One tractor handles all the work

Plenty of power and efficient use of capital

Using anything less than a 4WD tractor to pull a big air seeding system on zero-till is just about unheard of in western Manitoba. Bill Hodgson has used a total of eight 4WD tractors over the years until purchasing his New Holland TG285.

"It was a big step to go away from having a full-fledged 4WD tractor," he says. But he finds his 240 PTO hp TG285 is more than adequate to pull the air seeder, and handle many other big jobs, on his Southwest Manitoba grain farm.

Bill and Tracy Hodgson seed 2,600 acres a year near Hartney, Manitoba. They have two children, Jessica, 16 and Brett, 11. Bill began doing minimum-till seeding about ten years ago. He "upgraded" to zero-till in 1999. The next year he downsized, letting go of some rented land to focus on doing a better job on the land he owns. He avoids spring wheat and barley, but grows winter wheat, fall rye, oats, peas, canola, flax, and has tried alfalfa, buckwheat, mustard and sunflowers.

Photo courtesy of Monsanto Canada.

"I think the TerraGlide™ suspended front axle is what makes the traction so good."
—Bill Hodgson

Bill purchased a 4WD New Holland TJ325 tractor in 2002 for his seeding work. He already had a 145 PTO hp New Holland 8670 tractor with front-wheel assist for spraying, hauling the grain cart and land roller, and operating the Grain Vac and snow blower.

"I had just bought the TJ325 when the TG came out," he recalls. "I knew the TG would work for me, but I'd had the TJ for part of the spring already." He waited, put in the 2002 and the 2003 crops, then traded both the TJ and the 8670 for a TG285 with the TerraGlide™ suspended front axle last spring.

When he purchased the TG285, Bill confirmed what he'd expected: a New Holland TG285 could replace his 4WD tractor and a mid-sized tractor, and give him a big boost in efficient use of dollars and capital.

Seven hundred operating hours later, he says, the TG285 has exceeded all expectations. It does the heaviest work on the farm, and has the nimbleness of a mid-size tractor for all the rest.

Air seeding system

Bill's air seeding system has a 270-bushel tow-between grain tank, a 40-foot air seeder and 3,000 gallons of ammonia. It's operating on fields that are mostly level, although there are a couple of ravines.

"Pulling that system was virtually all my TJ had been doing," he says. "I only had 370 hours on it when I traded. We weren't putting nearly enough hours on it, and we were tying up a lot of capital."

As he was seeding with the TG285 last spring, passing traffic sometimes stopped. "Most slow down for a second look," he says. "The chemical and fertilizer dealers looked because when I'm sowing, I've got quite a bit behind me and the tractor looks small.

"The TJ was a nice tractor, but I'd much rather drive this one," he says. "The ride is smoother. The visibility is better. It turns nicer. The servicing is much nicer.

"The TG285 has the TerraGlide suspended axle, and I think that's what makes the traction so good. My slip is down low. And that's why it's so smooth. It pulls better than my TJ325 did," Bill says. "I think it's more efficient in getting the power to the ground. My slip is only 4% - 6% and the fuel consumption is pretty comparable to what I had before – just under 0.4 gallons an acre."

Wet seeding conditions

Seeding conditions were some of the wettest he's seen in 2004. "It was extremely wet here. I thought I might give up a lot of flotation when I traded the 4WD, but it didn't seem to be an issue. I was able to go and never got stuck. The wheels would start skidding on my air seeder, and I was able to get out of it. It seemed to have almost as good floatation as the full-fledged 4WD."

Bill sprays at least 7,500 acres a year with a 90-foot tow-behind high-clearance sprayer with an 800-gallon tank. He does a pre-seeding burnoff on every acre, a broadleaf treatment after seeding and usually at least one fungicide treatment. His new TG, with more horsepower, a smoother transmission and slightly narrower tires, also handles spraying better than his old 8670.

"I take the duals off and go right in," he says. "This is one size narrower, and higher, so it actually tracks less. When it was wet and muddy, I wasn't getting stuck or even leaving many ruts. The tracks are really no more than you'd get from a normal high-clearance sprayer."

At harvest, Bill bumped up the size of his grain cart. A 750-bushel cart was as much as he could pull with the 8670. The TG285 handles a nearly 900-bushel cart just fine, he says, even in soft conditions.

"The 18-speed transmission is really nice for the grain cart. It's smooth right through the gear range, and it gives you a little higher road speed as well."

The heaviest pulling job for Bill actually comes after harvest. He puts a 70-foot Flexi-Coil heavy harrow behind the TG to spread crop residue.

"It's probably the heaviest load I have on the farm, because of the speed. It was a big load for my 9682. With the TJ, I could maybe pull at 12 mph. This year, I was pulling that at 13 mph with the TG285."

When it was time to clean the last grain out of a bin in late fall, the TG operated his Grain Vac for a few hours. And from December through to March, the TG285 is set up with an Inland 110-inch snow blower.

Over the years, Bill has had a long line of tractors from his New Holland dealer, dating back as far as the 750 Versatile. He calls the working relationship excellent. "I've pretty much only gone to the New Holland dealer for tractors," he says. "The service and parts are excellent. You can always reach somebody from the dealership and they'll come out immediately. They're there to help you."


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