next in line to be replaced.”

Martin waited for the Maxxum 150 ActiveDrive 8 model to become available, the first and currently only six-cylinder Case IH tractor available with the ActiveDrive 8 gearbox. Its size was a major attraction also: “We wanted a tractor that was compact and manoeuvrable for yard work but yet capable of doing all the jobs we want it to do.”

Specification and cab

Knowing that this was going to be the main workhorse, clocking up in the region of 1,000 hours annually, they specified the tractor to suit. Martin said: “We went for Trelleborg 650/65 R38s on the rear and 540/65 R28s on the front. This leaves the tractor with a good wide footprint in the field and more stable pulling the low-loader and track machines”

The tractor is fitted with a Zuidberg front linkage which Martin said was worth opting for as it proves handy for carrying the weight block and leaves flexibility for a front and rear mower combination.

The tractor is equipped with all-round LED lighting, the first time Martin has had such a package. “It’s a difference of night and day in comparison to standard halogen lights and the daytime running lights are a nice feature,” he said.

Inside the cab, the upgraded Grammer seat offers greater comfort during the long days. Layout of the cab is good, though Martin said: “Space upon entering the cab could be improved. The steps and door opening may not be the most accessible out there. I like that there is no forward-facing dash. Everything is at eye height on the corner pillar. It takes getting used to but it’s a good job when you do and leaves better visibility looking forward. The Multicontroller means every button is just at your fingertips. That I do like. I can set the spools on to the joystick which is handy for baling too.”

Given that part of Martin’s work is hauling diggers from site to site, he went for the option of an exhaust brake. Having got used to it, he reckons it’s a feature that should be on all tractors as it provides great stopping power under heavy load while saving the tractor’s brakes.

Martin is impressed with the layout of the multicontroller.

Transmission and engine

The ActiveDrive 8 transmission is a semi-powershift setup which uses dual-clutch technology. It offers eight powershift steps in each of its three ranges. This totals to 24 speeds in both forward and reverse. Martin said the transmission is completely seamless during direction changes: “I tend to drive the tractor in automatic mode, and it feels as close to a CVT as you’ll get.” The brake to clutch function is a good job, he said, as it completely removes the need to clutch when baling or at a junction. “There’s great scope to set the transmission up for the task in hand. I can adjust the sensitivity of the brake to clutch function so when I’m baling a light touch of the brakes brings the tractor to a stop or vice versa. There’s also an inching function handy for hooking up implements.”

Martin noted how it’s an intelligent transmission: “It seems to know itself what gear it needs to be in. For instance, you could be baling there and you could be moving between two powershifts, one could be too fast and the other too slow, but if you hit the automatic function it somehow finds the best ratio for your speed even if it means going up a range.” He said the only slight negative is that the transmission can be a little on the loud side, especially when the tractor is cold.

Seven-hundred hours into ownerships, it’s arguably still the honeymoon period for Martin, but he’s been genuinely impressed with how the tractor has performed to date. He’s happy with his decision to go for the Maxxum over the larger Puma series. “The Maxxum is the ideal size for me. It’s compact, with a tight turning circle even fitted with the larger tyres. Diesel consumption seems good. It’s definitely easier on fuel than my TSA 135 and we always found it to be good on fuel. A tank of AdBlue roughly lasts three tanks of diesel.

“The best way I could describe the tractor is that it is the Swiss Army Knife of tractors, it’s got everything from comfort to power to manoeuvrability on a compact chassis what’s more”