It is not something you would want to try at home, but this floating New Holland tractor enjoyed a lot of attention at the Farm Progress Show.
When it comes to publicity, having a tractor ‘walk on water’ is not a new stunt if you recall the County Seahorse. More recently, Claas did much the same a couple of years ago in the Netherlands, with a 4.0t Axos 320 shod with Mitas 1250/50R32s at the rear and 750/55R30s up front.
It is not just European farmers and contractors that are looking to reduce the footprint of their tractors and machines. In North America, wider tyres are becoming increasingly popular on tractors, combines, chaser bins and slurry tankers, and Mitas used FPS to highlight the flotation properties of its widest versions.
Believed to be the first time such a stunt has been carried out in the US, the 1000/50R25 (front) and 1250/50R32 (rear) boots on the New Holland T4.110 had no trouble keeping the 6.0t tractor afloat in the specially-created 2.5m-deep pond.
Held at a site near Boone, in Iowa, Farm Progress is one of the largest outdoor farm machinery shows in North America. More machinery highlights from the event in the latest issue.
