As manufacturer Argo Tractors rolls out new electronic features throughout its McCormick range, engineers at the R&D centre, located at its headquarters are already looking beyond what’s available today to ways of helping drive down ownership costs through improved driving practices.


Encouraging operators to drive tractors such as the new McCormick X8 VT-Drive safely, efficiently and more economically is the aim of Argo Tractors’ The Human Factor project.


overall performance. It’s not something easily ignored by the driver be- cause rather than hiding the signals away in a small display, the system lights the background colour of the DSM; and there is no escaping the message conveyed by the colours because they are visible regardless of which screen the operator selects. When the display background is coloured green, the operator can be satisfied that his or her driving style is optimal across the safety, economy and comfort indices. Yellow indicates a very good perfor- mance with potential for some improvement; orange indicates that significant improvements can be made; and red means that multiple issues need addressing – perhaps by attending an anger management course! “If you display the fuel consumption read-out in your car, it offers a challenge to keep improving the figure by adjusting your driving style; and it’s the same with The Human Factor. “The tractor opera- tor’s attention will always be drawn to his driving ‘score’ by the back- ground colour of the display and, hopefully, he will always want to see it green rather than red.”


Reaping economic rewards For McCormick tractor owners, the benefits of the proposed system boils down to reduced operating costs – from lower fuel consumption and from reduced downtime due to more frequent servicing or repairs needed because of aggressive or mechanically unsympathetic vehicle operation. “Owners or managers of a fleet of McCormick tractors could


use the data to identify bad practices that training can put right and to reward or incentivise operators who achieve the best scores,” suggests Salvaterra. “Beyond that, the system can also help owners to evaluate vehicle condition in terms of the mechanical stress received during its life cycle to help inform replacement decisions.” For now, though, the Data Screen Manager provides a useful interface for drivers to access the adjustable systems of his tractor, with the op- tion to include ISOBUS data communications capability for implement- ing set-up, monitoring and control. The generous 12 inch colour touch screen unit boots up with a comprehensive dashboard display provid- ing at-a-glance information such as the tractor’s speed, engine rpm, ‘power boost’, pto speed and 3pt hitch position. Sub-screens give access to settings and adjustments covering engine and transmission performance, and lift linkage, traction control, pto and spool valve functions, and headland management control se- quences. The DSM is installed as standard on 121-140hp X6.4, 150- 195hp X7 and 264-310hp X8 tractors with VT-Drive stepless transmis- sion and is optional on top-specification premium versions of the new 150-230hp X7 P6-Drive semi-powershift models. When the ISOBUS digital data communications option is installed on the X7 and X8 tractors, the DSM becomes an AEF-compliant Universal Terminal for displaying set-up, control and monitoring information from any implement with an ISOBUS on-board job computer. This pro- vides a display in a common format for different equipment, making it easier for operators to navigate the setting-up and other features.


▶ FUTURE FARMING | 25 May 2018 31


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52