Independent tests carried out by a leading German university confirm that the factory-integrated crawler track system on the Claas Jaguar 960 Terra Trac helps to reduce soil pressure.
Conducted by Kiel University of Applied Sciences, the researchers found that even when fitted with the narrowest 635mm-wide tracks that the resulting contact area of more than 1.3m² is over twice that provided by 800-size tyres.
In combination with the tyre pressure adjustment system, which is also available ex-factory for the rear axle, one of the benefits of the 960 Terra Trac (TT) is that it does not sink into the ground so deeply when operating in difficult wet field conditions.
Also, the headland protection system of the TT crawler drive is useful when turning on grassland, when the support rollers in each track unit are pushed down hydraulically, the front drive roller is raised and the contact area is reduced by about a third to reduce grass damage. Measurements by Kiel university researchers show that the soil pressure with the support rollers lowered is less than that exerted by a wheeled machine.
On the road, when equipped with 635mm tracks, the Jag remains within an external width of 3.0m. Two other track widths are available; 735mm and 890mm. Outer width of the 890mm versions on the road is 3.50m. The top speed on all three track widths is 40km/hr.
Previewed as a prototype at last year’s Agritechnica, Claas reckons to be the first manufacturer to offer a dedicated rubber-track system on a SPFH. The field tests continue and there is no news of when the 960 Terra Trac will go on sale.
