X60 - Rob Moseley
McCormick X60 ‘best all-round option’ for beef and sheep farmer
It’s always worth doing a bit of homework when choosing something as important as a tractor; and although it was logical for Rob Moseley to replace his McCormick CX with the new McCormick X60, it was not a foregone conclusion.
"The CX105 had performed well enough and gave us no trouble over the eight years we ran it," he says. "But I did look at other tractors and had an X60 on test before making a decision.
“Taking into account the standard equipment on the tractor, it was the best option for features, performance and value for money,” he says.
The newcomer supplied by Oswestry-based McCormick dealer HJR Agri now performs a key role on the 270-acre unit at Knockin in Shropshire. Mr Moseley and his wife Monica run a 50-cow suckler herd and 200 ewes, fatten 100 bought-in Friesian bull calves and grow 60 acres of barley and 15 acres of fodder beet.
Their daughter Abigail is an enthusiastic sheep breeder, producing award-winning ewes and rams from her Knockin Charollais pedigree flock.
The livestock enterprises are managed using a pair of McCormick tractors of complementary size and power.
"We run a six-cylinder McCormick MTX120 for power harrowing and to operate the silage feeder and straw bedding chopper," Rob Moseley points out. "But the X60 is ideal for everything else – fertiliser spreading, loading, rolling, post driving and ploughing.
“It's a nice size tractor,” he adds, “not at all big and cumbersome; and it's not too tall to fit into our low buildings."
With 110hp from its 4.4-litre Perkins four-cylinder engine, the McCormick X60.40 is the second most powerful of four X60 models in a range that spans 92hp to 121hp. Power and torque are channelled through a new 36x12 transmission with an adjustable-response power shuttle.
It also has three-speed powershift operated by a familiar sequential-shift switch on the gear lever, together with a button to operate the clutch to save having to use the pedal every time.
"Together with the increase in the number of speeds available, the powershift makes it easy to find a gear that allows you to keep the revs down for greater economy," says Rob Moseley. "I put the tractor on our four-furrow plough when I had it on demonstration and it was noticeable that the fuel gauge didn't go down as fast as on the CX105 it replaced, despite being more powerful."
He particularly likes the new four-post design of the cab, with glazing that fills both sides of the structure giving clear visibility to left and right. Also, the roof window that makes it easier to see a bucket, grab or bale fork when the loader is raised.
"The roof window has a blind and there's a front visor for when it's very bright," Mr Moseley points out. "The cab also has more ventilation outlets than before; apart from sometimes tooting the horn when I get in, I really can't criticise it."
He also highlights the generous level of equipment supplied as standard – air conditioning, a deluxe air suspension seat, a radio/CD player and telescopic mirrors. A 270kg set of front weights is also included, along with swivel mudguards on a heavier duty front axle that has built-in disc brakes to give the tractor true four-wheel braking performance.
“It also comes with a telescopic trailer hitch as standard, which is great; it makes hooking up to a trailer or spreader a lot easier,” Rob Moseley points out. “The tractor also has bigger wheels and tyres than the CX and more work lights, especially at the back of the tractor – that will be very welcome when I’m feeding the stock in winter.”
Above: Rob Moseley describes his new McCormick X60.40 as a nice size tractor with good equipment and a spacious, well laid-out nice cab.
Above: The 110hp McCormick X60.40 handles a multitude of jobs at Knockin, so its new 36x12 power shuttle transmission provides a welcome choice of speeds to get tasks done effeciently and economically.
Above: The four-post cab structure of the McCormick X60.40 provides a clear view to both sides - handy when manoeuvring in the confines of a cattle yard - and there is a roof window so the operator can see the attachment on a raised loader more easily.
