Tractor Test: Case IH Puma 220 Multicontroller Powershift

Long in the tooth or tried and tested? The Puma Multicontroller is Case IH's offering for those seeking 150-220hp and a mechanical box. Our verdict on the Puma 220 MC is that it's both simple and frugal. A cab with a multi-function armrest that's more than 10 years old is almost guaranteed to come in for a bit of criticism. Then again you can see the direction Case IH is heading with the Magnum AFS and its reconfigured armrest, and it's likely the Puma will eventually follow suit; indeed there's a Magnum driving impression just a few pages away in this issue if you want to check out its armrest. However, we have to deal with the here and now, so it's the current Puma that's the focus for this test.

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Long in the tooth or tried and tested? The Puma Multicontroller is Case IH’s offering for those seeking 150-220hp and a mechanical box. Our verdict on the Puma 220 MC is that it’s both simple and frugal.

A cab with a multi-function armrest that’s more than 10 years old is almost guaranteed to come in for a
bit of criticism. Then again you can see the direction Case IH is heading with the Magnum AFS and its reconfigured armrest, and it’s likely the Puma will eventually follow suit; indeed there’s a Magnum driving impression just a few pages away in this issue if you want to check out its armrest. However, we have to deal with the here and now, so it’s the current Puma that’s the focus for this test.

At the Puma’s heart is a six-pot, 6.7-litre motor from fellow CNH Industrial company Fiat Powertrain Technology and it’s one of the best engines you can get in this class. The Stage IV power plant is impressively eager and blissfully quiet. Measurements from the DLG show that, of the claimed 62kW/220hp using the ECE-R120 without ancillaries), as much as 155.2kW/208.1hp arrived at the stub during our test. This is an excellent result, with the output increasing as the engine speed starts dropping. The Puma brochure states a maximum output of 177kW/240hp. The DLG dyno measured 167kW/224hp at the shaft.

Boost kicks in at 0.5km/hr when on pto- and hydraulic-demanding work and from gear 16 when on the public highway, bringing another 15kW/20hp to the power party. Test bench stats revealed 160.6kW/215.4hp reached the Puma’s tail at rated speed and 178.2kW/238.9hp at 1,800rpm. Not bad at all.

Our ‘in the seat’ feel of a lively revving engine was also confirmed by the DLG measurement men: nearly 45% torque rise at just over 30% speed drop and 30% constant power range with 11% extra power. No complaints here.

The good news continues with fuel economy. Using just 215g/kWh at maximum pto speed and only 229g/kWh at rated speed makes the Puma one of the most frugal tractors around. Even the high-ish 22g/kWh of AdBlue fails to dampen our enthusiasm for the FPT motor, although it does explain the 48-litre AdBlue tank next to the 400-litre diesel tank.

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Article code: Tractor Test

Article issue: 10

Issue year: 2019

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