Keeping vegetation trim on Lincolnshire highways, byways and drainage dykes
Sat 15/08/2015
Diversifying into highways and grounds maintenance work has proved a good bet for eastern counties contractor Mick Wright and his son Peter.Having started their Wisbech-based business with just a used tractor and farm hedge cutter 19 years ago, the MJ Wright & Son team now maintains public footpaths and other rights of way across half of Lincolnshire, trims 300 miles of grass road verges across a quarter of the county and keeps vegetation under control on countless lengths of drainage dyke embankments.
The firm’s latest purchase has enabled the fleet of five tractors to be trimmed to four without losing capacity.
“We ran a 40kph McCormick MTX150 for jobs nearby and a Unimog that went to more distant contracts – but that meant one or the other was stood idle for much of the time,” explains Peter. “Both have been replaced by a new McCormick X7 Pro Drive tractor; it works and travels faster and is less tiring for the operator so it’s a viable unit to use on distant jobs, which might involve a two-hour journey, as well as work closer to our Wisbech base.”
As the operator who spends long hours in the seat, Justin Thomson had the final say on which tractor he would end up driving. Another McCormick would seem an obvious choice to replace his MTX150 but another two candidates were in the running.
“The McCormick X7 Pro Drive really stood out with its new cab layout and control set-up,” says Justin. “The electronic controls give you a lot more features but they’re not too complex or overwhelming, and everything felt right and easy to use.”
In addition to a top-spec ventilated air seat to complement the auto climate control and hydraulic suspension, the 160hp X7.450 Pro Drive’s cab was specified with the optional 12in touch-screen control system, which is proving useful for configuring the hydraulics and pto when swapping between different types of equipment.
Introduced as an option across the X7 Pro Drive range this year, Data Screen Manager provides a number of functions over the tractor’s standard ‘dial and select’ system, such as pto clutch modulation adjustment to suit different implements.
Others include powershift and power shuttle modulation, a fast-steer option, individual spool valve isolation, control of ISOBUS-compliant implements and GPS auto steering for accurate, low-stress bout matching.
“The touch screen is lovely to use, just like tapping on a mobile phone or tablet,” says Justin. “And you can still see the colour display when the sun’s bright, which was a problem with the other tractors we looked at.”
“Also, the tractor is so quiet and comfortable that even after 13 to 14 hours I don’t feel like I’ve done a day’s work,” he adds. “It really is a step up to another level in terms of comfort and productivity.”
For the full story, read the press release using the link on the right.
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