A trip to Beauvais allowed Massey Ferguson to reassert its position within Agco, as well as showcase updates to the product range
It would be fair to say that in recent years, it hasn’t always been clear how Massey Ferguson has fit within the tractor portfolio at Agco. If Fendt has always targeted the high-ticket, technology-focused buyer, and Valtra has wrapped up the bespoke, specialist market, the historic red brand hasn’t always had that same direction.
This pre-Agritechnica event in Beauvais did answer a couple of these questions. Marco Mazzaferri, who stepped into the roles of vice-president and managing director in May, explained that the company aimed to be the partner of choice, offering machines at different specifications to suit requirements.
“By Agritechnica, we will have 10% of the European tractor market above 80hp, and we expect this to continue to grow over the coming years,” he said.
This ‘partner of choice’ ambition is not only focused on the product, but also offerings that the company hopes will bring it closer to customers.
Part of this is the new Agrispace visitors centre at the Beauvais factory. Open to the public since June, the new 2,800sq m building includes a showroom with all the latest products, a museum that walks customers through the history of the company, a conference centre and merchandise shop and a restaurant capable of seating up to 120 people.
Jérôme Aubrion, director of marketing, says the Agrispace will welcome enthusiasts and new customers, with 20,000 visitors a year expected by 2027. Dealers will be able to organise factory tours, and the site will also be used to hold educational events alongside UniLaSalle, Beauvais’ Agriculture Engineering University.
Ease of use
This connection to the user has not only been targeted through the product range, or through organised trips to the factory, but two distinct offerings to the customer. The first is MF by You, which has been available for two years.
This enables customers to make bespoke changes to their machines, which are factory-fitted in a dedicated workshop in Beauvais once machines come off the main line. These options can include central tyre inflation systems (CTIS) and the full Massey Ferguson guidance portfolio. However, it can also be customer-specific paint jobs and less usual features to meet specific requirements.
A key benefit of the MF by You system is that all changes are made before the tractor is shipped. This means they meet homologation requirements and will not affect the warranty, as some third-party options may.
The company has also ensured that users have easy access to information about the machines. This includes a new series of MF How To tutorial videos, available on YouTube (with each video modified for the market) and easily accessible through a series of machine-specific QR codes that will be included in new machines.
This will enable customers to quickly find information, without searching through manuals, and will allow the company to quickly keep product information up to date as the portfolio changes.
A key partner in Agco
As well as being more involved with the customer base, Massey Ferguson has invested in its Beauvais plant to be a key partner to the rest of the Agco family. Investment in a fourth site at the factory has enabled the company to vertically integrate, protecting itself (and the rest of the Agco brands) from market disruptions.
This includes the installation of five 3D printers, capable of producing up to 40,000 components per year. New bending equipment has also been purchased, enabling Massey Ferguson to produce its own hydraulic piping, and there are four tank-moulding robots to produce up to 250 fuel tanks per day. As well as meeting the requirements for fuel tanks for both Massey Ferguson and Fendt, the Beauvais plant will also be responsible for Valtra’s fuel tanks.
Another production brought in-house is the printing of stickers and decals. A seemingly minor part of tractor and implement manufacturing, it’s surprising how many machines were held up during the Covid pandemic due to issues within the supply chain of these aesthetic touches. Again, it’s planned for Massey Ferguson to take over decal production for the entire Agco portfolio in the coming years.
Revamping the line-up
Of course, these investments behind the scenes mean little if the product portfolio doesn’t move with it, and Massey Ferguson provided ample opportunity for us to get behind the wheel of its latest and updated machines.
Starting at the top of the range (second to the top, to be exact), Massey Ferguson had its newly updated 8S Xtra series, putting out 205-305hp across six models, with all but the flagship fitted with Engine Power Management (EPM) to provide up to 20hp of boost, which is proportionally distributed across the machine depending on demand.
