John Deere is marketing the new 5R tractor series as the ideal loader tractor, but the ‘ideal loader tractor’ is of little use if there’s no ‘ideal loader’ to accompany it. Which, naturally enough, is why we requested a try-out with Deere’s own 543R loader model. Does green paired with green make the perfect materials handling match?
Park the largest scale European arable farming in a corner for just a moment and focus on the region’s smaller mixed and livestock operations instead. Done that? Then picture what most of these businesses would consider to be the optimum all-round tractor workhorse. Chances are it will be around 110-130hp, relatively compact, manoeuvrable, equally at home around the yard or out in the field … and it will be adept at both hosting and handling a front-end loader. The jack of all and master of everything.
