After Farm Trader recently published photos of this very unique quad track tractor – the Antonio Carraro Mach 4 quad track tractor – the Kiwi importer of Antonio Carraro tractors, Doug McFarlane Ltd, was inundated with enquires.
“There’s nothing quite like it available anywhere! It’s pretty radical looks and design make the Mach 4 quad track a crowd stopper every time,” says company owner Stuart McFarlane.
McFarlane says most of the enquiries following the article in Farm Trader were the same: “Most people thought the photos were just prototype sketches and not a real tractor. I think this is because the tractor is painted black and photos tend to make it look like a sketch.
“I can assure readers that this tractor is for real, and we have a demonstrator tractor based at our Hamilton Premises. We have also already sold our first one into Nelson.”
The Antonio Carraro Mach 4 quad track is a bi-directional articulated tractor, fitted with four massive 350mm-wide rubber tracks that give unbelievable traction and very low ground pressure. The amount of footprint of the Mach 4’s rubber tracks is about the same as what a similar sized tractor would have if it was fitted 14 tractor tyres.
Being articulated, the rear tracks follow the exact path of the leading pair of tracks. This allows tight turns without skidding and does not disturb the soil on turns. The ground pressure of this 3000kg tractor is just 2.84 pounds per square inch (less than a man’s footprint).
Another unique feature the Antonio Carraro Mach 4 has to offer is that it can be driven on the road – with its 40kph road speed and reversible driving console – which means, within seconds, the driving console and seat can be rotated 180 degrees, giving the operator the choice to either face the bonnet or face the rear three-point linkage. This feature is ideal for forklift and mulching duties etc.
This unique tractor is powered by an 87hp Yanmar four-cylinder, 16-valve diesel engine. The Mach 4 is fitted with a ‘Clean Fix’ reversible cooling fan, where operators can activate a switch for the cooling fan blade pitch to be turned to change the direction of the air flow, allowing it to push air through the radiator for self-cleaning of debris built-up in front of the radiator. This is very useful when mowing in reverse direction.
The Mach 4 is also available with an optional air-conditioned cab.
McFarlane has already received enquiries about this machine from steep vineyard owners who, up until now, have had no other option but to use steel-tracked crawler tractors on their very steep properties. Some of the disadvantages experienced when using conventional crawler type machines is the massive turf damage created, especially when turning at headlands. This makes for very rough riding for the operator, high maintenance of track gear, slow transport speeds and the less ability to drive a tracked machine on paved roads. None of these disadvantages are found when using the Antonio Carraro Mach 4 quad track.
There is some extremely good film footage of the Mach 4 operating in some unbelievably steep vineyards around the world on You Tube. McFarlane suggests that anyone interested in seeing what terrain the Antonio Carraro Mack 4 will handle just types in Antonio Carraro Mack 4 to the You Tube search bar and sees what comes up.
The Antonio Carraro Mach 4 will be on display at the Southern Field Days in February and Northland Central Districts Field Days in March.
Tractor of the Year 2012 – Best of Specialised
An international jury, consisting of 20 journalists from the most important European magazines of agricultural mechanization, elected the TRH 9800 Antonio Carraro Tractor of the Year 2012 – Best of Specialised.
The jury took into consideration the following features: engine; transmission; standard on-board electronics; hydraulics; cab comfort; innovative technical features; design; horsepower/price ratio; and optional extras.
The award is further acknowledgement of Antonio Carraro’s technology, talent and innovation.
TRH 9800 is a multifunctional, reversible tractor with equal wheels, equipped with step-less, electronically-controlled hydrostatic transmission. The engine features four cylinders, 87hp, 3300cc and an electronically-controlled injection system. A completely computerised system controls forward speed, acceleration and rpm of the PTO. TRH can be fitted with an electronic proportional joystick to control the hydraulic equipment system.
Driving comfort for the operator is maximum: the linear design avoids damaging cultivations, and TRH can be equipped with the new ‘Super Comfort’ cabin, tapered, in order to work under trees and on slopes.
Many optional extras are available: seat; bull-bar; hydro-pneumatic suspension lifting system; ballasts; wheels; cabin; hydraulic systems, etc; and it offers an excellent price/performance ratio.