Power comes from the Agco Power 7.4-litre engine, put to the ground through a choice of either the Dyna-7 powershift, the Dyna E-Power dual-clutch, or the Dyna-VT stepless box. On the 8S.285 and 8S.305 Xtra, only the Dyna-VT is available.
It retains a lot of the features from the previous generation of machines, including the Protect-U design, which isolates the cabin and engine bay to minimise heat, noise and vibration for the driver, and the All-in-One exhaust after-treatment system that improves visibility by packing all the components under the bonnet.
Changes across the range start at the engine, with new software to control the cooling system. The company says this improves operating efficiency, and can boost engine performance by about 5%, which should lead to fuel savings. As an option, users can also specify a reversible fan system, controlled through the Datatronic 5 terminal.
Other options include hydraulic decompression levers for the Efficient base spec to speed up the changeover of implements, and a full 360deg LED light package. Through the MF by You workshop, it’s also possible to fit CTIS and infotainment packages, including Android Auto and Apple CarPlay to suit.
These changes are hard to quantify on a short test drive, but during both cultivation and road tests, the 8S.305 Xtra performed well. While conditions were bone dry and the topsoil so sandy that it threatened to blow away with every gust of wind, there were plenty of hills to test the traction.
During our road test – which was more of a dirt track along the edge of the field – we also got a sense of how comfortable it was. Only the worst of the bumps weren’t dampened significantly by the time they got to us.
The rest of the changes are aesthetic, with a new streamlined exhaust system that sits directly in line with the A-pillar so as not to be in the operator’s eyeline. New black grilles and side panels give the 8S Xtra a distinctive look, though this will largely be down to taste and preference.
A compact workhorse
Introduced late last year at EIMA, we were finally able to get our hands on the 5M series, offering six models from 95hp up to 145hp, using a four-litre Agco Power engine and the Dyna-4 powershift transmission. It’s designed to be a relatively simple workhorse, sitting alongside the higher-specification 5S series.
Jumping into the cab of the 5M.135, we were a little concerned about how it would perform. For starters, we had a tine cultivator on the back, set to work down to 20cm. While the topsoil was sandy, the rest of the soil profile was like concrete, and this seemed an unlikely proposition. This was without mentioning the steep hill we were on.
In a pleasant surprise, the tractor continued to pull at the steepest point. Control of the machine was easy to get our heads around, and for those looking to build on the 5M platform, it can be provided ready for all but the very latest precision farming systems (so no automatic headland turns).
The cab is comfortable, and the controls are simple and intuitive. We would have easily sat on the machine all day, were there not others waiting for their turn. Those looking for a versatile machine, comfortable in the yard and handling fieldwork, will find a lot to like with the 5M.
Ultra-compact
Unlikely to find a huge market in UK farming, but still an important part of the Massey Ferguson range, the company has started the process of replacing the 1500 series with two new 1M models. These ultra compact machines produce 20hp and 25hp through a three-cylinder engine, put through a nine-speed hydrostatic transmission, replacing the previous eight-speed gearbox.
Platform and cabin versions are available to suit, with the cab offering excellent visibility, even if at first glance they look a little oversized. On the 25hp model, a 900kg rear linkage has been fitted, with the option to increase the 20hp’s 600kg hitch to this as well, and both offer 20.9 litres/min hydraulic output.
Well suited to amenity work, the 25hp machine can also be equipped with a series of mid-mounted grass cutter decks.
Telehandler ranges gets stepless transmission
The final update we got to test was the latest TH telehandler models, with three of them getting the option of the Dyna-CT continuous hydrostatic transmission – the TH.6534 Dyna-CT, TH.7038 Dyna-CT and TH.8043 Dyna-CT.
These new models also benefit from a speed limiter – in addition to the Hare and Tortoise modes, the former allowing up to 40kph and the latter limiting to 20kph for loading work – as well as automatic start/stop, cruise control and dynamic tractor management to control engine speed and forward speed independently.
The rest of the package remains the same, with no change to capacity or lift height.
