A new compactly-designed six-cylinder 150hp tractor equipped with a continuously-variable transmission will be available to Case IH customers from October 2018, with the launch of the new six-cylinder 145hp Maxxum 150 CVX, to be offered alongside the established four-cylinder 145hp Maxxum CVX and smaller Maxxum models.

Until now, the Maxxum range has been based around four-cylinder models only, with four variants focusing on demand for compact, light, universal tractors in this sector. However, recognising some customers' preference for a six-cylinder machine at the upper end of this power bracket, there is now an alternative to the four-cylinder 145hp Maxxum 145. In place of this tractor's 4.5-litre four-cylinder FPT engine, the new Maxxum 150 features a 6.7-litre power unit from the same Case IH sister company. As with other Maxxum models, the Maxxum 150 is available with the ActiveDrive 4 four-step semi-powershift, ActiveDrive 8 eight-step semi-powershift (from early 2019) or CVXDrive CVT.

The Maxxum 150 has the same 175hp maximum power rating with Engine Power Management as the Maxxum 145. Its torque rating, though, is greater, at 740Nm (measured at 1,500rpm) compared to the 700Nm of the Maxxum 145. Like the engine in four-cylinder Maxxum tractors, the six-cylinder power unit in the Maxxum 150 meets Stage IV emissions regulations using patented Hi-eSCR selective catalytic reduction, a maintenance-free system with no exhaust gas recirculation.

Despite its different engine configuration, the Maxxum 150 retains the same 2,642mm wheelbase and 5,137mm length as four-cylinder Maxxum models, another feature likely to appeal to farmers seeking compactness, manoeuvrability and minimal soil disturbance when manoeuvring and turning at headlands. The Maxxum 150 is also the lightest, smallest tractor of its configuration and power output, and with an unladen weight of 5,020kg weighs just 130kg more than the Maxxum 145.

With the ability to work at a set engine or forward speed and alter either one independently of the other, tractors with continuously-variable transmissions are particularly well-suited to operating equipment where this is advantageous, meaning consistent work can be maintained regardless of soil type or the field topography. Where the Case IH CVXDrive transmission for the Maxxum range is different is in its use of double clutch technology. This means that at the point it takes place, the change between the transmission's two mechanical ranges is seamless, with uninterrupted power flow from standstill to the tractor's 50km/h top speed, and full tractive power available across the whole speed range, critical when operating destoners or planters on undulating land or that which, for example, consists of differing soil types.

Maxxum CVXDrive tractors are also equipped Automatic Productivity Management (APM), another feature with particular benefits when operating across varying land. By automatically reducing engine speed when it detects when less power is required – for example, on an area of lighter soil, or when demands on an implement's hydraulic circuit are reduced – it is able to significantly cut fuel consumption and operating costs.

Options to ensure pass-to-pass accuracy at work and on the headland

Like other tractors in the Maxxum range, the Maxxum 150 is available equipped from the factory with the necessary hardware for the installation of AFS AccuGuide automated steering, to ensure the creation of parallel passes. Operated through the Case IH AFS Pro 700 terminal screen, the system can work with a number of different signals, according to the level of pass-to-pass accuracy required, right down to RTK, with its 2.5cm repeatability for absolute minimum wastage of fuel and crop inputs.

When specifying new AccuTurn Pro, the operations of AFS AccuTurn automatic end of row turn and the HMC II automated headland management system are combined to completely automate the headland turn process. The system guides the tractor automatically into the next chosen pass to ease the operator workload and further increase accuracy by ensuring it is placed exactly where it needs to be at the start of the next run.