Cropping contractors Sam, Chris and David Haworth, who jointly work across more than 25,000 hectares in the West Wyalong region of NSW, are poised to be one of Australia's first owners of the new John Deere 2022 9 Series tractor.
The brothers have ordered two 9R 590 models in a move to grow the power, intelligence and productivity of the machines behind their contracting business, AgTrac Services.
"For this purchase we were looking for bigger equipment to cover more hectares, operator comfort and ease of use," Sam Haworth said.
"This will complete our fleet and complement the equipment we have to maximise our efficiency of operation."
The Haworths were able to put the new 9 Series to work sowing wheat for a client as part of a demonstration of the 9R 520 organised by their local Deere dealer.
Mr Haworth was immediately impressed by the extra horsepower delivered by the John Deere PowerTechTM PSS 13.6-litre engine and its ability to seamlessly connect to AgTrac's John Deere 1890 disc seeder.
"With the extra horsepower and increased frame weight I noticed straight away any wheel slip was greatly reduced which was an instant improvement," he said.
"This meant I could pull the bar at a more constant speed which markedly improves productivity overall."
To accommodate the extra horsepower of the new 9 Series, the weight of the tractor and the maximum available ballast on selected models in the 9R and 9RX has increased from 27,200 to 30,300 kilograms.
On top of this, several undercarriage components, including the axle and front-frame, have been strengthened across the 9R and four-track 9RX models.
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The 9R 590 tractors, which will soon be part of the AgTrac Services' business, can also be ordered with hydraulic Intelligent Power Management (IPM) to deliver up to 50 extra horsepower into high hydraulic demand applications, aligning with the brothers' overarching need for more power and productivity.
Running a full fleet of John Deere equipment, AgTrac's team of six full-time and five seasonal workers provides sowing, spraying, spreading and harvesting services to a large area of the Central NSW cropping region.
The Haworths' current fleet includes four 9R 470 tractors, a 9R 570, two 8R 320s, three 1910 tow-behind air commodity carts, two 1890 disc seeders, four S780 combine harvesters and one S670.
Each machine is pivotal to supporting AgTrac's varied client portfolio that encompasses two large corporate farming aggregates as well as smaller family-owned farms.
Although the brawn of the 9R 590 is what initially attracted the Haworth brothers to the new model, Sam Haworth said the machinery's brains were also important given the need for AgTrac Services to have a connected fleet.
All 9 Series tractors come fitted from the factory with JDLink connectivity, plus Generation 4 CommandCenter display, AutoTrac guidance and free access to the John Deere Operations Center.
"The John Deere Operations Centre is very important to our business," Mr Haworth said.
"Overall, it helps us keep a gauge on productivity and efficiency, and it makes it really easy to see straight away where everyone is at in the paddock."