SAME Deutz-Fahr's Agroclimber is more than a match for paddock preparation at the snowline, ANDREA MAYES writes

Colin and Steven Vagg grow Sebago, New Brunswick and Coliban seed potatoes at Neerim, in the foothills of Mt Baw Baw.

    IN A WORD
  • MAKE: Same Deutz-Fahr
  • MODEL: Agroclimber 105
  • LIST PRICE: $81,950
  • BEST FEATURE: Colin said the Agroclimber's great traction and stability has made it possible to cultivate more land.
  • MORE DETAILS: Small Horse Tractors (03) 9791 6414. 

They run Poll Hereford cows and calves on 37ha and lease another 12ha for the potato crop.

Soils are red to chocolate clay-loam and the terrain varies from flat land to slopes that will defeat most machines.

The land has permanent springs, dams and creeks and the Vaggs use soft or flexible hose irrigators to get water to the crop over difficult terrain.

They bought their tracked Same Deutz-Fahr Agroclimber 105 two years ago from Small Horse Tractors in Dandenong after comparing three brands.

Before buying the crawler, they used a 53kW, four-wheel-drive Fiat 780DT wheeled tractor with a trailed Grimme 7020 harvester and also had a 64kW Fiat 880DT wheeled tractor for paddock preparation.

With reasonably high rainfall, the ground gets slippery and Colin said the crawler had made working on the slopes much safer.

"It might sound like an odd thing to say, but you get a real sense of security driving the Agroclimber," he said.

"Obviously you've still got to be sensible about how you operate but there's no feeling you might be about to slip or roll like you get with tractors on a slope.

You don't get wheel slippage so you're not wasting power either."

The Agroclimber 105 has a 75kW turbo diesel engine with a high-pressure injection system.

It features a power-take-off with an oil-immersed, multi-plate clutch to provide modulated or smooth start-up, and a three-point linkage with a lifting capacity of 3000kg.

The synchroshift transmission has 16 forward and 16 reverse gears.

Colin said the Agroclimber could handle all the tough jobs with its powerful hydraulics and PTO equipment.

"One of the main reasons we bought the Agroclimber was to haul the harvester up steep paddocks," he said.

"Often, the land is a bit steeper than you're comfortable with around here.

"Neither of the Fiat tractors can pull the harvester up some of these hills.

"It's because of a lack of traction, not lack of power.

"We can cultivate much more land using the crawler.

"We don't get soil compaction problems like we used to with the tractor wheels.

"The weight spreads over a bigger surface and the crawler foot-print is about the same as you'd get walking over it in boots, even when the ground has been worked and the soil is soft and fluffy."

The Agroclimber 105 handles most of the ground preparation for the seed potatoes.

"With seed potatoes you need new ground every year," Colin said.

"We use the crawler with our 230cm-wide Celli rotary hoe then we deep-rip the paddocks with a three-tine ripper.

"We go over them with a four-disc reversible plough then rotary-hoe it again before planting."

The Agroclimber also pulls the Vaggs' 18-year-old Grimme two-row, automatic linkage cup planter.

They use a 400kg counter weight on the front of the crawler and add another 150kg when using the planter.

Colin said he likes the fact the Agroclimber has the familiarity of a foot clutch instead of a hand-operated clutch.

"It's a ROPS tractor with a sun canopy," Colin said. "The driver platform is quite comfortable.

"Sealed track chains stop water getting in so you don't get any squeaking.

"The low centre of gravity gives the crawler good stability and it has good manoeuvrability.

"It will turn on its own length if you need it to, even on slopes.

"It's built to do a particular job and it does it very well."