Under these difficult conditions, the AXION TERRA TRAC from CLAAS has repeatedly proved its versatility for spring fertilization and plant protection application work.
In large parts of Europe, the past winter was significantly too wet and too warm. Thanks to the high levels of precipitation, the soil layers that dried out in the drought years 2021 to 2023 are now filled with sufficient plant-available water again. However, the soils of lower-lying and boggy fields in particular, as well as undrained fields, still have limited bearing capacity and trafficability. Even on areas with clay layers in deeper soil levels, rainwater is currently only seeping away slowly.
Under these difficult conditions, the AXION TERRA TRAC from CLAAS has become a key machine on many farms and for contractors. "In recent years, some customers have already been using their AXION TERRA TRAC for mineral or organic fertilization in February and March, especially in regions with a lot of rain and only short periods of ground frost," says Steffan Kurtz, Global product Team Manager Large Tractors at CLAAS Global Sales. "Many areas are almost impossible to drive on with wheeled machines in the first few weeks after the end of the lockdown period without leaving deep tracks. At the same time, there is a high risk that the vehicles will get stuck and have to be recovered at great expense in terms of machinery and manpower. This applies to tractors with mounted fertilizer spreaders and correspondingly high rear axle loads as well as tractors with trailed crop protection sprayers for liquid fertilization as well as application drums, distribution booms and hose reels or manure spreaders for organic fertilization."
Thanks to its long TERRA TRAC crawler tracks on the rear axle, the AXION TERRA TRAC can also support heavy loads without damaging the soil and also tracks stably and almost slip-free on wet surfaces. With 735 mm wide tracks, it offers 35 percent more contact area than a comparable tractor with 900 mm wide rear wheels, which roughly halves the ground pressure in the topsoil and underbody. Thanks to the sprung running gear, optimum ground tracking is also ensured at all times, which reduces the risk of pressure peaks at certain points. In addition, the active steering intervention in the undercarriage drive enables the AXION TERRA TRAC to move from the tramline to the headland and into the next tramline without damaging the soil. "Our customers report that with the AXION TERRA TRAC they can drive into their fields two to three weeks earlier than with wheeled tractors," Kurtz continues. "What's more, even trailed spreader wheels sink in less, as the top layer of soil is not excessively compacted by the AXION TERRA TRAC and the soil structure is largely retained. In other words, the AXION TERRA TRAC leaves behind stable soil instead of mud."
CLAAS presented the AXION TERRA TRAC as a prototype at Agritechnica in 2017 and launched it for sale in 2020. The large tractors are now marketed not only in European countries, but also in North America and Australia. Thanks to its unique TERRA TRAC crawler tracks, it is still the only full-suspension tractor in this machine segment. The ground adaptation resulting from the special design of the undercarriages not only increases comfort, but also ensures more even pressure distribution and uncompromising tractive power, even on uneven fields. "The AXION TERRA TRAC was primarily developed for heavy traction work," summarizes Steffan Kurtz. "But since its market launch, it has increasingly proven its suitability as a year-round all-rounder, from fertilization to grass or green rye mowing and silage use to the heaviest traction work in soil loosening, tillage and sowing."
The advantages of the AXION TERRA TRAC in spring fertilisation summarised:
- 35 percent more contact area with 735 mm tracks compared to 900 mm rear wheels (both with 710 mm front wheels; total contact area on the AXION TERRA TRAC approx. 4 m2).
- With 900 mm tracks, the contact area increases by a further 20 percent compared to the 735 mm tracks.
- Ground pressure in the topsoil is only 0.5 bar, in the subsoil 0.45 (40 cm depth) to 0.2 bar (60 cm depth). A comparable wheeled tractor has 1.0 bar in the topsoil and 0.75 to 0.4 bar in the subsoil (40 and 60 cm depth).
- Extremely low track formation at high soil moisture levels - regardless of the soil type.
- No "bogging down" of the AXION TERRA TRAC plus implement combination: No need for time-consuming recovery operations, as is currently increasingly the case with wheeled tractors.
- High tractive power and traction reserves in conjunction with semi-mounted fertilizer spreaders and crop protection sprayers.
- Virtually slip-free traction of fertilizer spreaders and crop protection sprayers: No smear layers due to soil shearing in the tracks.
- The soil structure in the tracks remains virtually intact - as a result, attached fertilizer spreaders and crop protection sprayers sink in less.
- The passability for subsequent operations is significantly better if the first pass on the tramlines in spring is carried out with the AXION TERRA TRAC in a way that protects the soil.
- Significantly easier harvesting due to minimal track formation.
