First order for new McCormick X7 Pro Drive tractors from Hawk

Thu 23/01/2014

National hire fleet operator Hawk Tractors announced an initial order for 10 of the all-new McCormick X7 Pro Drive tractors as the new range was launched at the LAMMA show.

“We run several makes within our fleet of more than 270 tractors to meet different customer needs but our longest working relationship by far is with the McCormick tractor range,” says Hawk director, John Smith. “Over the years, they have provided our regular customers with reliable, easy-to-use machines, so I’m delighted that Hawk will be among the first customers for the new McCormick X7 Pro Drive.”

The X7.660 Pro Drive ordered by Hawk Tractors is one of three six-cylinder models with a McCormick Betapower 6.7-litre engine by FPT housed in a heavy cast chassis. Rated power output is 151hp with up to 165hp available for draft work, such as cultivating and ploughing, and 175hp with Power Plus transport/pto ‘boost’.

Hawk Tractors exhibited at LAMMA for the first time to promote the advantages of hiring tractors. It’s an economical way of getting a modern, up-to-date tractor on the farm, says John Smith, because there is no big capital outlay and routine servicing and repair costs are included in the rental charge, which qualifies as a tax-efficient business expense.

He and hire operations manager Andrew Annandale first looked at the new McCormick X7 Pro Drive under the spotlights at Agritechnica in November and liked it.

“We then tried it out at AgriArgo’s base in Yorkshire and liked it even more,” he says. “It ticks all the boxes as a tractor with the modern controls and features that most drivers expect these days but without being too complicated to put a seasonal employee or someone relatively inexperienced in the seat.”

As usual the Hawk tractors will be supplied and serviced by established McCormick dealers: “In our experience, the McCormick dealers we work with have always provided good back-up, treating the tractor and customer as their own. That is crucial to the success of our nationwide hire operation.”

Read the full story by downloading the press release on the right.