In mid-June, Claas’s North American operation announced it was bringing the high-horsepower Axion 900 Terra Trac (TT) tractors to this continent. What sets them apart from their brothers in the 900 series is their half-track design. The company claims the half-track concept offers “marked advantages in comfort, efficiency and traction.”
“Refined, efficient and bold are a few words I would use to describe the Axion 900 TT,” says Eric Raby, senior vice-president, Americas, for Claas. “By listening to the needs of our customers and bringing our brightest thinking into research and development, Claas is providing customers with truly innovative products that will take their farming operation to new levels of productivity.”
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The two Axion 900 TT models use the brand’s unique and relatively compact Terra Trac module on the rear axle, a configuration the brand first showed the public at Agritechnica in Germany several years ago. With a standard front tire, the tractors maintain the same handling characteristics of a standard, wheeled Axion tractor, but delivers the added benefits of tracks, according to the company.
Over the past few years, all of the major brands have decided to add track options to their rigid-frame tractor offerings. CNH has also gone with a half-track design on both Case IH and New Holland high-horsepower models and John Deere now offers a fully tracked 8R.
Less ground pressure, improved traction
Better flotation, improved traction, operator comfort and reduced soil compaction are just a few of the advantages Claas says farmers get with the half-track Claas Axion 900 TTs, which also offer full suspension.
“We look to our customers to continuously evolve our approach to the design and innovation of new products,” says Drew Fletcher, Claas product manager for tractors. “Through extensive testing and discovering numerous advantages with this product, compared with other manufacturers, this is technology we’re thrilled to bring to market.”
Claas says using a front-wheel, rear-track design with independent suspension gives the Claas Axion 900 TTs 25 per cent less ground pressure and 15 per cent greater traction. The standard four-point cab suspension and fully suspended tracks also contribute to a much improved ride.
Award-winning transmission
Like the other Axion 900 models, the TTs are equipped with an 8.7-litre diesel that operates on a low-speed, high-torque concept, with maximum engine efficiency delivered at just 1,400 r.p.m. Power from that 8.7-litre diesel gets routed through the brand’s four-mode, continuously variable CMATIC transmission. That combination offers notable fuel savings in a variety of applications, according to the brand.
At Agritechnica in 2013, a smaller Claas Axion 850 equipped with the CMATIC transmission won both Tractor of the Year and Machine of the Year awards for 2014, mainly due to that transmission.
The Machine of the Year award is presented every two years by the technology editors of the Deutscher Landwirtschaftsverlag (dlv) publishing house for the best innovations in agricultural technology. Explaining its decision, the jury said, “The stepless transmission is operated using the CMOTION operating lever, which is one of the most ergonomic controls on the market. The CEBIS control terminal also allows the operator to make extensive adjustments. We particularly liked the simple engine-transmission management system. The easily adjusted engine torque function for various types of operation lowers fuel consumption and increases economic efficiency.”
The entire Axion 900 series is relatively young, first introduced in 2011, with an updated version first made available to buyers in Europe in 2018, and a year later in North America. The 900 series models are available exclusively with the CMATIC transmission.
To make sharp turns easier, the 900 TTs include brake-assisted steering. And to make things a little easier on the operator, it has a drawbar height adjustment feature for easier implement hook-ups.
There are two models available in the 900 TT configuration, the 960 with 440 horsepower and the 930 model with 350 horsepower. They are currently available with 25-, 29- or 35-inch belts. In 2023 models, 18-inch belts on 88- and 120-inch centres will be available.
