Merv Keevers reckons his new Iseki TG6370P tractor is versatile enough to do almost every job on his two properties.
The Queensland vegie and livestock farmer runs a 16 hectare spread at Wooroolin and a 64ha sheep and cattle farm at nearby Murgon and after years of owning larger power tractors he bought a new Iseki tractor - primarily attracted by the transmission.
He said tractors he looked at didn’t have the gearing spread he was after - notably, snail and tortoise gear, which is ideal for planting on his farm.
“I wanted the snail-and-tortoise gearbox because you can keep the revs up and it’s better for the engine,” he says.
“I looked around and was pretty taken with the Iseki TG6370P straight away when I saw the gearing.”
While the tractor is only 26 kilowatts, Mr Keevers said it is ideal platform for a range of implements.
“It runs a planter and a set of tyne rippers, a twin-furrow mouldboard plough, and a set of 16-plate hydraulic tandem discs,” he said.
“It also pulls fertiliser spreaders and it handles them all well,” he said.
“The Iseki comes with twin hydraulic outlets, so it’s easy to adapt it to any hydraulic machinery you have.”
He doubts he would consider buying anything else again.
“It comes with quick hitch and has all the modern things that I was looking for in a small tractor.
“And I’ve found that by changing the way we work our implements, it virtually does the work of a big tractor,” he says.
He said the weight of the tractor is also an advantage and there has also been a decrease in fuel and running costs, has a flat floor, providing extra legroom and the instrument panel and gearing “are right at your fingertips, so you don’t have to move all around,” he said.