Farm Machine, formerly Machine of the Year, has begun to announce the winners of this year's awards. Farm Machine has been an awarded in the agricultural machinery industry since 1997. It is awarded every 2 years during Agritechnica in Hanover, Germany, by the trade magazine Deutscher Landwirtschaftsverlag. 

Products are recognized in over a dozen categories — from large tractors to special tractors, from soil cultivation to fodder salvage to logistics. The agricultural technology editors of of the trade magazines traction, agrarheute, Agrartechnik, LAND & FORST and Bayerisches Landwirtschaftliches Wochenblatt together with international colleagues award innovations and innovations in agricultural technology.

The first two awards announced were in the Tractor and Forage Collection categories. For more information, visit www.farmmachine.eu.

Tractor — Massey Ferguson 8S

The international Jury consisting of members all over Europe and North America was particularly impressed by the modern, spacious cabin and the all-in-one exhaust gas treatment system by AGCO Power. The jurors were particularly impressed by MF’s willingness to take a risk and engineer an entirely new tractor, rather then re-combining AGCO components with a track record.

Massey Ferguson has redone just about everything on this series: cab, design, engine, gearbox, electronics. After the launch in late 2020, they have recently extended the range. There are now six models from the 8S.205 (205 hp maximum output without EPM) to the 8S.305 (305 hp maximum output). The Dyna-VT shiftless transmission is now available for all models. Alternatively, you can still opt for the the Dyna-VT powershift transmission. The heart of the tractors is a 7.4 liter 6-cylinder AGCO Power engine featuring MF’s own "all-in-one" exhaust gas aftertreatment. It generates maximum power at 1,850 rpm. Massey Ferguson replaced the dashboard with the MF vDisplay, which is located on the right pillar. The MultiPad control lever as well as the Datatronic 5 touchscreen terminal are on board, too.

Massey Ferguson 8S Tractor

Forage Collection — Pöttinger Jumbo 7000

Thus, the Austrians emerge against two very strong competitors in this field. The international jury was particularly fond of the wagon’s powerband which transmits power from the tractor directly to the rotor unit. Jury member Evelyn Schmailzl, traction: „This way, the Jumbo 7000 can deal with up to 500 hp from the tractor, making it the only model on the market today that is able to do that.“

Jumbo 7000: Field test confirms jury vote

Evelyn, who has tested the Jumbo 7000 in the field, confirms her jury colleagues‘ positive impression. She felt the wide pickup as well as the innovative, smart loading system made her job as driver easier. „It just helps you get every last blade of gras perfectly cut and into the silo“, she reports. The Jumbo is a real alternative to a forage harvester according to Evelyn.

New ideas all around

This, the Jumbos third and largest yet generation, comes with further new elements:

  • 48 knifes on the Powercut cutting unit allow for a theoretical chopping length of 34 mm
  • The beater rotors (dosing rollers) come with their own 210 kW power unit and empty e.g. the Jumbo 7540 (54 m3 of volume) within a minute and ten seconds.
  • Up to 400 kg/m3 of compression are possible. You choose between three modes: Quick loading, medium compression and high compression. Three sensors manouver the front wall intelligently in line with the mode set by the driver.
  • The pickup can be taken off, giving you more than half a ton of load capacity for transport tasks.