When it comes to 400hp plus tractors, Claas now has the Axion 900 in both wheeled and half-track formats. We test the fully booted 323kW/440hp flagship Axion 960 in the field and in the lab … to see what it’s made of
Back in 2013 the then Axion 950 flagship model was the most powerful conventional tractor from a mainstream maker; not only that, but it also delivered the highest ever drawbar rating for a wheeled machine in the profi test. Now the Claas torch has been passed to the 327kW/445hp Axion 960, and, although there are more powerful tractors out there, it still ranks among the top three in this league.
Continuing to lurk beneath the ‘seed green’ is the same 8.7-litre FPT Cursor 9 motor, which has been upgraded to Stage IV thanks to some tweaks to the SCR and DOC units for the five model Axion 900 range; a particulate filter will be added when it comes to meeting Stage V regs. The diesel tank has also shrunk from 700 to 640 litres in response to the change in emissions compatibility, and we like the fact that the filler neck for the 62-litre AdBlue tank is no longer as slanted. The filler for the diesel tank is nearly 2.0m off the ground, but filling access is OK if you stand on the steps.
We packed the Axion 960 off to the DLG test centre in Groß-Umstadt near Frankfurt. On the dynamometer, the 960 managed to push 290.7kW/389.8hp at 2,000rpm rated speed to the pto. This increased to a maximum output of 293.3kW/393.3hp as the engine pulled back to 1,800rpm. Impressive results.
Admittedly, any shortage of extra power is masked when you have a stepless transmission. The same applies to the rather modest torque rise of 25% at a 30% speed drop; however, the maximum torque figure of 1,737Nm at 1,400rpm verges on the intimidating.
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